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Sudanese Lost Boy Honoured

 Melbourne -- Akoch Manheim, founder of the Sudanese Lost Boys Association of Australia (SLBAA), has been named Yarra Council’s Citizen of the Year. 

Manheim, 26, came to Australia in 2003 after nearly 10 years of living in refugee camps in Africa with other displaced persons fleeing from the murderous civil war in southern Sudan.  He drew on his own experiences to create SLBAA, a non-profit organization proving recreation and support facilities for Sudanese youth, mostly boys, now living in Australia.
 
Manheim is completing a degree in International studies at RMIT University.
 
 
Mannheim says that “no matter how difficult it is…I will try to work for others because I can see myself in others’ situations.”
 
Also honoured by Yarra Council were the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association, named Yarra Community Service of the Year, and the Victoria Street Lunar New Year festival, which won the Yarra Community Event of the Year.
 
 profile of Akoch Manheim on this website Champion of Sudan’s Lost Boys