A Long Walk to Water characters

Appears from the start

An eleven-year-old Dinka boy in southern Sudan in 1985. Gunfire reaches his school and sends him fleeing into the bush, separated from his family. Frightened but persistent, he joins groups of displaced people walking toward safety and gradually learns to survive thirst, hunger, violence, and repeated loss.

Appears from the start

A girl living in southern Sudan in 2008. Each day she makes a long journey to collect muddy water for her family, carrying it home in a heavy container. The task keeps her from school and exposes how completely her village's life is organized around the search for water.

First appears in chapter 5

A boy close to Salva's age whom Salva meets among the refugees. His companionship makes the march less lonely, and the two share fears and observations as they travel through dangerous country.

First appears in chapter 6

Salva's uncle, an experienced soldier who finds him among the walkers. Armed, confident, and familiar with the land, he becomes the group's leader and gives Salva both protection and the hope of eventually finding his family.

First appears in chapter 4

A member of the walking group who recognizes signs of a beehive and finds food when the travelers are desperately hungry. His knowledge shows Salva how practical attention to the landscape can keep a group alive.

First appears in chapter 7

Nya's younger sister. After drinking contaminated water, Akeer becomes dangerously ill, forcing the family to weigh a difficult trip for medical treatment against the risk of doing nothing.

First appears in chapter 16

Salva's father and the respected head of their family. Salva has no news of him during the years of flight and refugee-camp life, so the possibility that he survived becomes a powerful reason to return to Sudan.