Nov. 21, 2013
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Dut Jok Youth Foundation (DJYF), founded by Penn senior men’s basketball student-athlete Dau Jok, son of Dut Jok and older brother to Iowa men’s basketball freshman Peter Jok, aims to empower Southern Sudanese youth through the vehicles of education, recreational sports and leadership building activities, to produce generations of children who are both academically and socially vibrant.
The foundation seeks to empower the youth by funneling resources and providing opportunities through athletics and education to challenge the current of violence and poverty in future generations.
University of Iowa student Ryan Frost coordinates the foundation’s local efforts in Iowa City to raise money, collect school supplies (notebooks, pencils, crayons, markers, etc.), and collect soccer balls to donate to Dau Jok.
Individuals interested in learning more, donating to the cause, and/or getting involved with the UI-DJYF can contact Frost at ryan-frost@uiowa.edu. UI students are welcome to join the student organization through OrgSync.com.
For more information on the foundation visit any of the following websites/social media platforms:
http://www.dutjokyouthfoundation.org/
https://www.facebook.com/wearesouthsudan
https://twitter.com/DutJokYouthFdn
Dau and Peter will face each other on the hardwood Friday when the Hawkeyes face Penn at 6 p.m. (CT). The game can be seen nationally on BTN (BTN2GO).
Who is Dut Jok?
The late Dut Jok was a Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) General who was killed in the two-decade long civil war. He was a man of equality, development, love, passion, social justice, respect, hope, and above all, a protector of his people during the bloody civil war. His death demoralized the people of the Gok Dinka tribe in Southern Sudan, erasing hopes of a better future for the youth of the region. As a relentless warrior and a great humanitarian, his death marked the fading hope for social progress and self-preservation. “He cared for everyone, and lived his life for others,” his best friend Santino Deng Mayek remembers. The foundation is named in his honor to carry out the ideals and beliefs for which he lived.
