Eighth-Grader Helping to Bring Aid to the Lost Boys of Sudan


John Deng, John Mangok, John Aguer, Meira Kowalski, Joseph Deng and Barnabus Malchut
In a world where it seems that obtaining things is most important, it is always reassuring to hear about someone doing something selfless for others. This is especially true when the person is a 13-year-old 8th grader! Meira Kowalski is a student at Shorecrest Preparatory School in Northeast St Petersburg and what she is doing is selfless and amazing.
Meira told me that she has always been drawn to charity work. In fact, on her 10th birthday, in lieu of gifts for herself, she raised money for Give Kids the World, a resort in Kissimmee (www.gktw.org) which hosts the families of children with life-threatening illnesses from around the world. So how did a girl from St Petersburg, Florida get involved with The Lost Boys of Sudan?

Meira Kowalski and Joseph Deng (wearing a Sudanese tie)
“Joseph feels obligated to help those who were not as fortunate as he was” in coming to the United States to be cared for and educated, Meira told me. “Joseph pays to ship this medicine over himself and it’s quite costly.” She says it costs him $150 to ship packages up to 50 pounds, and $200 for larger packages. She learned that simple over-the-counter medicine which we have in abundance is not available to these boys. Simple illnesses like diarrhea or fevers can cause death because they are malnourished and dehydrated.
Meira was so moved by what she learned for her National History Day project that she wanted to do more. Shorecrest Preparatory School eighth-graders have what is called a Passion Project. This project is individually determined by the student and their advisor, and it allows them to do something they have always wanted to do, but would most likely never do on their own. Meira decided her project would be to assist Joseph in helping the Lost Boys.

Medications Meira Kowalski has collected for the Lost Boys
Meira is winding down her medication collections at Shorecrest, but she plans to continue collecting them at Temple Beth-El for a while before Joseph makes his trip to Africa.
You can watch Meira’s goosebump-inducing documentary on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8pbKS7skAE, a truly moving video. If you would like to contribute medications and help Meira’s campaign to help the Lost Boys, please contact her at mekowalski@shorecrest.org.
For more information about The Lost Boys of Sudan check out these videos:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8pbKS7skAE
www.lostboysfilm.com
www.unicef.org/sowc96/closboys.htm
www.rescue.org/blog/lost-boys-sudan