Sudanese volunteer returns home to help, thanks to SNADD
18 September 2006 in Success stories, Programs, SNADD by Geekcorps
“Juba was already in bad shape when I left,” said Lado Kenyi, who fled his home in Juba, Sudan, in 1991 during the Sudanese civil war. He hasn’t visited Sudan since then and wanted to return to his motherland, but not just to visit family; he wanted to do something more substantial to help Sudan.
And now he has. Kenyi returned recently for a volunteer assignment with the International Executive Service Corps (IESC), which he found through the Sudanese North American Diaspora Database, or SNADD.
SNADD, which matches qualified people in the Sudanese Diaspora with volunteer assignments rebuilding Southern Sudan, was established by IESC in conjunction with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005 between the government of Sudan and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement.
Via SNADD, Kenyi was matched with an ambitious assignment: an analysis of the state of information and communication technology (ICT) in Southern Sudanese government ministries. During the six weeks he was in country, some of the goals had to be adjusted for time and logistical reasons, but overall it was a success, despite predictable frustrations, like unstable electricity and broken generators (if there were generators at all). In addition, he encountered some frustrations common to other developing countries. For instance, far from paying to attend training (as U.S. citizens are accustomed to), trainees expect to be paid by NGOs and aid organizations to attend training sessions.
On the bright side, Kenyi was pleasantly surprised to find that ministries in Juba and Rumbek had good ICT training facilities.
As a result of his volunteer assignment, Kenyi said his drive to help Sudan is stronger than ever, and he would definitely go again if asked. For his second volunteer assignment, however, IESC has asked him to work in the U.S., to help promote SNADD among the North American Diaspora community.
Papou Coulibaly is young boutique owner in Ouélessébougou. Previously, Geekcorps partnered with Papou to create a Cybertigi - an Internet access point for the local community via a wireless link to a Community Information & Learning Center (CLIC).