Salva Dut Biography

Salva Dut Biography

Salva Dut at only the age of 11 years old was separated from his friends, village, and family. In 1985 war broke out in Sudan. While Salva was in school one day, the war had finally reached his village. Salva and the boys from his school all fled into the bush to be safe. They were all separated later. Salva was traveling all alone. He was separated from his family, traveling to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. The boys that fled to the bush and separated from the town were known as "the lost boys" and Salva was apart of them. They all weren't together though. Salva has experienced life-changing things. He watched his own uncle get shot while traveling to a refugee camp. He swam in a river with crocodiles while people were shooting at him and others to get out of Ethiopia. Salva Dut traveled through Southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya before he was shipped to Rochester, New York in the United States when he was 19 years old. Salva went back to Southern Sudan when he heard his father was in the hospital, Salva wanted to see him before he died. His father told him that his two sisters, mom, and one brother out of three were still alive. Salva couldn't go back to see his family yet though, there was still war in Sudan. Salva went back to Rochester, he wanted to help people in Sudan. When the war died down, he talked to hundreds of people in churches, civic organizations, and schools in Rochester to help Southern Sudan. Today, Salva has organized the Water For South Sudan Organization, bringing water to people throughout Southern Sudan.