why sudan?

sudan's civil war, between the north and the south, was one of the longest of the 20th century, lasting over 50 years. before the north/south comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) was signed in 2005, 2.2 million southern sudanese had been killed and millions more displaced living as refugees in neighboring countries.  for those who remained, the impact of this widespread injustice on the south struck in the form of extreme poverty, illness, and an overall breakdown of infrastructure. (for an engaging narrative on this conflict, check out “what is the what” by dave eggers)

in 2006, the UN development programme reported the following on the post-war status of sudan: “poverty is widespread in sudan. UNDP’s 2006 human development report ranked the country 141st among 177 countries.  according to a recent  joint world bank- UNDP mission, about 60-75% of the population in the north, and 90% of the population in the south is estimated to be living below the poverty line of less than $1 a day.”

since 2005, humanitarian efforts have been valiant to reach the poor and disenfranchised in south sudan, but unfortunately, these efforts have merely skimmed the surface.  with such widespread poverty and lack of governmental support, the demand or need for aid and development dramatically outweighs the supply.  to quantify, per my research, there are less than a dozen documented mfi’s operating in south sudan compared to the hundreds issuing loans in places like india and mexico. (mix market, microfinance gateway, kiva)  these statistics give evidence to the world bank’s estimate that only 4% of the worldwide demand for microloans is currently being met.  

and these are just a few of the poverty statistics... 

sudan also lies in the 10/40 window, an area of the world that contains the largest population of non-christians globally, as it is estimated that 95% of the people in this region have never heard the gospel.  not surprisingly, this region is also home to about 80% of the world’s poorest.  

seed effect exists to serve the poor, the lost, the marginalized communities around the world.  i guess that answers that question...