A Long Walk to Water
Although three-fourths of the Earth is covered with water, the amount of drinking water available is very low, and it is not evenly distributed across nations. As a result, some regions use or even waste plenty of water, while others barely get enough for their daily needs. This story revolves around one such region where water is scarce, and people need to walk several miles just to fetch a single bucket. The place is Southern Sudan in Africa . The story takes us back to 1983, during the second Sudanese civil war. Salva Dut , an 11-year-old boy from the Dinka tribe, lived with his parents, three brothers, and two sisters in a small town called Loun-Ariik in Tonj Country . One day, while he was in school, gunshots and bomb blasts erupted. Students were forced to flee into the bush—on the opposite side of Salva’s home. With no choice left, Salva ran farther and farther away, leaving behind everything he knew. The war had begun two years earlier. Though Salva did not fully understand...