Clean Water for the Forgotten Tribes of South Sudan

Bringing Clean Water to the Forgotten Tribes of South Sudan

Imagine waking up each day knowing that a simple drink of water could make you sick—or even be deadly. This is the daily reality for the Thiik community near Tonj, South Sudan, where clean water is a distant dream. For generations, families have suffered from waterborne diseases, and tragically, one in every ten children does not live to see their fifth birthday.

At Sugar-Salem Junior High (Idaho), a Geo-Inquiry class read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. Moved by Salva Dut’s story, students began asking urgent questions: Do people still walk miles every day just to get water? What is water scarcity? Can we do something to help? Their research led to a powerful realization—clean water is not just a necessity; it is a life-saving human right.

A Personal Connection

We have been fortunate to meet a South Sudanese success miracle—Thon Yak. Now a university student in Idaho, Thon’s story mirrors that of A Long Walk to Water. He, too, endured the hardships of water scarcity and war before finding a path to education and a brighter future. When Thon visited with our students and shared his incredible journey, their desire to create an impact was heightened. His story transformed statistics into something deeply personal—this is not just a faraway problem; it is a crisis affecting real people with hopes, dreams, and potential.

Ensuring Every Dollar Makes an Impact

As students learned more about South Sudan, they also discovered the challenges of aid distribution. Multiple corrupt groups operate, and they wanted to be sure that every dollar raised would go directly toward building wells.

Thon Yak connected us with Give Education a Priority Organization (GEPO), an NGO working in and around his homeland of Tonj. Its director, Daniel Madit, is a native of Tonj and now lives in Kenya, where he continues to oversee development projects for his people. Daniel personally travels to South Sudan to ensure projects are completed before funds are dispersed, guaranteeing that donations directly benefit the Thiik community. Learn more about their work at GiveEducationAPriority.org.

Our Mission

Inspired to take action, our students launched a campaign to bring clean water to the Thiik community. The goal: continue to raise funds to build hand pumps. Thanks to a student-led pickleball tournament and generous contributions from local farmers and donors, we’ve already funded three wells. But the need is far greater.

The Thiik community is home to 126,000 people. To ensure that every person has access to clean water within a two-hour walking distance, we need to build two more wells. With the $2,000 raised in this Go Fund Me, a 4th well will be completed. After this 4th well is done, we will continue to raise funds for a 5th well.

How You Can Help

We are inviting individuals, families, and businesses to join us in this life-changing mission. Every dollar brings us closer to giving a child, a mother, and an entire community the gift of clean water. If you turn on your faucet and fresh, safe water flows freely, you are among the fortunate. Let’s extend that fortune to those who have never known the comfort of a simple glass of clean water.

Together, we can change lives. Will you help us?

Funding received will be deposited in my account in the United States as Go Fund Me does not transfer funds to South Sudan. I will send funds to GEPO (Give Education a Priority Education), an NGO supporting South Sudan. Daniel Madit is the director of GEPO who will appropriate the funds to support the building of wells in remote areas of the Thiik community.

Learn more about Thon's story and the research Sugar-Salem Junior High students have collected at IdahoToSouthSudan.weebly.com.