February 6, 2007—John Dau is one of the lucky ones.

One of Sudan's "lost boys"—young children who fled home and family to escape ethnic violence in the country's fractured Darfur region—Dau eluded the hunger, wild animals, and roving Arab militias that claimed many of his fellow refugees.

Dau has made the most of his second chance at life—a rare opportunity to emigrate to the United States—by holding down a full-time job while going to college and raising money for those still trapped in Sudan.

Now, as one of the stars of the new documentary God Grew Tired of Us, Dau hopes that the harrowing tale of the lost boys' survival and rebirth can serve as an international clarion call for the ongoing crisis in Darfur.

(National Geographic Films co-owns God Grew Tired of Us. National Geographic News and National Geographic Films are divisions of the National Geographic Society.)