John Dau Foundation Holds Walk for South Sudan in Skaneateles NY June 22
Skaneateles, NY (PRWEB) May 30, 2014 -- While continued violence in South Sudan proves extremely challenging for aid organizations, the John Dau Foundation’s Duk Lost Boys Clinic remains committed to its mission of providing healthcare and nutrition to the region. To this end, the foundation is hosting the first ever John Dau Foundation Walk for South Sudan in Skaneateles, NY, which recently declared itself a sister village to Duk Payuel, South Sudan. Proceeds raised from this event will help restore recent damage to the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, which serves as a vital resource to more than 80,000 people in South Sudan.
The walk through beautiful Skaneateles Village will take place June 22 at noon, beginning at Austin Pavilion at 1 East Austin St. The walking route is 2.4 KM total, so a $5 per KM sponsor would be $12 total donation, where as a $10 per KM sponsor would be a $24 total donation. All donations are tax deductible, and by sponsoring a walker you will be helping those in need in South Sudan. A free catered lunch from the Dinosaur BBQ will be provided at Austin Pavilion after the walk.
“In South Sudan, walking is a way of life,” said executive director Daniel Pisegna. “To honor this way of life and show support for the Duk Lost Boys Clinic and the people of South Sudan in their time of need, we are hosting this walk in Skaneateles,” Pisegna said. “We hope people will come out and walk or sponsor a walker to show that they care about this important effort.”
Before the current crisis, the clinic was providing healthcare and nutrition services to about 1,500 patients per month including vaccinations, prenatal visits, and treatment for various health issues such as malaria, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, UTIs, typhoid, and malnutrition. Under routine circumstances, less than half the population of South Sudan has access to health care services.
About the John Dau Foundation and Duk Lost Boys Clinic
The mission of the John Dau Foundation (JDF) is to build and sustain medical clinics and train community health workers in South Sudan. Its first clinic, the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, was established in May of 2007. The clinic is located in Duk Payuel, a village in Duk County, Jonglei State, South Sudan. Tens of thousands of people in the region have been disrupted and displaced by conflict and face hunger, malnutrition, and a scarcity of health care.
Since opening, the Duk Lost Boys Clinic leads the coordination of medical services within Duk County. More than 110,000 patients have received life-saving nutrition and medical care at the clinic, whose staff sees typically between 75-150 patients per day. Some walk more than 30 miles in order to receive health services. More than 2,000 expectant mothers have received pre-natal care at the clinic, in a country where maternal and child mortality rates are among the highest in the world.
Key humanitarian partners of the clinic also involved in addressing the overall humanitarian emergency in the region include IMA World Health, the World Food Program, and UNICEF. For more information about the foundation and clinic, and to learn how to help, visit http://www.JohnDauFoundation.org.
About John Dau and the Lost Boys of Sudan
The John Dau Foundation was begun by former Lost Boy and genocide survivor John Dau to provide healthcare in the war-torn region of South Sudan, where people’s lives and homelands have been disrupted for decades as a result of civil war and continued upheaval and tribal fighting. The term “Lost Boys of Sudan” refers to the more than 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced and orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War. About 2.5 million people were killed and millions were displaced. The orphaned girls among these groups of displaced children typically were placed with surviving families and also faced life-threatening challenges and disrupted lives.
For more background on the story of the lost children of South Sudan, which features John Dau and his relocation to Syracuse, NY, watch the award-winning documentary God Grew Tired of Us. Also see Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Escaping Civil War in Sudan, a memoir written by John Dau and his wife Martha Akech.
Laura Duran Guiles, Laura Duran & Associates, http://www.lauraduranPR.com, +1 717-926-4287, [email protected]
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