John Bul Dau

Roles: Subject

John Dau has experienced challenges in his life that most people could never imagine.

Born in war-torn Sudan, Dau is one of 27,000 “Lost Boys of Sudan,” driven from their villages when the northern Arab government attacked the ethnic minority population of South Sudan in 1987. For the next five years, John Dau led groups of displaced boys across Sudan for hundreds of miles facing starvation, disease, and violence.

Currently, 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 and with help from volunteers Americans John raised over $3 million to build and run Duk Lost Boys Clinic in his home village of Duk Payuel. John is also a National Geographic Explorer, winner of over 38 awards, and a social entrepreneur.