Salva Dut’s remarkable story has inspired people around the world, and perhaps more importantly, it has brought life-saving change to villages in South Sudan.
Dut is a former “Lost Boy of Sudan” – one of 17,000 boys who fled to the bush to escape the violence of Sudan’s civil war. About 5,000 of those boys lost their lives to extreme weather, illness, violence, and animals as they walked hundreds of miles to refugee camps. Dut was a leader of a group of these boys, and was among the first to be selected for resettlement in the U.S. – specifically, in Rochester.
After five years in America, Dut learned that his father was alive, but suffering from illness caused by contaminated water. That led to Dut founding what is now known as Water for South Sudan. The nonprofit drills wells and provides other sanitation services in South Sudan, saving lives and uplifting villages. This year marks 20 years since the founding of the organization, and Dut is back in Rochester to discuss it. We talk about the impact of his organization’s work.
Our guests:
- Salva Dut, founder of Water for South Sudan
- Lynn Malooly, executive director of Water for South Sudan
