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Outlook Mixtape: Lost boys, teen tech star and the red bike

A Sudanese boy's escape from civil war and iron will to live; a tech-savvy teen's app saves his family's restaurant; the social media plea that brings long-lost friends together.

In 1985 11-year-old Salva Dut was away at school when the Sudanese civil war reached him and separated him from his family. For weeks he walked and walked covering thousands of kilometres to reach safety in a refugee camp in Ethiopia. Facing violence, disease and loss, Salva's will to survive and keep going has taken him a long way in life.

Building smartphone apps aged 12, Michael Sayman was making enough money to keep the family's chicken restaurant afloat. But his schoolwork was starting to suffer and the pressure was taking a toll. And then came an email from Mark Zuckerberg that would change everything.

Mevan Babakar and her parents fled Iraq when she was only an infant. Over the next five years they travelled through and lived in multiple countries including the Netherlands. Mevan has limited memories of that time but the kindness of a Dutch stranger who gifted her a red bicycle stands out. As an adult Mevan retraced her childhood footsteps from Iraq to Europe, which involved an unplanned and moving reunion.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producer: Tommy Dixon

(Photo: Cassette tape. Credit: Getty Images)

Available now

41 minutes

Last on

Sat 3 Aug 2024 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 2 Aug 2024 11:06GMT
  • Fri 2 Aug 2024 17:06GMT
  • Fri 2 Aug 2024 21:06GMT
  • Sat 3 Aug 2024 02:06GMT

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