The John Dau Sudan Foundation's Story

The Story

The John Dau Sudan Foundation is a non-profit led by a dynamic refugee, John Dau. He has inspired business and non-profit leaders to help him establish the Foundation to build and support healthcare clinics and programs in South Sudan. One clinic has been built and has been operational in Duk County since May 2007.

Founder John Dau is a survivor of a 14 year journey from his home village in Duk County, Sudan in 1987 to his arrival in Syracuse, New York in 2001. As a young boy he fled Sudanese government troops and eventually arrived at the Kukuma refugee camp in Kenya in 1992. During this journey of more than 1,000 miles, he led thousands of younger children through violence and starvation. Selected to come to Syracuse, New York along with 140 other "Lost Boys of Sudan" in 2001, John pursued the American Dream. He brought his sister and mother to Syracuse and is now married with a daughter and son.

We began following the John Dau Sudan Foundation's story in the Summer of 2008 and on March 2nd 2009 our team left for Sudan to document the Foundations amazing work at the Duk Lost Boys Clinic. Updates from the medical team can be read at the Syracuse, NY Post Standards Metro voices blog.