Giving Compass' Take:

• United Nations Foundation tells the inspiring story of a young man named Gatluak, who escaped Sudan as a child when war ravaged the country, and is now a law student at the University of Nebraska and an intern at the UN.

• What can we do to make sure that more people like Gatluak have the opportunity to succeed? It's not just about giving relief to refugees — we must provide education and the tools for upward mobility.

• Here's more info on how we can stand with immigrants and refugees in solidarity.


Gatluak Ramdiet was 9 years old when he was separated from his parents. One morning they went out looking for food and never returned.

His family was living in Sudan at a time when violence in the country had turned to genocide. Government forces and militias were bombing and raiding villages, causing thousands of orphaned children to flee the country on foot. Gatluak  —  who goes by “Gat” for short  —  was one of those children. He and his brother walked for nearly a week before reaching a refugee camp in western Ethiopia. It was only then that he stopped scanning the skies for bombs overheard.

The first time I ever attended school was because UNICEF was there, providing school materials. Before then, I didn’t know the UN existed.

Today, nearly 20 years later, Gat is studying at the University of Nebraska College of Law and finishing up a summer internship at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

"I couldn’t have done it without some super amazing teachers who were as dedicated to teach as I was to learn," says Ramdiet. "That’s a kudos to teachers everywhere. It wouldn’t have happened without their dedication. I’m sure they were frustrated at times, but they never gave up on me obviously."

Read the full article about the refugee who became a United Nations intern by M.J. Altman at UN Foundation (via Medium).