Joan Hecht

I first met the Lost Boys in the summer of 2001, shortly after their arrivals to the United States. Initially, I reached out to them with the intention of helping them as they resettled in a strange and foreign country. I had hoped to be instrumental in making their new lives in America better than the one they had left behind. I had hoped to be instrumental in helping to change their lives, without even realizing how drastically they would change my own. My thoughts and attitudes about many things have changed since meeting these incredible young men.

I have been volunteering full-time with the Lost Boys and other South Sudanese for 16 years. In the summer of 2004, I established an all-volunteer, non-profit foundation called 'Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan' www.allianceforthelostboys.com to assist with their health and educational needs. To date, we have assisted 65 Lost Boys and local Sudanese with college tuition and books. We've provided free medical treatment to over one-hundred local Sudanese and life-changing surgeries for numerous others.

I'm so proud of their many accomplishments and feel extremely humbled to have played a part in helping them reach their full potentials. One of our recent college scholarship recipients returned to South Sudan just two days after receiving his BA and is now the Secretary General of Secondary Exams for the new government of The Republic of South Sudan. Other former Jacksonville Lost Boys are also working in the New Republic of South Sudan government, as well as with foreign companies helping to rebuild this new country.

In Sudan, we partner with numerous organizations to provide humanitarian aid, re-construction efforts and numerous other projects, such as the construction of an X-Ray clinic, a house and 30 beds for an orphanage, goat programs for women at risk, distribution of solar flash lights and mosquito nets and eight water wells that will provide clean drinking water to thousands of rural villagers. Most recently, one of our donors provided funds to build a house for doctors and their families while working at a rural hospital. With your help we can do so much more!

If you'd like to make a difference in the life of the people living in The Republic of South Sudan (the world's newest nation!), please make a tax-free donation on our website at www.allianceforthelostboys.com . We appreciate your support! Be sure to "LIKE" us on Face Book for future updates. If you'd like to book Mrs. Hecht for an author speaking event, please contact her via the Alliance for the Lost Boys website- www.allianceforthelostboys.com.

Here's what people are saying about our presentations:

The recent Lost Boys of Sudan presentation at our University, headed by Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan founder and author, Joan Hecht, was one of the most academically enlightening programs ever to hit our campus.

Kamele "Oupa" Seane

University of North Florida

Director, Intercultural Center for PEACE

Executive Director, FLAWI

Joan Hecht has been one of our most compelling speakers at the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville's weekly luncheon meetings!

Rotary Club of South Jacksonville

This was the best diversity event I have ever attended. Bar none!

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida

This was one of the most inspirational and moving presentations I have ever been to. --Truman Long (Psychology & Sociology instructor and chair of the Social Justice Committee at West Virginia University-Parkersburg)

I found the presentation to be a transformational experience, one that greatly increased my appreciation for the struggle that has been going on for generations in Sudan. I also found myself with a whole new perspective on what a hardship really is. Those that we face here in the US pale in comparison to the life experiences of the Lost Boys of Sudan. I left the speech feeling that I too could make a difference for those less fortunate than myself. -Chris Clifford (Interim Chief Financial Officer West Virginia University-Parkersburg)