Ithaca College

David Turkon, associate professor of anthropology, gave an invited talk titled Lost Boys and Girls Life History Project at the National Lost Boys and Girls Conference, San Diego, CA, June 19-21, 2009. 

David’s talk provided an overview of a database containing approximately 17,000 admission files from Pignudo Refugee Camp in Ethiopia. Files were generated for “Lost Boys and Girls” fleeing government sponsored violence in southern Sudan during the late 1980s. Each file contains a social history, physical and psychological profile, and photograph of the individual to whom it pertains. The files were created by Save the Children, Sweden, which administered Pignudo Refugee Camp. David’s trip to the conference was made possible by a grant from The Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan: The National Network. The database was entrusted to David and to the AZ Lost Boys Center (AZLBC) of Phoenix, AZ by Save the Children, Sweden. David, a former member of the Board of Directors for AZLBC, maintains a cooperative agreement with AZLBC to make the files available to their rightful owners. David was able to distribute approximately 30 files at the conference and formulate plans for more rigorous distribution through cooperation between AZLBC and Ithaca College Dept. of Anthropology.