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Micayla Rose
Professor DAlessio
UWRT 1102-008
4 April 2016
The Struggles and Coping Strategies of Sudanese Refugees
Every person in this world has a different identity that grows over the course of his or her
life. Identity cannot be defined as one certain thing; it is a mixture of things and it is a part of
ones being. The way one looks, dresses, acts, feels, and thinks all goes into what makes up a
persons identity. These identities stem from ones influences over the course of many years
family, friends, religion, and culture. These circumstances give refugees an identity that someone
like myself cannot relate to. Many refugees are forced to leave their country because of the chaos
going on around them. They have been tortured, raped, imprisoned, and have come close to
death. Some of these refugees struggle indefinitely when they relocate to a new country, whereas
others take advantage of their situation and turn things around for themselves. For example, Alek
Wek is a refugee from South Sudan who made a better life for herself by becoming a
supermodel. Unfortunately this is not the case for many refugees. There are currently about fiftyone million refugees displaced around the world. (Dickerson)
Members of society often cannot differentiate between similar terms such as refugee and
immigrant. A refugee is defined as a person who has been forced to leave their country in order
to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. An immigrant is someone who moves, and intends
to stay permanently, from one place to another (Smith). The main difference between the two is
that refugees have no other option than to leave because of dangerous situations, whereas
immigrants relocate in search of a better life. The topic of refugees is so dense that I decided to

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confine it to Sudanese refugees. When these specific refugees are forced to leave their homeland
the majority relocate to Australia. The main reason Sudanese refugees had to relocate was
because of the negative impact of their Civil War. It put many peoples lives in danger because of
the shootings and bombings, and many innocent lives were taken during this time. Because of
wars and other hazardous conditions people are forced to leave the one place they call home.
During these journeys in search of a safe place to reside, families often get separated. If I were
separated from my family, I would feel so hopeless and alone. These journeys are not easy by
any means. People often spend time in other countries or even refugee camps before making it
all the way to their final destination. Once these refugees reach their destination, they then have
to adapt to a new lifestyle. Discrimination and unhelpful attitudes [made the transition] harder
to deal with (Shakespeare-Finch and Wickham 30). It amazes me how some of the refugees
survive such treacherous journeys. I dont think that I would be able to mentally handle
everything that they go through, such as losing loved ones and going days without food, water, or
shelter.
I learned that there are also some positive aspects to these refugees experiences. These
include work, social support, protection, advocacy, and personal resources (Shakespeare-Finch
and Wickham 32). Being able to earn extra money has to make life a little easier. Also, if you
have family and friends alongside you throughout the journey, you constantly have support and
assistance. I think that these refugees had to eventually feel a sense of hope and reassurance
because they were able to escape unsuitable living conditions and can now look to the future in
hopes of having a better life. In a study involving real refugees living in Australia the majority
stated that life is good and that they are happy. Only two out of twelve said that they were
not so happy (Shakespeare-Finch and Wickham 33). I would assume that this is most likely

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due to the fact that these refugees are not yet accustomed to their new lifestyle and that they feel
out of place. I can think of times where I have felt out of place, but I can only imagine how they
feel after all of the things they have been through. Most have endured very traumatic experiences
and they are constantly overcoming obstacles.
As I stated earlier, Alek Wek was transformed from a refugee from South Sudan to a
supermodel in London. She is an example of someone who escaped Sudan when she was about 9
years old along with her family because of the dangerous environment and took advantage of a
great opportunity. Wek reported that even after all of these years fear still lingers inside her.
Certain noises, such as the television being on at night would bring back frightening memories of
the militia. This is heartbreaking that people have to go through situations like this. In the
interview she relays how her heart goes out to the children still suffering in South Sudan
(Dickerson). Alek Wek is incredibly inspirational; she does not let what she went through hinder
her. It is obviously always going to be a part of who she is but she is using her journey to educate
others about this crisis, where millions of people are being displaced. I am glad she is using her
past experiences to spread awareness and help the lives of others.
Wek reported that [her journey] was really difficult psychologically. You can take Alek
out of South Sudan but you cant take South Sudan out of Alek. (Dickerson). Sudanese
refugees, like Alek Wek, have difficulty coping with their tragic experiences and are affected
mentally. People who undergo such tragedies have a hard time adjusting to a new lifestyle postmigration and usually have lower mental health outcomes, whereas people who have support
from their family and community have higher mental health outcomes (Tempany 305). The
results of these traumatic experiences are usually Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and
depression. In response to these effects refugees have found some common coping mechanisms

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that have been said to be beneficial suppression, distraction, religion, finding comfort in loss,
and focusing on the positives, like the future (Khawaja, White and Schweitzer 498). These
strategies vary depending on the age, gender, and severity of their experiences. I know that when
I am upset about something having friends and family by my side to comfort me always makes a
difference. But what if you dont have that support? Many of these refugees lose family members
throughout their journey and do not have anyone to lean on, so this is where other coping
mechanisms come into play. South Sudanese refugee women who had experienced sexual
violence during the war were found to use silence as a coping strategy, and tended to distract
themselves from the past and focus on rebuilding their lives in the resettlement environment
(Tempany 306). It is incredibly devastating that people have to go through something so
unimaginable. How does someone move on from something like this?
The Good Lie is a movie about four Sudanese children who are orphaned after the Second
Sudanese Civil War. They set out on a dangerous journey to a refugee camp in Kenya. Their trek
involved many hardships, sacrifices and even death. After living many years in Kenya, these
young men were given the opportunity to resettle in America. This means adjusting to a new
culture. While their past still haunts them, they and their new counselor try to understand each
other and make sense of this life-changing ordeal (The Good Lie). As a child I could not imagine
having to uproot from my home unexpectedly, much less see a war breakout right in front of me.
In the movie, these young men were finally able to adjust to their life in America. If I had seen
people die and suffer from starvation, I do not know that I could live a normal life with the image
of that in my head everyday, or if I could ever get over seeing something that horrific. We watch
television shows and movies everyday that involve crime and think nothing of it, but imagine
that happening to one of your relatives or close friends. This thought puts things into a whole

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new perspective. These refugees experience so much tragedy, something a lot of us cannot
compare to. In The Good Lie, these young men had to put those images in the back of their mind
and focus on their future life in America.
They had several difficulties during this time. Like many other refugees these included a
lack of environmental mastery, financial difficulties, social isolation, and the impact of perceived
racism (Khawaja, White and Schweitzer 503). Being able to find adequate employment and
social support were especially hard because they were having trouble learning how to speak
English. Not being able to communicate with people effectively puts up a social barrier. If I were
in their position I would feel out of place and unwanted. I have never had to move homes but I
know what it feels like to have people stare at you and judge you because you are not what
society views as normal, and personally it made me feel like an outsider. No one knows what
anyone else is going through; therefore, people should realize that everyone has different
struggles and backgrounds and that no one leads a perfect life. These refugees are trying to
move on from what they experienced in South Sudan, on their travels in search of resettlement,
as well as trying to cope with the difficulties they have faced, but unfortunately the strains that
come along with adjusting to a new culture are building up more fear and depression in them.
What these refugees witness and experience, physically and mentally, is unfathomable to
me. They are forced to leave their native country because of the turmoil, which is typically war
in Sudan. Their journeys to a new country are difficult and heartbreaking due to the starvation,
death, and other hardships and deprivations that transpire. Many people lose family members and
other loved ones. These refugees have to manage their difficulties that they faced, and this is
where coping is important. Many refugees struggle like the young men in The Good Lie and
others like Alek Wek get the upper hand and thrive. Anyone can be a refugee, and there is no

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distinction between what is or is not his or her identity. I do not know what it feels like to endure
such tragedies or what it feels like to try to cope after something like this has occurred, but what
I do know is that these refugees are brave and should be applauded for their strength. I have
learned a lot throughout this project, but there are still many questions that I have relating to
refugees that cannot be answered with a simple response. Why do people automatically
categorize and refer to refugees as terrorists? Why do people talk so negatively about them when
they are humans just like you and me trying to live a normal life? When will life get easier for
these refugees, and will there ever be a time that they wont have to fear for their lives when
trying to find safety? I may never find clear answers to these questions, but my hope is that
people like Alek Wek will continue to educate society about refugees and their struggles.

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Works Cited
Dickerson, Jessica. Alek Wek Talks South Sudanese Conflict and Her Journey From Refugee To
Supermodel. Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 11 July 2014. 3 February 2016.
Jane Shakespeare-Finch and Kylie Wickham. Adaptation of Sudanese Refugees in an Australian
Context: Investigating Helps and Hindrances. International Migration 48.1 (2010) : 2346. PDF file.
Nigar G. Khawaja, Katherine M. White, Robert Schweitzer, and Jaimi Greenslade. Difficulties
and Coping Strategies of Sudanese Refugees: A Qualitative Approach. Transcultural
Psychiatry 45.3 (2008) : 489-512. PDF file.
Smith, Lydia. What Is the Difference Between a Migrant, a Refugee and an Asylum Seeker?
IBTimes. IBTimes, 3 September 2015. Web. 13 March 2016.
Tempany, Madeleine. What Research Tells Us About the Mental Health and Psychosocial
Wellbeing of Sudanese Refugees: A Literature Review. Transcultural Psychiatry 46.2
(2009) : 300-315. PDF file.
The Good Lie. Dir. Philippe Falardeau. Perf. Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, and
Emmanuel Jal. Alcon Entertainment, 2014. Film.