'My Life Story' by Jacob Nhail Guut

My Life Story

I would like to share my history life with you. My name is Rev. Jacob Nhial Guut Amool, A South Sudanese by Nationality; I was born in Jan 1st, 1982, in a village called Adumwuor from Makuach Payam by a man called John Guut Amool and a lady called Mary Bol Alier Majak. I am the 3rd born from a family of two sisters namely, Abuk John Guut Amool and Ajah John Guut Amool and one brother called Abel Chol John Guut Amool. Both my father and my mother were farmers and cattle keepers. As I said, I was born in Lualdit-Adumwuor Clan South Sudan and lived there from birth to 1987 and then migrated to Pignudo (Ethiopia) due to the war that broke in Sudan in May 16th, 1983. The journey took us fifteen (15) days by foot, facing difficulties i.e. eating tree leaves, fruits and roots, in which many of us lost their lives through attacks by wild animals, thirst as we drunk urine and muddy water and eating poisonous fruits and roots. I lived in Pignudo from the year 1987 to 1991 where many people died due to disease outbreak because lack of medication and so many other things like disease and jiggers’ outbreak but UNHCR came in support of food and medication. It was hard and difficult for us to bury the dead bodies because we were been very young and overwhelmed by death; there was no day for any one not to die and some of us who remained alive each of us use to say in his own heart that it may be my time.  We lived in Pignudo Camp from the year 1987 to 1991. In Pignudo we faced many difficulties apart from what I had mentioned earlier i.e. lack of facilities we used stones to cut trees for building houses, we used to cut the iron tins and use them as sufurias, then we served the food in groups and in sacks as plates, which we used to dig a hole around the cooking for placing the sack into make it deeper for the food, few people were selected amongst each group to go to cut grass for house roof and when we went people used to stay for seven to fourteen days or more without even having a bath due to lack of water in that place called (Kuetachuol in Dinka dialect – meaning in English staying for long with dirty collection) whereas another group was being selected to go to cut trees for house building and that particular place was a far forest which was invested by many wild animals where some of us lost their lives due to animal attacks, It was a very dark forest called, (gokanyuak – meaning Anyuak people’s forest) when we entered to this forest it seemed like night time, people who direct us used to remain at the main entrance with their guns so that later they can shot bullets into the air in order for us to hear the sound and then follow the direction of the guns so that we couldn’t get lost but still we missed some of our colleagues in which their image are still fresh to my own eyes and rest of my colleagues.

 Unfortunately, after the difficult five (5) years that we spent in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian President Mogistu Ali Mariam was overthrown in 1991 after which I and my colleagues left for Gilo where many lost their lives again through being drawn in to the River Gilo as the enemies were chasing us. Problems seemed to follow us where ever we went since we couldn’t get peace in Ethiopia, war broke after the president was overthrown, and we started running but on the run in a town called Gilo, border of South Sudan and Ethiopia many people perished through being drowned in the river Gilo. Some sights were overwhelming like this one that stuck in my mind up to date, there was this couple whom we were walking together after I went back from Pochalla to Gilo for searching of food and they had a young baby, whom they were helping each other to carry along the way, it came a time that both of them were very tired and the father suggested that they throw the child away as they will get another one when they settle down. And surprisingly enough the child was thrown away. This site has stuck in my mind up to date and I really wonder what happened to the baby and many more children were also thrown away throughout the running journey. Then there was this other experience, where a soldier asked a fellow country man, whether he could swim and the man responded on the positive side, and the man jumped into the river to prove his answer, but he didn’t go far, he was immediately shot down. I was shocked and I couldn’t sleep that night, how can a human being be so inhumane.

 We settled at Pochalla (South Sudan) where we stayed for half a month without food in fact we fed on tree leaves and wild fruits. The Red Cross and UNHCR came in support of food and medication. The UN brought only five sacks of beans for the whole refugees’ families including the minors. We were usually referred to as the lost boys. In the same year the enemies attacked Pochalla and killed several civilians, for the second attack we ran and they captured many e.g. patient in Pochalla hospital. This made us move to different places, from Pochalla to Boma, Magoes where we rested for some days. Here in Magoes we were shot at night and we lost three brothers amongst our groups and one of the SPLA soldier was shot. We buried these people and we went on to Kapoeta and settled again in Narus in search of security in which Kapoeta was also attacked in 1992 and captured and led us to Lokichogio (Kenya).

 After which we arrived to Lokichogio (Kenyan, Sudan border) UNHCR came in and moved us to Kakuma (Kenya) in July 1992. Kakuma was a very dry, dusty and windy place. We had faced so many difficulties that when we found some in security we didn’t mind the condition of the place. We believed things will be better and we went on to pray for rain. Our old people and pastors tied clothes along their waistline and went along the dry river or (lagga) to make prayers. Surprisingly, the rain started raining. The UNHCR really tried to uplift our people and they gave us food, medication, houses and education. The education was opened in 1993 and we were being educated up to form 4. We learn under a tree and many of us passed their exams. Later the school was built and there were classrooms where we relocated to. We lived in Kakuma Refugees Camp from 1992. In the year 2001 some of us went to USA, Canada, Australia etc,   and some like me remained in Kakuma Refugee Camp due to September terrorist attack in New York. This attack interrupted our resettlement into the USA as I know some of us who never made it become mentally unstable. I lived in Kakuma from 1992 to date which is 27 years now, while I was among the lost Boys who left in 2001 to USA. Though, due to high insecurity in the camp, I moved with my family from Kakuma and went to Nairobi, Kenya from January 2007 and I personally use to come back to Kakuma Refugees camp where ever there is UNHCR counting for refugees and for the purpose of me being assigned to minister or serve the Church.

 I joined the Church in 1989 where I was taught the word of God.  This was very important to me because it gave me true understanding of God and hence the reason for giving my life to Christ.  It taught me order in life. It is my prayer to God that He will help me not to depart from the gospel, because this is very important in my life. I was baptized in 1989 by Rev. Andrew Mayol Ajak Kur and I was confirmed in the year 2004 by Rt. Rev. Nathaniel Garang Anyieth. I was ordained as a deacon in the year 2005, May 15th and later in the year 2006, March 26th, I became a full priest. I minister in Kakuma Zone One Parish (St. Matthew Parish) as a pastor in charge and also the Ruler dean of deanery One. This far God has been so faithful to me that of late He blessed me with triplets as well as my other children which I have mentioned below. Joseph Leek Jacob Nhial Guut (Son), Priscilla Abuk Jacob Nhial (Daughter), Sarah Yar Jacob Nhial Guut (Daughter) and triplets: Zechariah Bior Jacob Nhial Guut (Son),  Martha Aluel Jacob Nhial Guut (Daughter) Reuben Gai Jacob Nhial Guut (Son) and Naomi Nyabol Jacob Nhial Guut. 

 I studied my Primary education in a school called Fashoda Refugee Camp at Kakuma from 1993 to 1998 and joined Bortown Secondary School at Kakuma Refugee Camp in 1999 and Later I went back to school in a school named Compassionate Academy from 2010 where I registered at the end of term two as a private candidate for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). Finally, after I finished, I joined Kenya College of Commerce and Hospitality (KCCH) at Church House St. Pauls University where I enrolled for Certificate of Accounting & Finance to Advanced Diploma in Accounting & Finance exams series called Institute of Commercial Management (ICM) UK.  And I was sponsored by George Clarry Baulch to University called Pan Africa Christian University and I tried  my level best as I graduated with a bachelor degree in 2017, unfortunately the obstacle occurred as I received the death of Clarry in the same year after I had just graduated. 

 Therefore,  after my graduation, I tried my level best to find job with my degree unfortunately the obstacle occurred in Kakuma the graduate refugee holding a degree cannot get job from the UN neither from host community (Turkana) because the UN doesn't pay refugee salary but they give incentive as kind of motivation eg. Primary teacher are given each ksh. 6,000 which is equivalent to  $60 per month as well as secondary teacher is given ksh. 8,000 which is equivalent to  $80 per month, those teachers from primary to secondary school are certificate and diploma holders which mean a degree holder like me and the rest cannot be recommended by the UN. In this regard, I tried to set up an accounting business in Kakuma, which is possible for someone who have business knowledge like me to run a business but another challenge arose for I had no income hence luck of capital to start the business. For someone to start a business one needed the capital to buy some items that were necessary e.g. paying for the business license and also buying the shop building materials because the UN didn't provide. In this situation, I tried my level best of hiding my degree and used my certificates for getting a job and I was accepted for teaching post with the little incentive payment which was not enough to provide for my family which was now bigger with the passing of my older brother in the year 2019 June 10th in Kakuma leaving behind seven children and a wife who are now under my care.

I decided to go back to school for further study  to do my master’s degree in Leadership, because it may open many opportunities to work with some NGOs in which I can be able to cover all those situations.

Blessings 

Rev. Jacob Nhial Guut