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 Counties in the State of Jonglei in

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 ...

. Its mission is to "transform healthcare in South Sudan." Currently, the organization's primary focus is on funding and overseeing the Duk Lost Boys Clinic. The Duk Lost Boys Clinic specializes in the treatment of diseases such as

guinea worm disease Dracunculiasis, also called Guinea-worm disease, is a parasitic infection by the Guinea worm, ''Dracunculus medinensis''. A person becomes infected by drinking water containing water fleas infected with guinea worm larvae. The worms penetrate th ...

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

chicken pox Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious disease caused by the initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV). The disease results in a characteristic skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which eventually scab ...

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

malnourishment Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

bilharzia Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody ...

s, h-worm, kalazar; the immunization of other diseases; and the provision of maternity services. The foundation was originally headquartered in

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 ...

John Dau

John Dau John Dau, also known as Dhieu-Deng Leek is a human rights activist from South Sudan. He is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan who was featured in the 2006 award-winning documentary ''God Grew Tired of Us''. In 2007, he founded the John Dau Foundatio ...

also known as Dhieu Deng Leek is the founder and president of the John Dau Foundation. Dau is a survivor of the civil war in South Sudan and part of the exodus 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 were forced to flee their families and homeland. Dau was featured in the 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 2006 which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

. Dau currently lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Ties to the government of South Sudan

John Dau has strong ties to local governmental officials in South Sudan. His uncle, Philip Thon Leek, who was a governor of the State of Jongeli and is now a Minister of Transport in the Government of National Unity, has been instrumental in providing contacts and support from the natives, Tribal Chiefs and the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movements and its Health Ministry. The foundation has received various commitments and support from the local government, however, it relies significantly on private donors and NGO funding.

American Care for Sudan Foundation

In June 2008, the American Care for Sudan Foundation announced that it would merge with the John Dau Foundation as its operational wing. American Care was formed initially under the leadership of John Dau and the dedication and hard work of a group of members of the First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles to build the Duk Lost Boys Clinic in Duk Payuel, South Sudan in early 2007.

Notable contributions

Notable contributions to the Duk Lost Boys Clinic and John Dau Foundation include $100,000 donated by

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

and

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

(the Jolie-Pitt Foundation) in 2006; $50,000 by the Allyn Family of

Welch Allyn Welch Allyn, Inc. is an American manufacturer of medical devices and patient monitoring systems. Headquartered in Skaneateles Falls, New York, it was family-owned until it was acquired in 2015 by Hillrom. Hillrom was purchased by Baxter Internati ...

in 2006; $25,000 by

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...

in 2008; and $100,000 by

United Technologies Corporation United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...

in 2008.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The John Dau FoundationSouth Sudan Nation BuildersGuideStar John Dau Foundation
Charities based in New York (state) Health charities in the United States Foreign charities operating in South Sudan Medical and health organizations based in New York (state)