Kiva Stories from the Field

What originally started as a college senior’s feeble attempt to plan his future has finally become a reality: I am now in Sudan. After a 21-hour flight from Los Angeles to Uganda, three days of waiting in Uganda to get a Sudanese visa, and a one hour (scary) flight from Entebbe to Juba, I finally made it into the country that I will be calling “home” for the next several months.

My home does not have running water or electricity; a candle has now become my new best friend. I do have a shower, an amazing shower that slowly drips the Nile’s water from a tank on the roof to the top of my head. Although my new home isn’t as comfortable as my home in California, it is definitely habitable. At first, I was constantly plagued with the idea that there was no way I could ever live in such conditions. But as I continue to remind myself that nearly half of the world’s population, over three billion people, lives on less than $2.50 a day, I realize that life in Sudan won’t be too difficult.

Throughout the course of my fieldwork, I will be interviewing various people who are pertinent to my experiences here in Sudan. In order for you to fully understand the context in which the stories are provided, I have created a small video outlining a fraction of Sudan’s lengthy history. Having some knowledge about Sudan’s past will allow for a better understanding and appreciation for the situations the Sudanese people are currently facing.

ankush.dhupar@fellows.kiva.org