YAI Atem was seven-years-old when civil war broke out in Sudan.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
His extraordinary story saw him flee into the bush, before living at a refugee camp for 10 years, eventually making his way to America then Australia.
It’s a story that transfixed students at Taree High School on Thursday morning, May 26.
Mr Atem presented to students studying the documentary “Go Back To Where You Came From" and displaced persons.
The visit was co-ordinated with the help of Jane O’Dwyer from the Africa Comes to the Manning Valley group.
English teacher Kimberly Gurr said “you could hear a pin drop” as Mr Atem presented.
“They’d studied it a lot, but to see and hear him in front of them, they couldn’t fathom what he'd been through.”
