John Dau
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, Dau has since pursued the American Dream.
Dau’s move to the United States and early experiences in the country are the subject of the documentary “God Grew Tired of Us”, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The title of the documentary is a quote from Dau discussing the despair he and other Sudanese felt during the civil war. Dau also wrote his first book entitled God Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir, published by National Goegraphic in 2007 .
Through the John Dau Sudan Foundation , Dau works to contribute back to Sudan by supporting the building and maintenance of clinics in South Sudan. As he continues to work to succeed in the United States he envisions a positive future for Sudan. He says, “I hope for my country to get out of war and secure a good government. I want Sudan to become a place where people are welcome and hope is restored.”
