Submitted by abonilla@johnda... on Mon, 2011-12-05 01:00

John Dau left for South Sudan on Saturday, 11/26 for a 6-week trip to work on some important new developments at the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, which was built by the John Dau Foundation in John’s home village back in May 2007. Since its beginnings out of the Skaneateles Presbyterian Church, the Clinic has seen over 60,000 patients in one of the most underserved places in the world and has become one of the best health facilities in the newly-formed Republic of South Sudan.

 

  

Activities over the next few months will include:  

 

A medical team with several world-renowned eye surgeons will be traveling to Duk on December 12 for a week to perform up to 300 corrective eye surgeries. Eligible patients are being screened by Sudanese youth who were trained by JDF several years ago in Nepal for this type event. John Dau will help oversee this screening.

 

American Medical Doctors Barbara Connor and David Reed will also be in attendance from New Zealand and Syracuse, respectively, to assist in this program as well as training and providing guidance for the Clinic’s Medical Staff.

 

A new project manager, Joshua Gwinn, of Gelatin TN will replace JDF’s current project manager, Mike Wagner, who will be going on to work for Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA) in South Sudan in January. Joshua is a former Peace Corps Volunteer and has worked with Sudanes refugees in the past. His work will including implementing a grant from the Basic Services Fund in South Sudan, which will be done through a partnership with IMA. He will also oversee new activities in South Sudan in 2012, including construction of a Nutrition Center and expansion of Clinic services throughout the region.

 

Though separate from the Clinic, 12 Lost Boys and Girls will arrive in Duk County for a three day seminar on Peace and Reconciliation and travel to their home tribes to advocate peace with neighbors based on their US experience for 10 years. The presence of the visitors will be very significant to the area. This is being done through the South Sudan Institute, development project centered around peace building, agriculture, and teacher training, which John Dau has envisioned alongside the John Dau Foundation.

 

 For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Amy Bonilla at abonillaatjohndaufoundation [dot] org.