Nya's Essay: A Long Walk To Water

A Long Walk to Water

The effect of the Sudan war, spawned not only a revolution, but consequently the inspiration of Salva, one of the men who later receives the title, “The Lost Boys.” When Salva was 11 years old he was given the opportunity to attend school, and became emerged in his academics. His life was interrupted by the outbreak of the ongoing war within his country. He, along with the members of his village had to flee in order to find safety in bordering countries. During this journey Salva experiences longing for his missing family and barely holds on to the little hope he was left with when the attacks began. He travels with strangers, eventually discovering his uncle had been also been walking with the remaining members of his tribe. His uncle was the only person who was qualified to carry a gun, therefor he is inevitably elected the head of the group. While wandering through the Sahara desert his uncle is shot and killed, leaving Salva to not only fend for himself, but also to persevere through the hardships to come.

In Nya’s timeline Salva is an adult, who has escaped the rebellion that continued to rampage through his country. He had been proactive in the situation, and instead of deciding to never return to Sudan, he helps those who need it. Nya has been walking every day to collect water, an ordeal that takes up to eight hours. This has affected her ability to obtain an education, and if the cycle had continued, would further affect her sisters. Salva had started a movement to bring well water to many villages. He had originated from the Dinka tribe, a rivaling tribe of the Nuer, which is the tribe Nya is from. Through the compassion and empathy Salva developed through his experiences, the two tribes merge, causing an end to the often deadly