John Dau
Encyclopedia
John Dau, also known as Dhieu-Deng Leek, is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan
who was featured in the 2006 award-winning documentary God Grew Tired of Us
. Today, he is a father himself and a human rights activist for the people of South Sudan. In 2007, he founded the John Dau Foundation which aims to transform healthcare in South Sudan.
. In 1973, his village of Duk Payuel in Duk County, Jonglei
was attacked by government troops involved in the Second Sudanese Civil War
between the Muslim
-controlled government in northern Sudan and the non-Muslims in Southern Sudan. The violence scattered his family, and Dau was forced to travel on foot for three months until reaching the relative safety of Ethiopia
.
"There was a lot of problems mounting on us," Dau told The 700 Club
, "including starvation, thirst, the fear of being killed by other local people or the wild animal. The very difficult situation was the lack of water."
Dau stayed in a refugee camp
in Ethiopia for four years, but when civil war broke out in the region, he was once again forced to flee. As one of thousands of “Lost Boys of Sudan
,” Dau wandered hundreds of miles and faced disease, starvation, animal attacks and violence, until arriving in Kenya
. While living in the Kenyan Kakuma
refugee camp, he attended school for the first time and sat for the Kenyan Certificate for Secondary Education exam in 2000. In 2001, he was one of 3,800 young Sudanese refugees resettled in the United States and one of 140 young brought to Syracuse, New York
.
Despite the initial culture shock – women driving cars, huge stores filled with food – Dau has succeeded in the United States
and can proudly say that he is living the American dream. Not only was he able to bring his mother and sister from Sudan, but while working 60 hours a week working three jobs, he received an Associates degree from Onondaga Community College
. He is currently pursuing a degree in Policy Studies at Syracuse University
’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
.
Additionally, Dau is an experienced social entrepreneur. He has founded three non-profit 501(c)3 organizations. In 2003, he helped establish The Sudanese Lost Boys Foundation of Central New York which raised over $35,000 for books and medical expenses for Lost Boys
living in the United States. In 2005, Dau was instrumental in founding the American Care for Sudan Foundation which solicited funds to build and operate the Duk Lost Boys Clinic in Southern Sudan. He has raised more than $1.8 million for the clinic. Currently, Dau is the President of the John Dau Foundation which was founded in July 2007 to develop health facilities that currently do not exist for most of the populations of Duk, Twic East and Bor South Counties in the State of Jonglei in South Sudan.
Dau’s move to the United States and early experiences in the country are the subject of the film God Grew Tired of Us
, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival
. The title of the documentary is a quote from Dau discussing the despair he and other Sudanese felt during the civil war. His memoir, also entitled God Grew Tired of Us, was co-authored with Michael Sweeney and released in January 2007 by National Geographic Press.
In his brief time in the United States, Dau has earned many awards for his public achievements and charitable work. He received a National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers Award and was named a Volvo for Life Award finalist in the Quality of Life Category in 2008 which carried a contribution of $25,000 to the John Dau Sudan Foundation
. As he continues to work to succeed in the United States he envisions a positive future for Sudan. He says, “I hope for my country to get out of war and secure a good government. I want Sudan to become a place where people are welcome and hope is restored.” Dau currently lives in Syracuse, New York, with his family.
Lost Boys of Sudan
The Lost Boys of Sudan is the name given to the groups of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War , about 2.5 million killed and millions were displaced...
who was featured in the 2006 award-winning documentary God Grew Tired of Us
God Grew Tired of Us
God Grew Tired of Us is a 2006 documentary film about three of the "Lost Boys of Sudan", a group of some 25,000 young men who have fled the wars in Sudan since the 1980s, and their experiences as they move to the United States. The film was written and directed by Christopher Dillon Quinn...
. Today, he is a father himself and a human rights activist for the people of South Sudan. In 2007, he founded the John Dau Foundation which aims to transform healthcare in South Sudan.
Background
Dau, also known as Dhieu-Deng Leek was born into the Dinka tribe in war-torn SudanSudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. In 1973, his village of Duk Payuel in Duk County, Jonglei
Jonglei
Jonglei is one of the 10 states of South Sudan. Jonglei is the largest state in the Republic of South Sudan, with approximately 122,479 km2, as well as the most populous according to the controversial 2008 census conducted during present-day South Sudan's second period of autonomy. Bor is the...
was attacked by government troops involved in the Second Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
between the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
-controlled government in northern Sudan and the non-Muslims in Southern Sudan. The violence scattered his family, and Dau was forced to travel on foot for three months until reaching the relative safety of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
"There was a lot of problems mounting on us," Dau told The 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
, "including starvation, thirst, the fear of being killed by other local people or the wild animal. The very difficult situation was the lack of water."
Dau stayed in a refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
in Ethiopia for four years, but when civil war broke out in the region, he was once again forced to flee. As one of thousands of “Lost Boys of Sudan
Lost Boys of Sudan
The Lost Boys of Sudan is the name given to the groups of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War , about 2.5 million killed and millions were displaced...
,” Dau wandered hundreds of miles and faced disease, starvation, animal attacks and violence, until arriving in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. While living in the Kenyan Kakuma
Kakuma
Kakuma town is located in Turkana District, in the northwestern region of Kenya. Kakuma is the Swahili word for "nowhere", epitomizing the seclusion of the area....
refugee camp, he attended school for the first time and sat for the Kenyan Certificate for Secondary Education exam in 2000. In 2001, he was one of 3,800 young Sudanese refugees resettled in the United States and one of 140 young brought to Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
.
Despite the initial culture shock – women driving cars, huge stores filled with food – Dau has succeeded in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and can proudly say that he is living the American dream. Not only was he able to bring his mother and sister from Sudan, but while working 60 hours a week working three jobs, he received an Associates degree from Onondaga Community College
Onondaga Community College
Onondaga Community College is an accredited two-year educational institution that services Onondaga County, New York at three campuses. Onondaga Community College is a college of the State University of New York system and one of 30 locally sponsored community colleges throughout New York...
. He is currently pursuing a degree in Policy Studies at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is the public policy school of Syracuse University...
.
Additionally, Dau is an experienced social entrepreneur. He has founded three non-profit 501(c)3 organizations. In 2003, he helped establish The Sudanese Lost Boys Foundation of Central New York which raised over $35,000 for books and medical expenses for Lost Boys
Lost Boys
Lost Boys is the first horror novel and short story by author Orson Scott Card.-Plot summary of novel:The novel, set in 1983, revolves around a game programmer and his family. His claim to fame is a fictional Atari computer game called Hacker Snack...
living in the United States. In 2005, Dau was instrumental in founding the American Care for Sudan Foundation which solicited funds to build and operate the Duk Lost Boys Clinic in Southern Sudan. He has raised more than $1.8 million for the clinic. Currently, Dau is the President of the John Dau Foundation which was founded in July 2007 to develop health facilities that currently do not exist for most of the populations of Duk, Twic East and Bor South Counties in the State of Jonglei in South Sudan.
Dau’s move to the United States and early experiences in the country are the subject of the film God Grew Tired of Us
God Grew Tired of Us
God Grew Tired of Us is a 2006 documentary film about three of the "Lost Boys of Sudan", a group of some 25,000 young men who have fled the wars in Sudan since the 1980s, and their experiences as they move to the United States. The film was written and directed by Christopher Dillon Quinn...
, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. The title of the documentary is a quote from Dau discussing the despair he and other Sudanese felt during the civil war. His memoir, also entitled God Grew Tired of Us, was co-authored with Michael Sweeney and released in January 2007 by National Geographic Press.
In his brief time in the United States, Dau has earned many awards for his public achievements and charitable work. He received a National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers Award and was named a Volvo for Life Award finalist in the Quality of Life Category in 2008 which carried a contribution of $25,000 to the John Dau Sudan Foundation
John Dau Sudan Foundation
The John Dau Foundation is a 501 nonprofit that was established in July 2007 to develop health facilities that currently do not exist for most of the populations of Duk, Twic East and Bor South Counties in the State of Jonglei in South Sudan...
. As he continues to work to succeed in the United States he envisions a positive future for Sudan. He says, “I hope for my country to get out of war and secure a good government. I want Sudan to become a place where people are welcome and hope is restored.” Dau currently lives in Syracuse, New York, with his family.
External links
- The John Dau Foundation
- National Geographic Emerging Explorers, John Bul Dau - Humanitarian/Survivor
- Volvo For Life Awards, Volvo For Life Award Hero: John Dau
- Between Two Worlds: A Personal Journey, Photographs by Eli Reed of the Lost Boys of Sudan