News
Levitt Speaker Series hosts human rights activist John Dau
By Deasia Hawkins ’18
February 4, 2016
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This Wednesday, Feb. 3, John Dau, founder and president of the John Dau Foundation, gave a lecture in the Chapel entitled “Volatility: Unexpected Transition in Life.” Standing tall at 6’8”, Dau spoke with a confidence that immediately claimed every attendee’s focus.
Referring to his speech as a “living testimony,” Dau exaplained, “I’ve been through it and I’m still alive.” He went on to detail his childhood in Dinka, Sudan, where young men prided themselves in owning oxen and where it was an important routine for women to milk cows. He was animated from the start, moving across the stage, surveying the crowd, and making grand gestures. It was clear that he was not only talking to the audience, but forming a connection with them.
Dau mentioned his role in the documentary and novel God Grew Tired of Us, which follows three Sudanese refugees as they try to cope with the horrors they experienced in war-torn Sudan, while adjusting to their new lives in the United States. He recounted the three-month journey from Sudan to Ethiopia, where he was finally able to find solace. He divulged heartwrenching details about the journey: going days without food or water, getting attacked by wild animals and children dying every day from disease.
When civil war broke out in Ethiopia, Dau and the rest of the Lost Boys and Girls were forced to find another safe haven. They ended up in Kakuma Refugee Camp, the largest refugee camp in the world, where Dau was able to attend school for the first time.
Dau then gave the audience his impressions of America prior to moving to Syracuse. “I thought all women carried purses with guns” he stated, and that “Americans are really lazy.” He experienced a lot of support when settling and underwent an intensive orientation to help him acclimate to American culture.
After completing the orientation, ended, Dau began working three jobs in order to support himself. More importantly, he wanted to make a difference: “I am no longer a person who receives things. I am contributing.” Dau realized that the only way to maximize his effort to help was to get an education.
“I need to give back to the people,” Dau stated, thinking about all the help he received when coming to America. “I must also help others.”
One of the first initiatives he implemented was helping to found the American Care for Sudan Foundation. He raised more than $1.8 million to build and operate the Duk Lost Boys Clinic in Southern Sudan, the first hospital built in that area.
In collaboration with the clinic, the John Dau Foundation has treated over 150,000 people; delivered over 10,000 babies; treated 389 patients with AIDS, leprosy, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases; and provided 75,000 people suffering from malnutrition with feeding programs and treatment.
Throughout the lecture, Dau emphasized human resilience. “I’m not here to show off,” he joked, as he recounted all his accomplishments. “I’m here because at some point in our lives, we all have a story. Whether we have suffered tragedies or heartbreak, we all have a story to tell. What do we do with our stories? I’m telling mine.”
According to Dau, obstacles are there to test people’s limits. He believes one can be successful if he or she truly wants to be. “Impossible things are things you choose not to do. As human beings, we have the power and heart to make a difference. For starters, you can give back to your community, starting with Hamilton.”