Welcome, Salva Dut!
There was a deafening roar and burst of applause at Brockport’s Oliver Middle School from about 900 students, teachers and interested others as a check for $8,507.67 was presented to Salva Dut, a “Lost Boy refugee” and founder of Water for South Sudan, by Talia Danno, a fifth grader who attends Fred W. Hill Elementary School. Talia was representing many students in the Brockport Central School system, that Library Department and a host of supporters in the community who helped raise money to sponsor a well in South Sudan. As organizer Kathy Jaccarino, Brockport High School Library teacher exclaimed: “This has been an exciting project. The students have learned so much about conditions in Salva’s country and they have shown a true desire to improve these conditions for the people in South Sudan.” Kathy was helped by a committee of elementary school librarians, including Maria McCarthy, Cathy Mangan, Suzanne Shearman and Ellen Zinni.
This activity on June 18 wrapped up BCSD’s year-long initiative to raise funds and global awareness through reading. Grades 5 through 12 had read Sue Park’s book, A Long Walk to Water, a poignant, true story of one of the lost boys of Sudan, Salva Dut, who finally settled in Rochester.
The program featured videos of the people and the poor conditions in South Sudan and the local fundraising walk followed by personal stories, many of them heartbreaking, from Salva. He related: “We were lucky to have one meal a day (in the Sudan). You are very lucky. You complain too much. We don’t even have birthday celebrations over there; some people don’t know when they were born.”
He was very thankful for what America has given him. “I came with nothing and this country has nurtured me. Thank you for having the heart to help other people.”
About the water well situation in South Sudan, he had this to say: “We have drilled over 134 wells so far and drilled 33 in 2012. They are about 300 foot deep. The Brockport-sponsored well will begin to be drilled in January 2013 and be finished in May 2013.”