Glimmer of hope in Southern Sudan

In February, I made my first trip to Southern Sudan and my goal was to understand more about the region and also visit the BRAC programs in the country.

Over the last four years, profound changes are taking place in Southern Sudan as a result of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in January 2005. The flow of returnees to Southern Sudan has been gradually accelerating since the CPA was signed, most of whom were displaced due to years of conflict in the region. It is under these conditions that BRAC started its programs in Southern Sudan in 2007, establishing branches in and around Juba town. BRAC currently operates 17 microfinance branches in the country, reaching 14,000 members and is piloting initiatives in livelihoods, health and education.

During my stay in the country, one of the things that fascinated me was how BRAC microfinance borrowers from a remote corner in Southern Sudan are getting their micro-loans funded in a matter of hours, through well-intentioned lenders from around the world. BRAC achieves this through its partnership with Kiva.org, and has till date raised $209,225 in loans for 766 BRAC borrowers. Even better, the average time in which a loan gets funded is 0.90 days.

In a time when everyone in the US is worried about the credit crunch, poor borrowers from BRAC are able to get their microloans funded in a matter of hours!

The man responsible for helping BRAC borrowers successfully raise loans through Kiva.org is John Ohisio. John is the staff person at BRAC Southern Sudan responsible for posting and managing BRAC S. Sudan borrower profiles on Kiva.org.

John hails from the Torit province in Southern Sudan. In 1997 his family fled to Uganda when the Sudanese government forces burned down his village, suspecting it to be a rebel hide-out. He and his family trekked by foot for days before reaching the Ugandan border. Initially they stayed at a refugee camp in Pader district in Northern Uganda. However, a civil war erupted in Uganda and they had to move again, before finally settling in Hoima district, when John was lucky to attend school. In 2007, after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, John’s family returned back to their home in Southern Sudan. John decided to stay in Juba, which had better job opportunities than his home province of Torit. John enrolled in a computer training class after which he was hired by BRAC, which had just started operations in Southern Sudan.

Below is a video interview of John, filmed by Ankush Dhupar a Kiva Fellow who also worked with BRAC Southern Sudan



John has found his job of posting BRAC borrower profiles on Kiva to be very fulfilling. He has helped more than 700 entrepreneurs to raise money for their businesses through the site. He believes that through his job with BRAC, he is helping the people of Southern Sudan get back on their feet and rebuild their lives.

Click here to lend to BRAC Southern Sudan borrowers on Kiva.org. You can also visit Global Giving to support other BRAC programs in the region.