Meadowbrook Support for Water for South Sudan

In the fall of sixth-grade, students at Meadowbrook read the short but powerful book A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. The book tells the true story of Salva Dut, a young boy from a small village in Sudan. In the 1980s, during a Sudanese Civil War, Salva was forced from his home and sent running into the bush. For years, he wandered on foot across Sudan in search of safety. He faced many unimaginable hardships - his close friend was killed by a lion, and he saw his uncle killed in front of him. He crossed the Nile River and the Akobo Desert and eventually made it to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. He would then spend many years in refugee camps both in Ethiopia and Kenya. Around age 18, he was one of a select few Sudanese "Lost Boys" given the chance to move to the United States.

Once in the US, Salva overcame extreme culture shock, reconnected with family he had believed dead, and got a college education. As someone fortunate enough to survive the war and get college degree, Salva felt a responsibility to be of service to others. He founded a charitable organization, Water for South Sudan , that drills and rehabilitates wells in remote Sudanese villages. Access to clean water in these villages is life-changing and also allows young girls to go to school rather than spend their days collecting water.

After reading the book, this class also felt a responsibility to help. We want to support Salva's work and to help the many people who could still benefit from a reliable water source in their village.

Thanks for your time and interest; we are incredibly appreciative!