University of Winnipeg Dream Maker Dr. Lloyd Axworthy
Ever since Dr. Axworthy took over as Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg that institution has made great strides to link University with community, to provide opportunities for international students and to take a special interest in refugee children in helping them to reach their educational potential.
Dr. Ax worthy has always been a keen human rights activist and has strong ideas of what Canada's role should be on the international scale.
At the last convocation of the University of Winnipeg the first of the lost boys and girls of Sudan walked across the stage to receive their degrees. They were Nyuol Justin Yach Arop, David Maybior Atem and Michael Mayen.
Dr. Axworthy called these students the peace ambassadors in the world.
Atem was instrumental in forming a group of the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan here in Winnipeg. They share their stories of survival freely with anyone who would listen and they all want people to know that they were children left to fend for themselves because of war. The leaders of these groups of children were no more than 15 years old. Their stories are gruesome to listen to and those of us who are over protective of our children could not imagine what they went through. They are here and their message is one of peace. They do not want to see what happened to them happen to other children in any part of the world. They want peace. They want to protect children.
Without the strong support of the University of Winnipeg and the Sudanese community they LBGS will not have achieved what they have. Thanks University of Winnipeg and the people of Winnipeg for caring.