Water For South Sudan

The Republic of South Sudan is the world’s youngest and poorest countries in the world.

South Sudan’s environment is starkly beautiful but harsh. It has just two seasons: one dramatically wet, the other dry with temperatures often rising above 120°F during both seasons. During the rainy season, water is plentiful for villagers, their crops and their animals. But during the annual six-month dry season, life changes for the worst.

The dry season forces millions of South Sudanese each year to leave their village homes in search for water. Some have to abandon their homes and move all together while others, usually, women and children, are forced to trek miles every day to collect water from ponds, marshes, ditches, or hand-dug wells, where the water is often contaminated with disease-causing parasites and bacteria. The results are pain, sickness, even death, especially among infants and children.

Through the challenges and despair, the story of Salva Dutt provides us inspiration to move forward and never give up; even when things get tough. Salva was born in a rural village in southwestern Sudan to the Dinka Tribe. At 11 years old, the Sudanese civil war reached his village and separated Salva from his family. He joined thousands of boys, famously known as the "Lost Boys" on their journey by foot to seek safety in a refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. After living in refugee camps for 10 years, Salva was given the opportunity to move to the United States, where he would be embraced by a family in Rochester, NY. A few years later Salva learned that his father was still alive in Southern Sudan but was suffering from a water-borne parasites and disease. This inspired Salva to help his father and his country by bringing clean water to those in need. This was the beginning of Water for South Sudan.

In this podcast with President Bob Shea and Executive Director Lynn, we learn about the positive impacts that Water For South Sudan makes in South Sudan. Water For South Sudan delivers direct, transformative and sustainable quality-of-life service to the people of South Sudan by efficiently providing access to clean, safe water and improving hygiene and sanitation.

We will learn that while instability can grow in some places, SO CAN STABILITY. With the foundation of safe drinking water, the future of South Sudan is bright.

To learn more please visit www.WaterForSouthSudan.com