Perseverance “Bit by bit, one step at a time…”

Overview The story focuses on two main characters, Salva and Nya who are from the Sudan in Africa. Salva is an 11 year old boy whose story is set in 1985 during the Sudanese Civil War. He needs to flee his country on foot to survive. Nya is an 11 year old girl whose story is set in 2008. She lives in a village with no running water. Salva’s story is nonfiction. Nya’s story is fictional, yet very realistic. Both characters face life-threatening dangers due to their setting. Why do you think these two very different stories are being told? Share your ideas with your partner and record one on your paper.

Summary: A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.

Review “Feel the heat, fear, and uncertainty as you walk with 11-year-old Salva, who, in 1985, is fleeing his homeland of Southern Sudan. Linda Sue Park has crafted a gripping story of a 'Lost Boy,' all the more remarkable because it is based on a true story. Intertwined with Salva's story is that of 11-year-old Nya, from a rival tribe in Southern Sudan. This 'long walk' will take readers into a troubled country, but a country still filled with hope due to people like Salva. This is a book for the reader who wants to look behind the headlines.” -- David Mallmann, Next Chapter Bookshop, Mequon, WI

Text Structure and Features The book alternates between Nya and Salva’s stories. Both are told in the third person point of view. Look at page one. How can the reader distinguish between the two stories? What other text features do you notice? Discuss with your partner and record you answers.

Words to Know Before Beginning Refugee - a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. Rebels – people who rise in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or ruler. The Lost Boys – the name given to over 20,000 Sudanese boys who fled their coutry’s civil war only to have no homeland for years

Author: Linda Sue Park Listen as the author tells you how she drew her inspiration from Salva and his story. Linda Sue Park discusses "A Long Walk to Water"

Setting: The Sudan in Africa With your partner, write what you know about Africa.

Some Facts About Sudan Resources include oil or petroleum, natural gas and various minerals(gold, silver, iron, copper) About ¼ the size of the United States, it is the largest country in Africa Flat plains, desert to the north, hot! Most of the 20th century was spent in civil war What is a civil war? Write your response. Population is between 39 and 45 million (California has about 40 million people too!)

Why is there fighting in Sudan? Fighting over religious freedom (the government was trying to force the entire country to become Muslim). Scarce resources (food, water, medicine, cattle) Fighting over territory Farmers vs. Herders Control over oil fields

Facts about Fighting in Sudan The first civil war came to an end in 1972 due to a peace agreement The second civil war that Salva Dut lived through started in 1983 when the ruling government tried to make all Sudanese join the Islamic faith There are many rebel groups fighting against the government 2.5 million have been killed or displaced in last 20 years

Bit by Bit, One Step at a Time Salva Dut has used the above mantra or precept as a way to live through incomprehensible acts of violence Salva has made the transformation from “lost boy” to a founding member of a non-profit organization that brings running water to tribes torn apart by these wars

Why is running water important? “Where safe, clean water flows, health, education, and economic development, spring up. Safe water brings new hope and opportunities to South Sudan's people, empowering them to change their lives.” -www.waterforsudan.org Think about it: How could having no running water create life-threatening problems? Write possible answers on your sheet.

A Dinka man A Nuer man The Dinkas and Nuers are two tribes focused on in the book.

Running water is rare in the Sudan Running water is rare in the Sudan. Villagers treck hundreds of miles to find water and bring it back to their families.

Cattle is rare and valued. A small village Refugees fleeing the war. Cattle is rare and valued.

The Lost Boys The hundreds of thousands of young boys who fled Sudan in the 1980’s became known as “The Lost Boys” as they were not just homeless, they the were without a country. Many languished in refugee camps for decades. Others returned home years later to find their families dead. Some were able to go the U.S. to start over. “The Lost Boys” is a reference to the orphaned boys in Peter Pan.

Refugee Camps

3-2-1 Write three things you learned from this presentation. Write two things you found interesting. Write one question you have.