Ger Duany

Ger Duany Born in Akobo, Greater Upper Nile in South Sudan, Ger is a self-described “village boy”. He remembers vividly his early childhood as a herd boy tending his family’s cattle in the ways of his forefathers. Recollections of roaming vast grassy plains in search of pasture, and of playing in the waters of the White Nile are etched in his memory.

Ger Duany
Dunay in 2011
Born	Ger Duany (1978-11-09) November 9, 1978 Akobo, South Sudan
Alma mater	University of Bridgeport
Occupation	Actor, Speaker, High Profile Supporter of the UN Refugee Agency(UNHCR)
Years active	2004–present
Website	http://gerduany.com

Ger had his first experience of war at the age of seven. It marked the end of his idyllic childhood. His family and community were uprooted. At age 13 war separated him from his mother, and like others he resorted to becoming a child soldier as a means of survival during South Sudan’s struggle for independence. Ger later became a refugee in Ethiopia and then Kenya, and was resettled to the United States from Dadaab camp at the age of 15.

In this unfamiliar environment Ger struggled. He had to learn to adapt while dealing with the demons that haunted him from life in the war zone. He persevered, went to school and developed a love for basketball. “Sports grounded me,” he says. “I often felt frustrated and angry. But I realized that I could not survive that way. So I learned to quiet my fears. I learned to listen carefully and always to pay attention to very small things.”

Ger went on to earn a college degree. He worked hard and built a successful career as an actor and fashion model. Most recently, he played a leading role in the American drama film, The Good Lie, which tells the story of three refugees who are resettled from Kakuma camp to the United States, and their struggles to integrate. Like many former “Lost Boys of Sudan”, and many more refugees and former refugees throughout the world, Ger is driven by the urge to give back to the cause of forced displacement. In his role as UNHCR High Profile Supporter, he has undertaken to use his story and his influence to help spread awareness about the plight of refugees and other populations that the UN refugee agency serves.