Salva Dut

Water for South Sudan (formerly known as Water for Sudan) is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 2003 to drill wells, deliver hygiene education, and provide sanitation services to South Sudan.

Their website states that their mission is to

The operations team, based in Wau, South Sudan, mainly performs work in remote villages in the Bahr el-Ghazal region of South Sudan. Administrative headquarters are located in Rochester, NY.

History

In 2003, former "Lost Boy" of Sudan, Salva Dut, founded Water for South Sudan in Rochester, NY. Salva's story began in 1974 when he was born in a rural village in southwestern Sudan to a tribe of Dinka people. When Salva was 11 years old, in 1985, Sudan was wracked by the Second Sudanese Civil War. During this war, the "militia killed, plundered, burned, and raped their way through a huge swathe of Southern Sudan from 1985 to 1989". During this time, millions died and millions more were displaced, fleeing to refugee camps in Ethiopia, Kenya and other neighboring countries. When the fighting reached Salva's village, he was separated from his family and joined thousands of other children, mostly boys, known as the Lost Boys of Sudan who had to seek safety on foot in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya.

After living in refugee camps for 10 years, Salva received an opportunity to move to the US in 1996. Several years after living in the US, Salva learned that his father was still alive in Southern Sudan but was suffering with disease caused by waterborne parasites. Hearing of his father's illness inspired Salva to help both his father and his country by bringing clean water to those in need. That was the beginning of Water for South Sudan. Salva's story is told in the ''New York Times'' bestseller ''A Long Walk to Water'' by Linda Sue Park.

Two years after the founding of WFSS, in 2005, after over two decades of war, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed. This was the culmination of peace negotiations to find a comprehensive, lasting solution to the conflict that had divided north and south Sudan. After the truce was declared, the semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan was established for that region.

Salva Dut

Salva Dut is a philanthropist and the founder of Water for South Sudan.

Dut was born on December 1, 1974. in Southern Sudan. His story is told in the book ''A Long Walk to Water'', written by Linda Sue Park. He was living in Sudan while the Sudanese Civil War took place. He fled to a refugee camp in Ethiopia, which he lived in until he fled to Kenya while the camp closed down. He then lived in another refugee camp there. He rediscovered his father, Mawien Dut Ariik in January 2002, who he had not seen in 16 years. Mawien died in June 2023. Dut was educated at the Monroe Community College

See also

* ''A Long Walk to Water'' – Children's book with fictionalized version of Dut's story

References

Further reading

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External links

* {{Official website, http://www.waterforsouthsudan.org

Salva Dut's Ted Talk

Water supply and sanitation in South Sudan
Non-profit organizations based in New York (state)
Environmental organizations based in New York (state)
Organizations established in 2003
Lost Boys of Sudan