I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6006 
To establish a pilot program to provide fellowships to certain former Sudanese 
refugees, known as the ‘‘Lost Boys and Lost Girls of Sudan’’, to assist 
in reconstruction efforts in South Sudan. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 
Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. CAPUANO, Ms. LEE, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. KELLY 
of Illinois, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. MOORE, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. ELLISON, 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Ms. CLARKE of New York) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To establish a pilot program to provide fellowships to certain 
former Sudanese refugees, known as the ‘‘Lost Boys 
and Lost Girls of Sudan’’, to assist in reconstruction 
efforts in South Sudan. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lost Boys and Girls 
Rebuilding Infrastructure to Sustain Enduring Peace in 
South Sudan Act’’ or the ‘‘Lost Boys and Girls RISE 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The 21-year civil war between the North 
and the South in Sudan, which ended with the sign-
ing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on Janu-
ary 9, 2005, caused many Sudanese people to flee 
their homes to seek refuge elsewhere in Sudan, in 
neighboring countries, and in the United States. 
(2) During the civil war, government troops 
burned villages in southern Sudan, killed the adults, 
and enslaved both women and girls. Among the refu-
gees from the conflict was a group of at least 20,000 
children, aged 5 to 17 years, who were homeless or-
phans as a result of the war. 
(3) The children suffered tremendous hardships 
during their flight, enduring attacks not only from 
the army and marauding bandits but also from lions 
and hyenas. Many others died from starvation or 
thirst. 
(4) A few years after the children arrived at the 
Panyindo refugee camp in Ethiopia, armed soldiers 
forced them to leave the camp by crossing the swol-
len Gilo River, and at least 1,000 children either 
drowned or were eaten by crocodiles while they 
crossed. The children then began their journey to a 
refugee camp in Kenya. 
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(5) In 1999, the United Nations High Commis-
sioner for Refugees determined that repatriation was 
no longer an option for these children. Approxi-
mately 3,800 of the 20,000 children were granted 
priority resettlement status in the United States, 
with minors placed in foster homes and those over 
18 resettled as adults throughout the United States 
with assistance from the Department of Health and 
Human Services. 
(6) The story of these children, known as the 
‘‘Lost Boys and Lost Girls of Sudan’’, has been doc-
umented in a number of books and films in the 
United States. 
(7) The Lost Boys and Lost Girls of Sudan 
have acquired a reputation for being a resilient and 
highly motivated group of individuals, with many of 
them gaining employment and pursuing higher edu-
cation simultaneously. 
(8) Many of the Lost Boys and Lost Girls of 
Sudan have publically expressed interest in return-
ing to their homeland to contribute to reconstruction 
efforts. 
(9) South Sudan is currently engulfed in a new 
civil war and faces a humanitarian catastrophe and 
an upsurge of violence between ethnic groups. Many 
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of the Lost Boys and Lost Girls have gained experi-
ence, education, and skills in the United States, and 
want to return to South Sudan to assist in efforts 
to rebuild the infrastructure of the country. 
SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM TO ASSIST RECONSTRUCTION EF-
FORTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development 
(in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Administrator’’) 
shall establish a pilot program to provide fellowships 
to up to 500 eligible individuals to assist in devel-
oping agricultural, business development, edu-
cational, medical, technological, or transportation in-
frastructure in South Sudan. 
(2) DURATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The pilot program es-
tablished under paragraph (1) shall begin on 
the date on which the Administrator determines 
that the condition specified under subparagraph 
(B) is satisfied and shall terminate on the date 
that is three years after the date of such deter-
mination. 
(B) CONDITIONS
SPECIFIED.—The pilot 
program may begin after the Secretary of State 
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determines that it is safe for United States citi-
zens, especially citizens of Sudanese or South 
Sudanese descent, to travel to South Sudan and 
lifts the general travel warning for South 
Sudan. 
(3) ADMINISTRATOR AND STAFF.—The Admin-
istrator shall detail not fewer than two full-time em-
ployees of the Agency to conduct the following: 
(A) Identifying and recruiting individuals 
who would be eligible, pursuant to subsection 
(b), to participate in the pilot program. 
(B) Evaluating applications submitted by 
individuals to participate in the pilot program. 
(C) Approving methods proposed by indi-
viduals participating in the pilot program to 
provide assistance in accordance with para-
graph (1). 
(D) Preparing orientation and debriefing 
materials, regarding South Sudan and the na-
ture of the assistance provided through the pilot 
program, to be given to individuals partici-
pating in the pilot program not later than one 
week before and one week after such participa-
tion, respectively. 
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(E) Assisting individuals participating in 
the pilot program to locate adequate housing in 
South Sudan for the duration of their participa-
tion. 
(F) Distributing to individuals partici-
pating in the pilot program any amounts 
awarded under subsection (c). 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—An individual shall be eligible to 
participate in the pilot program if the individual— 
(1) is a citizen of the United States; 
(2) was admitted to the United States as a ref-
ugee under section 207 of the Immigration Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) from a refugee camp in 
Africa and identified by the Secretary of State under 
the worldwide refugee application processing priority 
system as ‘‘Priority-2’’ (P–2); and 
(3) commits to participating in the pilot pro-
gram for a period of not less than one year and not 
more than three years. 
(c) AWARD AMOUNT.—The Administrator may make 
available to each individual participating in the pilot pro-
gram, on a first-come, first-served basis— 
(1) any amount necessary to cover the round- 
trip travel of such individual between the United 
States and South Sudan; 
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