Our Mission
The goal is to help South Sudan have healthcare again after its complete destruction during the period of civil war.
— Dr. David Reed, M.D.
What We Do
Founded by former Lost Boy and genocide survivor John Dau, the John Dau Foundation in partnership with South Sudan Nation Builders builds and runs medical clinics and trains community health workers. The Foundation also administers nutritional programs specifically targeting children and pregnant or lactating women in several villages in the former Duk County, South Sudan.
We also employ and feed over 80 local residents who help deliver our programs to those in need.
The Need
South Sudan currently suffers from a variety of diseases and conditions largely unheard of in the developed world. Life expectancy at birth is just 56 for men and 59 for women. The John Dau Foundation (JDF) works every day to treat and ultimately prevent and eradicate these diseases and conditions, the most prominent of which are outlined below.
Health and Nutrition
The John Dau Foundation provides healthcare and nutrition programs to citizens of South Sudan – one of the most war-torn, impoverished countries on Earth and now facing the impacts of climate change.
Displaced People
Forced to leave their homes, internally displaced people represent a major segment of the population we serve.
Beginning with the struggle for independence and subsequent civil unrest, the conflicts in South Sudan have created an estimated 1,690,000 internally displaced persons – i.e, people who are essentially refugees inside their own country. The John Dau Foundation works with those who have been displaced by war by providing them with medical and nutritional services. Our site in Poktap has become a central point for people to travel to, and internally displaced persons can rely on the John Dau Foundation to serve them – regardless of tribe or ethnic group.
Your support for the John Dau Foundation helps us provide therapeutic feeding to malnourished children, pre-natal and maternity care to pregnant women and young mothers, as well as basic medical care for all who seek our help.
Education as Tool
Through education, we will help the South Sudanese people take responsibility for participation in peace and reconciliation, health care education, and agriculture skill development. Together the South Sudanese can help combat the vicious cycle of violence, greed, and ethnic division that has been the biggest problem South Sudan faces.