Women & Youth Empowerment (WOYE) Microfinance Institution

Status update — March 22, 2016

Kiva has decided to default all of WOYE's remaining loans due to ongoing conflict and insecurity in South Sudan, which has impacted their ability to operate and collect repayments from borrowers. WOYE staff remain outside the country for their safety and operations are suspended. WOYE has not been fundraising on Kiva since June 2015 after South Sudanese rebel forces captured their headquarters and looted their clients’ businesses. Kiva agreed to a grace period throughout 2016 to allow WOYE to recover and rebuild, but renewed conflict has destabilized the country once again, and WOYE has been unable to reopen. Given that the political and economic situation in South Sudan continues to worsen, all of WOYE's remaining loans are being defaulted and the partnership will be closed.

Status update — November 15, 2016

South Sudan continues to be unstable and WOYE's staff remain outside the country for their safety. WOYE has requested that we wait until 2017 to see if their staff are able to return to the country and remit payment to Kiva. If they are unable to do so in the first quarter of 2017, Kiva will proceed with defaulting WOYE's loans due to unlikelihood of future repayments and the unpredictable future of South Sudan.

Status update — February 8, 2016

Rebel forces continue to cause instability in South Sudan's Western Equatorial State where WOYE is located. Their office was looted a second time in October 2015 and they have suspended all operations. As a result, Kiva has agreed to a restructured repayment plan and a 6 month grace period. In July 2016 Kiva will re-evaluate the situation and determine at that time if WOYE is able to collect repayments and remit them to Kiva.

Status update — June 1, 2015

In May 2015, South Sudan's rebel forces captured Mundri town where WOYE is headquartered. One   staff member was killed, others fled to safety, and  WOYE's  office was looted. Due to the destruction and instability, WOYE is currently not operational. Their clients' businesses were also looted and borrowers will have difficulty repaying their loans at this time. Kiva has paused WOYE’s access to fundraising loans for now, but hopes to continue to support WOYE’s much-needed development efforts  as they rebuild  . Kiva has been in communication with our contacts at this Lending Partner, and we remain concerned about the safety and well-being of staff and clients affected by recent events.

Partner description:

The poverty rate in South Sudan is high, with over 50% of the population living below the national poverty line. Additionally, the country is rocked by a humanitarian crisis where millions of South Sudanese are dependent on food aid. South Sudan is an active conflict environment that is extremely difficult for microfinance institutions to operate in due to ongoing conflict, social and political instability, lack of basic infrastructure, extreme poverty, and a culture of donations, among other challenges. 

WOYE is a microfinance institution in South Sudan that helps fill the gap in microfinance services to low-income people. WOYE provides small loans in a country where the UN estimates that less than 2% of the population has access to formal financial services. WOYE offers a range of financial services to women and youth entrepreneurs. Their goal is to empower low income-women and youth and enhance their confidence in income generating activities through increased access to credit.  

A unique lending approach: 

WOYE aims to train borrowers to increase their assets and access to mainstream economic activities. It also boosts clients’ repayment abilities and decreases risk of default by providing health and education training.  

WOYE uses Kiva funding to help scale their group and individual loan products and, more specifically, their solar loans. The target populations for these loans are women and youth, aged 18-50 years who own a business.