Thug Life Army

Direct Change has received a $100,000 donation from Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Jolie-Pitt Foundation to support the final construction and ongoing operations for the first modern medical facility in Duk County, Sudan. Direct Change is an organization that builds grassroots financial support for community based African projects.

The Duk Lost Boys Clinic, scheduled to open later this spring serving more than 150,000 people, is the dream and brainchild of John Dau, the Director of Direct Change's Sudan Project and one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" featured in the film God Grew Tired of Us. The Clinic is located in the war-torn village he fled during an attack from the northern Khartoum regime.

"Words can not express my gratitude and gratitude of the people of Duk County Sudan," said John Dau. "Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt demonstrate the American spirit of generosity. Hopefully, their donation will inspire others to join with us to rebuild southern Sudan," Dau added.

Inspired by the film and John Dau's memoir with the same title, over 100 volunteer fundraisers have created their own campaigns which have raised more than $340,000 for the construction and initial operating costs for the Clinic. In addition, volunteers from the American Care for Sudan Foundation in Syracuse, New York, have been traveling to Sudan to assist with construction. Other student organizations, online activists and individuals concerned about Sudan have held dozens of fundraising events around the country. Fundraising continues to support the Clinic's operations to ensure it can provide the necessary health services including immunization and disease treatment for those most in need.

The Duk Lost Boys Clinic is one of over a dozen grassroots African projects that are supported by volunteer fundraisers at directchange.org. Founded in 2006, Direct Change provides online fundraising tools to supporters and screens grassroots African projects that are effective and efficient in helping children in Africa. John Dau, recently named an Emerging Explorer by the National Geographic Society, oversees Direct Change's work in Sudan and its public education campaign in the United States.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, an Executive Producer of Christopher Quinn's film God Grew Tired of Us, learned of John's effort to build the Duk Lost Boys Clinic at the Hollywood premiere of the film in January. The film, a National Geographic Production, is distributed by Newmarket Films and is showing in theaters around the country.

For more information, please visit http://www.directchange.org