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John Dau

One of the storied "Lost Boys of Sudan," John Bul Dau is featured in Christopher Quinn's award-winning documentary, God Grew Tired of Us, and has experienced trials in life that most people never imagine. Born in war-torn Sudan, Dau is one of 27,000 boys driven from their villages when the northern Arab government attacked the ethnic minority population of Southern Sudan in 1987. For the next five years, John led groups of displaced boys across Sudan for hundreds of miles facing starvation, disease, and violence. In 1992, he was placed in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya where he learned his ABCs and 123's at the age of 17. In 2001, Dau was selected to immigrate to the United States and settled in Syracuse, New York.

Following his initial culture shock, John Bul Dau took on two jobs, earned an associate's degree and has become an American success story. Currently the President of the John Dau Sudan Foundation, he is an influential part of many efforts to bring hope and peace to the people of Southern Sudan, founding three nonprofits and raising over $700,000 to build a medical clinic in his home village. Dau co-authored his first book, God Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir, in 2007 and has received many prestigious awards including the National Geographic's Emerging Explorers award.

John Bul 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, 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.

John is... a true life impacting kind of person." University of Nebraska, Kearney