Betty Lamunu, Yei, Sudan

For Betty Lamunu, an employee at Yei Electrification Project in Sudan, reliable electric service provides much more than a job. It offers her the ability to travel well-lit streets at night. She can put her formal training to work. It will afford her infant son, Anthony, a better way of life and the chance to attend a school with electricity.

In short, Yei Electrification Project represents hope for Lamunu and many other Sudanese who have returned to the now-peaceful nation to start new lives.

NRECA International’s work with Yei Electrification Project began in 2005, roughly when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement ended a bloody 20-year civil war in Sudan. NRECA provides technical, policy, and program implementation assistance to the project through USAID funding, assuming responsibility for design, procurement, and operation of the electric generation and distribution system.

“Access to modern energy services makes sustainable development and economic progress possible in today's world,” said Nicholas Allen, an NRECA International engineer working on the project. “Conditions of desperate poverty cannot be broken without this essential ingredient.”

Lamunu, who had recently returned to Sudan from Northern Uganda when the Yei Electrification Project began, accepted a position at the utility because it afforded her the opportunity to use her accounting skills. Thanks to training provided by NRECA and the NRECA International Foundation, Lamunu quickly acquired the tools she needs to manage accounting and office tasks. These days, you will likely find her busy at her desk, preparing bills, collecting payments and managing office staff.

Because of Lamunu’s efforts and the work of her colleagues, the utility has become a model for a reliable and sustainable electric system, providing what is widely believed to be the best service in the area. In fact, a key indicator of their success—and of customer satisfaction—is a 95-percent collection rate for electricity bills.

Yei Electrification Project is a model of what people working together can achieve, and has drawn on local professionals and technicians to design, build and manage a home-grown, grassroots institution. It has also contributed significantly to local economic growth and sustenance, supporting shops and small industries. 

As Yei Electrification Project moves from direct NRECA supervision to local governance and management, Lamunu and her colleagues look to the future, assured that their decision to return to Yei was the right one. They are building a future for their community, just as they are building a future for themselves and their children.