Meet John Dau
As one of the 27,000 “Lost Boys of Sudan”, John Dau has experienced challenges that most people could never imagine. He has gone on to develop his foundation and a successful Non Profit.
He is also an in demand keynote speaker and father.
John’s Story
A harrowing journey begins
In 1983, the northern Arab government attacked the ethnic minority in southern Sudan, setting off the Second Sudanese Civil War. John’s village first became a destination for refugees – and then fell under attack one night in August 1987 by the northern Arab government.
John fled the village and became separated from his family, encountering Arab militias which beat him and his neighbor Abraham. Naked, wounded and starving, John spent weeks avoiding armed gangs and wild animals in his search for safety, ultimately reaching the town of Pibor Post.
Now hundreds of miles from home, he joined a larger refugee group trapped in territory controlled by a hostile tribe, which murdered one of the three adults in his group. As the dry season progressed, food sources disappeared and riverbeds dried up from the intense heat.
By November, they reached “friendly” territory and settled in a refugee camp called Pinyudu in Ethiopia. John was selected to lead a group of 200 boys in the camp, which soon became afflicted by cholera, measles, chicken pox and whooping cough.
After four years at the camp, John’s group was forced to flee again under threat of attack from locals. 27,000 boys marched in the direction of Sudan and the Gilo River, when they were suddenly attacked by Ethiopian rebels. Though 18,000 boys managed to cross back into Sudan, 9,000 of them were killed at the Gilo River.
John led the survivors to the town of Pochala in Sudan. When, nine months later, the Sudanese government began bombing the town, John led a group of 1,200 boys in search of safer territory. Again, the boys suffered from thirst, hunger and constant attacks from hostile military forces. 800 survived the six-month trek to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.
John led the survivors to the town of Pochala in Sudan. When, nine months later, the Sudanese government began bombing the town, John led a group of 1,200 boys in search of safer territory. Again, the boys suffered from thirst, hunger and constant attacks from hostile military forces. 800 survived the six-month trek to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.
As one of the 27,000 “Lost Boys of Sudan”, John Dau has experienced challenges that most people could never imagine.
John was born in January 1974 in Duk Payuel, a prosperous village located in what was then the southern part of Sudan.
Finally Safe
At Kakuma, John Dau was finally safe. He spent the years from 1992 to 2001 in the camp, where he learned to read, write and speak English, and received a basic education. In 2000, he earned a prestigious Kenyan Certificate for Secondary Education. In 2001, Dau was selected to emigrate to the United States and settled in Syracuse, New York.
Following his initial culture shock, John Dau regularly worked 60 hours a week at two or three jobs, ultimately earning an Associate’s and Bachelor's Degree from Syracuse University.
He was the subject of the film God Grew Tired of Us, which won several awards at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
Today, John Dau is the president of both the John Dau Foundation (JDF) and the South Sudan Institute (SSI). He is an influential part of many efforts to bring hope and peace to the people of South Sudan, founding four nonprofits. With help from American volunteers, John has raised over $3 million to build and run the Duk Lost Boys Clinic in his village of Duk Payuel.
As a human rights activist for the people of South Sudan, John has lived a remarkable life of cultural adaptation in America. He has received many prestigious awards (including the National Geographic Emerging Explorers Award) and was a Volvo for Life finalist in the Quality of Life category, which brought a financial contribution from Volvo to the John Dau Foundation. John was also named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader for 2008; he also received a Most Caring Award from the Caring Institute in addition to other 38 awards.
John Dau’s life provides the ultimate example of a profile in courage. He is a natural leader who exemplifies true resilience and perseverance under the most horrific of circumstances.
Select Media
John was featured in the award winning documentary God Grew Tired Of Us.
Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, God Grew Tired of Us explores the indomitable spirit of three Lost Boys from the Sudan who leave their homeland, triumph over seemingly insurmountable adversities and move to America, where they build active and fulfilling new lives but remain deeply committed to helping the friends and family they left behind.
Directed By: Christopher Quinn
Narrated By: Nicole Kidman
Cast: John Dau (himself), Panther Bior (himself), Daniel Abol Pach (himself)
MPAA Rating: PG
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While John Dau was the subject of the documentary, the John Dau Foundation did not produce and does not own the rights to the movie.
It was produced by National Geographic and Newmarket Films, which was subsequently bought by Exclusive Media/AMBI Distribution.
God Grew Tired Of Us: A memoir by John Bul Dau
This unforgettable book is the first-person account of a miracle – indeed, a whole series of miracles. One of the uprooted youngsters known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, John Bul Dau was 12 years old when civil war ravaged his village and shattered its age-old society, a life of herding and agriculture marked by dignity, respect and the simple virtues of Dinka tribal tradition. As tracer bullets split the night and mortar shells exploded around him, John fled into the darkness – the first terrified moments of a journey that would lead him thousands of miles into an exile that was to last many years.
John's memoir of his Dinka childhood shows African life and values at their best, while his searing account of hardship, famine and war also testifies to human resilience and kindness.