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/.

opportunity: invest your talents

Matthew 25:14-30 provides an amazing teaching (in parable) from Jesus in which we learn that if we do not invest our ‘talents’ then we will loose them. Of course there is much more that can be said about this parable, but my emphasis on the “use it or loose it” perspective is intentional.

I believe that it is extremely important for every Christian to consider how they should be investing the ‘talents’ that they have been given. Hear my heart when I say this…  I know that many people reading this right now already are investing their time, energy, money, and wisdom into the Kingdom. But I wouldn’t be doing what I’ve set out to do (see bibledude manifesto for 2009) if I didn’t challenge you to find new ways to live out your faith.

Therefore, since a ‘bibledude’ (and dudette) should be ‘engaging in culture,’ then we should be regularly searching for ways that we can impact the world around us. And if you’ve been following the ‘children of microfinance‘ series, you’ll know that there is some great opportunity to help microfinance in the war on global poverty. Five Talents is a great Christian organization that is leading the way in this area, and they have an amazing opportunity coming available…

Business professionals, graduate students, seminarians and clergy can now lend their talents in a unique way to Five Talents International as a Five Talents Fellow.

Dedicated individuals with an interest in serving the poor through Christian microenterprise development can now apply to work as a volunteer fellow with a Five Talents partner in Africa, Asia or Latin America for six months to one year. Fellowships will start during Summer 2009. Applications are due Monday, March 2, 2009.

The Five Talents Fellows program was created as a response to the demand from both partners asking for assistance with specific projects and from volunteers desiring to lend their talents to serve the poor through microfinance. The program is designed to strengthen the work and mission of Five Talents to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives by advancing the goals of its local partner institutions with meaningful projects or research.

Given the high demand for involvement in the rapidly growing field of microfinance, this program offers significant benefits for interested candidates, including substantial exposure to the unique mission of Five Talents.

For more information or to apply, visit www.FiveTalents.org.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that, in turn, supports up to six other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women.

Five Talents’ ongoing work is supported by a staff based in Vienna, Va., an office in London, England, and a program office in Kampala, Uganda. Hundreds of volunteers across the United States and United Kingdom participate in the ministry.

If you check them out, then let them know that ‘bibledude.net’ sent you. And if you end up going, I would like to open up the opportunity for you to share your experiences here on bibledude.net either as a guest blogger or through recorded Skype video-call interviews. Let me know if you plan to pursue this great opportunity!

children of microfinance: fernando in bolivia

by Kelli Ross

Fernando is proud to walk to school in his brand new shirt and shoes. “My teacher said that I look really handsome — I love her a lot!”

María, Fernando’s mom, started a knitting business in Tarija, Bolivia, with the help of a Five Talents’ partner, Semillas de Bendición (Seeds of Blessing), in order to provide her four children with nutritious food and clothing. The first loan she received was for $14.

“She had great talent in knitting, but her self-esteem was very low, so we encouraged her to start a business,” said Sara and Eva Mamani, Semillas de Bendición program managers. “She was quite fearful, but she decided to take a risk because the poverty in her family was very great. Now, she sells beautiful wool ponchos, and her husband is pleased because their sons are the ones who benefit the most.”

Read more

children of microfinance: irene in kenya

by Kelli Ross

Irene is one of the top students in her 4th grade class, and her mother is very proud of her achievements.

Without the help of the Thika Community Development Trust, Irene may not have been able to attend – or have had such success – in school. Jane, Irene’s mom, has been part of the Trust in Kenya since 2004. She’s invested her loans from the Trust in her vegetable garden and rabbit business. She has used the profits to pay for her children’s school fees and clothing and to buy nutritious food.
 
“I also really hope that with the next loan she gets she will build us a nice home,” Irene said. The family is currently living in a two-room house with iron sheets for a roof and mud walls.
 
Irene attends Giachuki Primary School in the Thika District in the Central Province of Kenya. Her favorite subjects are Christian Religious Education (CRE) and social studies.
 
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