By Kathryn Hawkins
Gimundo Correspondent

When Gabriel Choi Kuany arrived in Phoenix, Ariz., in August 2001, he had no idea what was in store for him. He couldn’t speak a word of English, had no job prospects and very little money, and didn’t know a soul in the United States.

Gabriel was one of the 3,600 “Lost Boys” from Sudan, who had survived their country’s atrocious civil war by walking thousands of miles across the plains of Africa until they found safety in a refugee camp. Now, Gabriel would begin a new life in America.

Today, Gabriel, 26, has much to show for his life in Phoenix. He speaks and writes English fluently, and recently received an associate’s degree in communications. He has a beautiful white smile. And, just last year, he became a citizen of the United States. He owes all of this to the woman he calls “Mama Reita.”

In 2002, Reita Hutson, a former real estate agent, crossed paths with Gabriel at a local shopping center, where Gabriel was working. “I’d seen a documentary about the lost boys of Sudan, and wanted to find them,” said Hutson. “When I saw Gabriel, I immediately knew he was one of them.” Hutson and Gabriel soon became close friends, and Hutson made it her mission to help Gabriel and the other Lost Boys in Phoenix.

Hutson founded a nonprofit group called Gabriel’s Dream, raising money to fund educational scholarships and to help the boys get dental implants to replace teeth that were ritually pulled in Africa. Since the group formed sixteen months ago, she said, “we’ve raised $78,000, and over a million dollars worth of free dental services.” She’s also paid for Gabriel to travel back to Africa, where he visited his mother and younger brother.

Gabriel sees Hutson as part of his family, too. “She became my mom, and she became the mom of the Lost Boys,” he said. “Bless her heart for welcoming us to America, and for these wonderful lives that we never thought we would be living.”

Visit www.gabrielsdream.org to learn more.