Once known as “Small London,” the town of Yei, South Sudan was devastated during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, USAID and other development groups launched major efforts to reconstruct the infrastructure of this and many other South Sudanese towns. In Yei, in 2005, NRECA International took up the call to build a new electric system to serve the town’s new residents and businesses that had come flocking back.

Through the help of NRECA staff and twenty NRECA International Foundation volunteers, the city’s electric system was up and running in just three years, providing reliable, affordable, and safe power to the then 17,500 local residents providing economic and educational opportunities and a sense of safety that had not been felt in years.

On February 27, 2010, the utility, Yei Electric Cooperative (YECO), held its first general assembly where they inaugurated their first board of directors in front of a crowd of 300 community members and government officials. YECO has continued to grow and expand as a cooperative, working hard every day to focus on its member-consumers and continue improving its community.