It's hard to imagine that you would have to work so hard to get water to survive, when we go to our sinks and fill up our cups, or even better our refrigerators to push the buttons or get a bottle out.
Can you imagine going thirsty for such a long time? Salva and Nya live in such a world. It is good to read about them so we can appreciate more what we already have. I hope you enjoy this true story about survival and determination. |
Activity OneWar in Sudan has led to the displacement of millions of Sudanese people. These people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya and
Chad. In many cases, refugee camps are able to accommodate up to 80,000 refugees. Food and aid are extremely limited. Refugees can spend many, many years in camps, as shown in the book. There is little to do in these camps. Some of these refugees gain refuge in countries such as Australia, Canada and the USA. Draw a picture and write a paragraph about what you think it would be like to be a refugee. It might have been during WWII, or it might even be during the war in Sudan. It might even be during a flood, tornado or other weather disaster. We don't usually think about refugees in the USA, but there are. Have you ever been a refugee? |
Activity TwoCreate a timeline that conveys major events of Salva's journey, such as his uncle's death at the hands of a party of Nuer men, his survival of the crocodile-infested Gilo River, his first meeting with his new family in America, his reunion with his father in a Sudanese hospital and his revelation to Nya in her own Nuer village.
You can either use a legal sheet of paper to draw your timeline, using symbols for each event - or you can create your timeline on the computer. I'm sure you could even find a web page that does that!! |
Activity ThreeSalva Dut has created an organization called Water for South Sudan. Go to his website www.waterforsouthsudan.org/ and watch the videos on this site. Compare and contrast what you view with what you read in the novel about the relationship between having a clean, accessible source of water and the development of schools and education. Do you think one method is more effective than the other in developing clean water in developing countries? Why or why not? Your answer should be at least a half page long, and it should show me evidence that you have watched the video (in other words, use information from the videos!)
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