President of South Sudan in Kajo Keji

Salva Kiir, the President of the Government of Southern Sudan, was in our humble village today. He had a rally for the upcoming election, in which he is the only viable candidate. The rally was on a soccer field in Mere, the second biggest market in Kajo Keji and where most of our clients are located. The commissioner of Kajo Keji (like a mayor), the governor of the state (Central Equatoria), the Vice President and Cowboy hat wearing Salva himself gave speeches to resounding applause. I'm guess about 2-3,000 people were there. The governor's speech got Sudan-nuts sort of crazy, to the point that I was asking myself "what in the world is going on?" Then of course I remembered I was in South Sudan, not Dallas or DC. He went off on some sort of tirade (all in English mind you, but that I could barely understand) and this is but an excerpt: "This election is like a cock [Rooster] that you need to eat its head while its still living before you check the star for knowing who to mark the box to vote for". Then he proceeded to retell the story of Lucifer's fall from Heaven and said all the oposition candidate were modern day Lucifers that will one day burn for their transgressions. The VP and Commissoner's had much more vanilla speeches. The Commish was even quite policy-oriented, asking for better roads and more physicians at the hospital (we have one part-time for about a million people and he does 10-20 major surgeries a day). Check out the video welcoming the Pres to his podium. Also as he is arriving on Air Force One South Sudan (and yes, they brought 5 planes to the Kajo Keji air strip). It was a big day for this town.

-Thomas Bell, Managing Director Seed Effect: SUDAN
To follow Thomas' journey as the MD of Seed Effect in Sudan, check out his blog at http://thomasbell.posterous.com

meet thomas

As most of you know by now, SE: SUDAN has hired a new Managing Director! Thomas Bell will be moving to Sudan at the first of the year to work alongside the local team. As this last month has been a bit crazy due to our site launch, I wanted to make sure to take the time to formally introduce you to Thomas before his departure!

The Credentials

Thomas graduated from Duke University in 2005 with Bachelor degrees in Computer Science and Russian. Upon graduation, he went to work for HOPE International, and successfully led the launch of their first microfinance program in Russia. After completing this launch, Thomas moved to Dallas and began working for USPI, a hospital management firm and joined Watermark Community Church where he serves with the young adult ministry.

The Call

Over the last year, Thomas has felt God calling him back to microfinance, but this time to East Africa, where until a month ago, he had never been! It has been truly amazing to watch God unfold His perfect plan in His perfect timing. If you’d like to hear more of Thomas’ testimony click here: Thomas' Testimony

The Fun Stuff

Now, just for fun and to get to know Thomas a little better, here are a few more fun facts:

Married: For all you single ladies out there, Thomas is still quite the eligible bachelor.

Children: Nope

Home Town: Lexington, Kentucky

Favorite Color: Blue

Hobbies: Competing in triathlons, golf, skiing

Favorite Food: Chipotle bowl with Barbacoa (Good thing that Chiptole might be the closest thing that we have to Sudanese food.)

Favorite Sport/Team: Duke Blue Devils

Other interesting details: Thomas can speak 3 languages! (And, he’s about to add Kuku to the mix.)

To join Thomas’ support team click here: Join Thomas' Support Team

thomas bell, SE managing director

Thomas Bell, Managing Director of Seed Effect: SUDAN discussing microfinance and the impact that our Seed Loan Program will have on the community of Kajo Keji County, South Sudan.