Seeds of South Sudan is an Arvada-based nonprofit that has been retrieving South Sudanese refugee orphans from a large UN refugee camp in Kenya and educating them in local boarding schools. Founded by a Lost Boy of Sudan, Arok Garang, Seeds recruits sponsors and donors in the US and interviews refugee orphans recommended by Dinka elders at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. Since 2009, Seeds has retrieved 161 South Sudanese orphans to be “seeds of change for South Sudan.” To date, 66 have graduated from high school; 21 are in college in Kenya and four are on scholarship in Canada. Arok Garang will share his harrowing escape from Sudan as a child and his 2+ year journey to safety. This inspiring program will include clips about the Lost Boys from the CBS weekly show 60 Minutes and many photos of the students Seeds serves, along with a video from a female Seeds high school student who aspires to be a surgeon.

Arok Garang fled from the Janjaweed at age 7 when Arab militants burned his village and killed his parents. An 11-year-old cousin guided him as they walked 1,000 miles to Ethiopia. When Ethiopia forced them to leave, many died crossing a swollen river. By then, the 30,000 Lost Boys (and some girls) were known to the UN, who told them to walk to Kakuma. Arok spent 9 years in Kakuma before coming to the US in 2001. He earned his GED, then a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Colorado Denver. He founded Seeds of South Sudan to retrieve and educate fellow South Sudanese orphans from the harsh Kakuma Refugee Camp near a desert. He is now studying for a Master’s Degree at Africa International University. He is visiting Colorado for two months to share the Seeds story with more Coloradans.

In the wake of this seismic shift, a grassroots movement has emerged, advocating for the enshrinement of abortion rights within state constitutions. Proponents argue that codifying reproductive freedom at the state level could serve as a bulwark against restrictive legislation and safeguard access to essential healthcare services.

Miriam Guadalupe Ordoñez Rodriguez will talk about these issues and about the problems Planned Parenthood of the Rockies has faced in the wake of these decisions as they continue providing reproductive health services in Colorado.

Miriam has worked, managed, created, and implemented grassroots campaigns at the state and regional level to protect and expand health care access in Colorado. As an immigrant, Miriam has centered on the undocumented working class in her work. She is passionate about building engagement and community relationships that guarantee underrepresented communities have opportunities to be involved and informed about health care initiatives that affect their livelihood. She is currently the Raíz Campaign Organizer for Denver and Aurora at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, advocating for reproductive freedom with a passion for reproductive justice, harm reduction, and organizing against systems of oppression and exploitation. Miriam is originally from La Mina, Guanajuato, Mexico. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in Legal Studies and English Writing, and she plans to return to school. Miriam has too many hobbies.