wordless wednesday: well water in kenya

how a bank is bringing reconcilliation to a sudanese villiage

by Kelli Ross

LIETNHOM, SUDAN — For Deng Agei conflict is a part of life.

After living through two decades of civil war in South Sudan, relative peace had come to his village of Lietnhom, where he opened a microbusiness and sold a variety of household goods and food items. But conflict found him once again when a clash between clans devastated his village last year.
 
When the market in Lietnhom burned so did his shop leaving him with virtually nothing. Both his inventory and his monetary savings were in the grass-roofed shop. He estimates his losses were about $2,500. But, he decided to rebuild and start his business again thanks to the local village bank. This bank, a concrete structure that held $4,000 of members’ savings, was one of the few buildings in the village that was untouched during the clash.
 
“I was only able to rebuild my business because I could take out a loan of $75 from the village bank,” he said.
 
Now, one year later, he says his business has grown larger than it had been before the market went up in flames.
 
To celebrate their successes, their perseverance and the obstacles they have overcome, Lietnhom residents recently held a dedication of the bank building – the first village bank in South Sudan. There are now more than 460 members and savings of $12,000 in what has been named the Amat Wuot Community Bank, which means “a union of communities” in Dinka, the local language, because it is bringing together members from various clans, including the two clans who fought last year.
 
“We are kinsmen, and this bank will bring us together,” said Vincent Bol Yak, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Secretary Gorgrial East County.
 
“The idea that a bank could bring together a community is a compelling story,” said Craig Cole, Five Talents President and CEO. “To think that economic development is happening in an isolated village is awe inspiring.”
 
Five Talents is working with a consortium of partners, including the Episcopal Church of Sudan, to provide business skills training to beginning entrepreneurs. The village of Lietnhom is made up of members of the Dinka tribe, who are traditionally pastoralists. Therefore, they are having to learn for the first time how to save and use money and how to start and manage a microbusiness.
 
“The local church is working in a practical way to help its people and its communities come out of a desperate situation,” Cole said. “The church is carrying out its mission of reconciliation in a profound way.”
 
The bank’s concrete structure has become a symbol of stability and reconciliation in an area that has a history of conflict and volatility.
 
The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between north and south Sudan in January 2005 marked the end of the Second Sudanese Civil War, which had lasted more than 20 years.  An estimated two million people were killed and four million displaced during the second civil war, which began in 1983. In comparison, an estimated 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and another 2.7 million forced from their homes since violence erupted in 2003, according to the United Nations.
 
“My hope for southern Sudan is to see sustainable development and lasting peace,” said Rev. Thomas Anei, Five Talents Fellow and project officer. “I have a heart for the people of southern Sudan. I want them to be really transformed, to come out of poverty and to create more jobs. We have been in war for all these years, and this is our chance to rebuild our own lives.”
 
And, not only is this the first village bank in South Sudan, but it is also being led by a woman. 
 
Ahok, who was recently named chairlady, has also taken three loans to start and expand two businesses – a household goods shop and a restaurant – in Lietnhom. She now has an income of $1,250 per month, which allows her to pay school fees for her five sons, including her oldest who attends secondary school in Uganda because there are none in Lietnhom.
 
“I want to make sure my children are in good health and go to school,” she said. “I don’t want them to be like me. I cannot read and write.”
 
Due to decades of war, entire generations did not have the opportunity to receive an education. It is estimated that 80 percent of south Sudanese cannot read or write. Therefore, this multi-layered program has introduced literacy, business planning, savings and credit training and small business development into the Lietnhom community.
 

 

Established in 1999, Five Talents provides funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that, in turn, supports up to nine other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women.
 
Five Talents is based in Vienna, Va., with an office in London, England. For more information, visit http://www.fivetalents.org/.

the africa diaries

In May of 2009 I joined a team of businessmen from around the United States as Five Talents International (FTI) sent us out for a Business as Mission (BAM) Trip to Kenya and Uganda. FTI is a faith-based organization that fights poverty with microfinance. They work in areas where there is extreme poverty and help to provide small (micro-) loans to people to help them start businesses that help them pull themselves out of poverty.

The BAM Trip that Five Talents sent us out on is designed to support the local microfinance programs. We went to teach two-day seminars on basic Christian business skills that help the loan clients to be more successful with their businesses. We taught things like how to choose a business, marketing, finances and record-keeping, and how to build a business plan.

While on this trip I journaled many of my thoughts and experiences. I wanted to share those thoughts and experiences here….

• day one: arriving in nairobi
• day two: the road to thika
• day three: visiting the clients
• day four: first day of teaching
• day five: finishing with our first group
• day six: starting with the next group
• day seven: wrapping up business in kenya
• day eight: a retreat to remember
• day nine: headed to kampala
• day ten: the road to kasese
• day eleven: a walk in the clouds
• day twelve: teaching in uganda
• day thirteen: our last classes
• day fourteen: back to kampala
• day fifteen: headed home

So get a cup of coffee or tea (preferably from Kenya or Uganda), get comfortable, and enjoy the journey! And for more of the experience than what is shared in this ‘africa diaries’ series, then check out everything that is tagged with africa ‘09 as a part of this mission trip.

 

Related posts:

• wordless wednesday: children of thika
• too much to process
• music monday: ugandan worship (part 1)
• wordless wednesday: church pews in makogeni
• music monday: ugandan worship (part 2)
• wordless wednesday: filling the water bottle
• wordless wednesday: life around town in kenya
• wordless wednesday: well water in kenya
• wordless wednesday: churches of africa, gakui
• wordless wednesday: children of gakui
• [photo journal] churches of africa
• [photo journal] children of africa
• [photo journal] everyday life in kenya
• [photo journal] everyday life in uganda

live online q+a: fighting poverty in africa

Lately I’ve really been trying to step up my game with using new tools to develop the community here. I’ve created the BibleDude.net group on Facebook, which is now over 720 members strong. I’ve also recently started using Twitter to connect with people, and have discovered many new frieds there as well.

But now I plan to up the ante a little bit…

On Thursday night, May 7th at 9:00 PM Eastern time, I am going to host a live online meeting to connect with people and share some pre-trip insight as I prepare for my upcoming trip to Kenya and Uganda.

Some of the things that I plan to do in this sesssion are:

• Share about how I got involved with Five Talents International (the organization that is sending us out)
• Discuss what microfinance is, and how it helps eliminate extreme poverty
• Share about why I am making this trip to Kenya and Uganda
• Take live questions about this trip and/or what we are doing
• Pray together for the team and the people in Kenya and Uganda
• …and whatever else God leads us to do in this meeting!

I also plan to do something similar after I return so that I can share some of the powerful stories and testimonies that I expect to bring back with me.

This event is free, and easy. All you have to do is go to the Community Room at 9:00 PM Eastern time. However, you may want to check it out early so that you can scope out the technical specifications.

I look forward to chatting with many of you and having the opportunity to share more about this amazing opportunity! Please let me know if you have any questions…

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