John Dau on Clubhouse

Bio

www.johndaufoundationsouthsudan.org. …John Dau has experienced challenges in his life that most people never imagine. Born in war-torn Sudan and now South Sudan, Dau is one of 27,000 “Lost Boys of Sudan,” driven from their villages when the northern Arab government attacked Christians and ethnic minority population of South Sudan in 1987. For the next 16 years, John Dau led groups of displaced boys across Sudan to Ethiopia and Kenya for hundreds of miles facing starvation, disease, and violence.

While living in a Kenyan refugee camp from 1992-2001, John Dau attended school for the first time at the age of 17 and earned a prestigious Kenyan Certificate for Secondary Education. In 2001, Dau was selected to immigrate to the United States and settled in Syracuse, New York.

Following his initial culture shock, John Dau took on two, sometime three jobs, earned an associate degree and bachelor’s degree at Syracuse University. Currently, John Dau is the President of both the John Dau Foundation (JDF) and the South Sudan Nation Builders (SSNB), he is an influential part of many efforts to bring hope and peace to the people of South Sudan. John raised over $6 millions to build and run Duk Lost Boys Hospital and 10 other clinics in his home village of Duk Payuel and Jonglei State, South Sudan.

John Dau now speaks professionally throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. In 2006, John Dau was featured in the award-winning documentary film, "God Grew Tired of Us", and wrote his first book also entitled "God Grew Tired of Us": A Memoir, published by National Geographic.

John has lived a remarkable life of cultural adaptation in America. He has received many prestigious awards, including National Geographic Emerging Explorers Award and was a Volvo for Life finalist in the Quality-of-Life category. John was also named alongside of DRC Former president Joseph Kabila, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader for 2008 and together with Former Secretary of State, Gen. Collin Power; he received a Most Caring Award from the Caring Institute plus 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. Today, John Dau is a compelling motivational speaker whose life is defined by his uncompromised commitment to having a lasting impact on the future of his native country.