Sudanese Lost Boys Give Back to Homeland

How Lost Boys Give back to Sudan from CNY
by: Harold R. Kuntz, III
April 24th, 2008

A Civil War raged in Sudan, leading to over 2 million death. Once the war came to an end, some of the southern Sudanese people made there way to America. About 150 of them were called Lost Boys, and arrived in Syracuse. They have created different ways to raise money to give back to their homeland in despair.

John Dau was featured in the 2007 documentary "God Grew Tired of Us." The documentary explained how Dau and other Lost Boys traveled through an almost one-thousand mile trek from Sudan, Ethiopia, to Kenya before arriving to America.







John Dau set up the John Dau Sudan Foundation. The foundation has raised almost half-a-million dollars so far. He spoke as part of the "Save Darfur" week at Morrisville State College this past week. He said, "never give up." He went on to talk more about what drives him to give back to his homeland. "It is a first step because really, we african, we believe in just helping each other. We believe in what we call extended family. We believe in we, not I," said Dau.

He received a check from the African-American Alliance at Morrisville State for $400 dollars that evening. The money is going to help medical and educational opportunites for citizens in southern Sudan.

As part of an operation by Andrews Memorial United Methodist church, Dut Deng will return to Sudan to assess his homeland's health conditions and start a health clinic. The inspiration to start the clinic came after he learned his niece died three years ago. He is excited about the opportunity to start giving back. "It's a celebration, It's wonderful. When you dream about something and it came to reality," said Deng.

Dut Deng and his friend Mayol Malik both started asking the church for fundraising a trip to Sudan. The church welcomed the idea with open arms and started the fundraising three years ago. Reverend Bradford Hunt said, "These boys, they come in, and they get it themselves, establish it, they want to make a differenceto their own people."

John Dau Sudan Foundation is located at the United Way of Syracuse. Dut Deng and Mayol Malik will return from Sudan this week.