This is a wonderful book highlighting the scarcity of clean drinking water specifically in the impoverished African nation of Sudan. Told from two points of view, the stories converge in a heartwarming, thrilling conclusion. The work is not finished but perhaps this book will impel you to donate your time, money or efforts to ensure clean drinking water for all peoples of the world. The story is told with the political violence in Sudan as the setting. It’s hard to read about the upheaval with lives lost and destroyed but for anyone looking for cultural and global awareness, this book is it. Salva’s story is based on actual events.
Salwa Dut is an eleven-year-old boy living in 1985 in Loun-Ariik in the oil-rich southern part of Sudan, a country located in Northeast Africa. The Muslim majority living in the north demands all residents convert to Islam. Much of the population resists but the result is a violent invasion of armed thugs from the north, shooting and killing people of all ages, burning their homes, and driving them as herds of animals out of their country. Thousands upon thousands of people are: forced to walk through desert to Ethiopia; cross the Nile River into Kenya; victims of gunfire, murder, atrocities, hunger, thirst, heat stroke, lack of shelter, disease, crocodiles, and mosquitoes—to give you an idea of the hardships.
The second Sudanese civil war began in 1985 and ended in 2005. South Sudan gained its independence with the deaths of approximately two million people. The journey of more than 70,000 people took years to make. Families were separated. Most children were orphaned and/or unattended. Dubbed “The Lost Boys,” military age boys ran away to avoid being forced to join the vicious killer army of the north.
After many years, thousands of refugees are sent to other safe countries to live with host families. Salva is sent to Rochester, New York where he flourishes. Separated from and missing his parents, three brothers and two sisters, Salva felt love, acceptance and encouragement from his host American family, the Moores, who supported him in achieving all his dreams.
In 2008, young Nya is living in South Sudan with her family is entrusted with the daily responsibility of walking hours to the water source to return carrying the plastic container on her head to provide water for her family. This journey took half a day and she often had to do this twice in one day to meet her family’s needs. BTW, girls were not permitted to go to school so her sole responsibility is to provide for the needs of her family. Even more important, the water was not potable (drinkable) but was used anyway. There was no way to effectively separate the mud from the clear water. Serious diseases like cholera and typhoid and malaria from infected mosquitoes that often are stagnant in the muddied water, often result in death.
Now for the happy part! This is real! Salva becomes educated in the science of purifying water and receives financial and construction aid to return to South Sudan to construct water wells in the villages. In the book, that’s where Salva and Nya meet. Salva’s organization constructed a water well in Nya’s village. Now no more exhausting trips. Isn’t it wonderful to think Salva improved the life of Nya and her family and maybe even kept them alive or families in real life? Salva’s organization, Water for South Sudan, receives donations from schools, churches, and civic organizations such as the Rotary Club.
Since 2014, more than 250 water wells were drilled. Keep in mind, these numbers are accurate at the time this book was published in 2021. In 2011, Salva moved to South Sudan and continues to drill wells.
For more information or to donate www.waterforsouthsudan.org
To young people, Salva gives this message: “Stay calm when things are hard or not going right with you. You will get through it when you persevere instead of quitting. Quitting leads to much less happiness than perseverance and hope.” Salva Dut, Rochester, New York, 2010
Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net
I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.
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Elaine Donadio Writes 