South Sudan

South Sudan became an independent nation on July 9, 2011 succeeding from the north and Khartoum after decades of civil war.  Sudan had been ruled by the British Empire and at times Egypt however the ruling powers had different polices for the north than for the south and as a result the two regions developed differently.  The north tends to be Muslim, Arabic-speaking and desert; while the South tended to be Christian, English-speaking and had most of the countries oil reserves. 

While it is exciting that the South has won their independence after decades of civil war and control from the North, they emerge as one of the poorest countries with some of the world’s worst health indicators and almost zero infrastructure.  Studies estimate that only 8% of women are literate, 13% of the total population has access to basic medical care, and 90% of people live on less then $1 per day.  So you can imagine living, working and trying to do some good will be challenging.