John Dau, also known as Dhieu-Deng Leek is a human rights activist from

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

. He is one of the

Lost Boys of Sudan The Lost Boys of Sudan refers to a group of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1987–2005). Two million were killed and others were severely affected by the ...

who was featured in the 2006 award-winning documentary ''

God Grew Tired of Us ''God Grew Tired of Us'' is a 2006 American 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 fil ...

''. In 2007, he founded the John Dau Foundation aiming to transform the health system in South Sudan.

Background

Dau was born in the

Dinka The Dinka people ( din, Jiɛ̈ɛ̈ŋ) are a Nilotes, Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan with a sizable diaspora population abroad. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Jonglei to Renk, South Sudan, Renk, in the region of Bahr el Gh ...

tribe in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

in 1974. In 1987, his village, Duk Payuel in

Duk County Duk is a county in Jonglei, South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central Afri ...

Jonglei Jonglei State is a state of South Sudan with Bor as its centre of government and the biggest city. Jonglei state comprises nine counties: Bor, Akobo, Ayod, Uror, Duk, Nyirol, Pigi, Twic East, and Fangak. Jonglei State is the largest sta ...

, was attacked by government troops during the

Second Sudanese Civil War The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originate ...

. The violence scattered his family, and Dau travelled on foot for three months until reaching his relatives in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. Dau told ''

The 700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, con ...

'', "There were so many problems prevailing in our surrounding; like, starvation, thirst, the fear of being killed by other local people or the wild animals. The most difficult situation was the lack of safe drinking water." Dau stayed in a

refugee camp A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced peo ...

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 "

," Dau wandered hundreds of miles and faced disease, starvation, animal attacks and violence until arriving in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. While living in the

Kakuma Kakuma is a town in northwestern Turkana County, Kenya. It is the site of a UNHCR refugee camp, established in 1992. The population of Kakuma town was 60,000 in 2014, having grown from around 8,000 in 1990. In 1991, the camp was established to hos ...

refugee camp, he attended school for the first time and sat for the

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) is an academic qualification taken at the completion of secondary education in Kenya. The first KCSE exam was held in 1989 at the same time as the last Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education (K ...

exam in 2000. In 2001, he was one of 3,800 young

Sudanese refugees Sudanese refugees are persons originating from the country of Sudan, but seeking refuge outside the borders of their native country. In recent history, Sudan has been the stage for prolonged conflicts and Sudanese Civil War (disambiguation), civil ...

resettled in the United States and one of 140 young people brought to

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. After his resettlement, Dau reportedly experienced culture shock. He was ultimately able to bring his mother and sister from Sudan. Dau has an associate degree from

Onondaga Community College Onondaga Community College (OCC) is a public community college that serves Onondaga County, New York, at two campuses. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History The college was founded in 1961 and began instruction ...

. In 2011, he graduated with a degree in Policy Studies from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 13 ...

. Dau's move to the United States and early experiences in the country are the subject of the film ''

'', which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the

2006 Sundance Film Festival The 2006 Sundance Film Festival was held in Utah from January 19, to January 29, 2006. It was held in Park City, with screenings in Salt Lake City; Ogden; and the Sundance Resort. It was the 22nd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival, and the c ...

. 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 titled ''God Grew Tired of Us'', was co-authored with Michael Sweeney and released in January 2007 by National Geographic Press. In over a decade in the United States, Dau has received several awards for his public achievements and charitable work. He received a National Geographic 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 The John Dau Foundation, also known as John Dau Sudan Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was established in July 2005 to develop health facilities that currently do not exist for most of the populations of Duk, Twic East and Bor South Coun ...

References

External links

The John Dau Foundation
John Bul Dau - Humanitarian/Survivor

Volvo For Life Award Hero: John Dau
Between Two Worlds: A Personal Journey
Photographs by Eli Reed of the Lost Boys of Sudan {{DEFAULTSORT:Dau, John Bul Living people Dinka people Lost Boys of Sudan South Sudanese activists South Sudanese emigrants to the United States American memoirists 1974 births Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumni