Sudanese Find Refuge, Jobs in Anchorage

The word is spreading on the grapevine in the Lower 48 that Anchorage is a place where the refugees can find work.

Rebecca Kuon, a mother who fled pregnant from her village in southern Sudan after civil war broke out in the 1980s, arrived in Anchorage last year.

She washes dishes at a local hospital and hopes to start a second job soon.

Tor Gach, one of the first Sudanese refugees to move to Anchorage in 2006, has a college degree from the Lower 48. Now he’s working on the North Slope.

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In just two years, the Sudanese population in Anchorage has blossomed—from a few who arrived in 2006 to a vibrant community now estimated at 600.

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A new nonprofit, the South Sudanese American Community Association, is modeled after similar nonprofits that have been established by Sudanese refugees in the Lower 48.

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