​Founder Malek Madol founded CEAL in 2016 after reflecting on his own experience as a South Sudanese refugee. Living through the civil war, Malek was able to flee the protracted conflict in South Sudan to Ethiopia, Kenya and Australia. While in Australia, Malek has completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Development, and also holds a Masters Degree in International Community Development. 

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Here’s his story…“South Sudan has gone through a long history of war that has left many as refugees. Having gone through this myself, CEAL was established to help people in the same situation.
After completing Grade 12 from Bussery Secondary School in South Sudan. The Ayanya Two War broke out between Christians in the South and Muslims in the North, which led to the formation of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in 1983. When the war intensified, my parents and I fled on foot to Wau Town (12 miles away) where we lived in a temporary wattle grass-thatched house. Nestled in the relative safety of Wau, government soldiers forced themselves into our homes during the night, torturing and butchering many. Fearing for our lives, my uncle and I fled on foot to Kuajok village (40 miles from Wau town). At Kuajok village, we joined my parents and my young brother who had fled earlier. Life in Kuajok seemed to settle. Unfortunately, in late 1984, the government Arab Janjaweed (translates into ‘a man, with a gun on a horse’) attacked the Kaujok village, raping women and killing many. In order to survive we scattered in different directions. We walked in convoys day and night for about 40 days to cross into Ethiopia, where we settled in Itang Refugee camp. In 1991, war broke out in Ethiopia, forcing the Sudanese refugee population to flee to Kenya, where we settled in Kakuma III Refugee Camp (KRC).
While in KRC, I was identified as ‘resourceful personnel’, having completed Grade 12 in Sudan. I began to serve as a Community Counsellor and later in 1999, I became a community leader, serving as Vice Chairman at the refugee camp.
In 2007, I came to Australia as a refugee. Having lived through the tragedy of the civil war, I developed the vision that led to CEAL, which is aimed at being a beacon of hope amongst the devastation of conflict.”



CEAL : Community, Empowerment & Livelihood  
Office Location: 95 Alfrieda St, Albans, Victoria, Australia, 3021
Email: info@ceal.org.au
Phone: (03) 9364 0838
ABN 33140445068