Micro Finance Institution and Client Welfare in Juba South Sudan

ABSTRACT The research on: "Microfinance institutions and clients' welfare in Juba city." The research involved 100 respondents. The research was guided by the objectives of the study. The research was guided by the objectives of the study. The objectives included; examining the services offered by microfinance institutions Juba city; determining the clients' welfare served by the microfinance institutions; establishing if there is a significant relationship between microfinance institutions and the clients; and finding out the challenges faced by microfinance institutions in their attempt to improve on their clients' welfare. The study findings showed that majority of the respondents testified that, they had accessed capital to invest in productive projects, their income and savings had increased, their businesses had expanded, they could pay their children's school fees and their household welfare had improved. Although the majority of the spouses of the MFis male borrowers informed the study that their household incomes and welfare had not improved and they (women) had not benefited from the MFis. This problem was faced by the spouses of the MFis male borrowers not the female borrowers. This raised a question about who actually benefited from the MFis when it came to male borrowers. On the challenges met by microfinance institutions in their attempt to provide financial serVIces to their clients, the study revealed that; ignorance of the public, low savings by the poor, poor financial management, public failure to pay debts, and lack of government support were the answers given by the respondents. Recommendations, the study concluded that there needs to be strong/vibrant microfinance institutions in South Sudan to serve the interest of the divergent clients in the country.