From the ArcaMax Publishing, Sports Update Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/sports/s-642557-751883
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (UPI) -- Former NBA player Manute Bol says despite his
serious physical ailments he is heading back to his native Sudan to
help the poor.
The Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle reported Wednesday the
7-foot-7 Bol, who was in a wheelchair because of arthritis, spoke of
his intention to travel to Sudan next Monday to assist the struggling
African nation through the non-profit Sudan Sunrise program's
education and reconciliation efforts.
Bol, 47, who retired from the world of basketball in 1995 and was
seriously injured in a 2004 taxi cab accident, spoke in Monroe County
Tuesday about how many children in Sudan are forced to walk miles to
reach a teacher and write in the dirt since they have no schools.
"They have no shoes," Bol said. "When they go back (home), they might
not have food. That's why I help."
Bol's Monroe County appearances were sponsored by the University of
Rochester.
The Democrat and Chronicle said while a 2005 peace agreement helped
end a 20-year civil war in Sudan, the African country is facing new
crises in the form of poverty and famine.