Cash grants boost small businesses for Sudanese women amid economic hardship

40-year-old Halima Hamid is a mother of two children and lives in the Red Sea state in Eastern Sudan. She is skilled in perfume making. Like many other women in Sudan, Halima lost her source of livelihood following the outbreak of conflict on 15 April 2023. Since then, nearly 8 million people have been internally displaced within the country. The women and girls among them are severely impacted by the conflict and have little access to basic social services. They have lost their livelihood sources and in the third year of the conflict, they are still struggling to survive.

“I used to mix perfume ingredients to make new brand perfumes, then pack it in bottles to sell. This was my business for years before the conflict started in Sudan back in 2023. During that time, I was earning good revenue, but due to the current conflict, I lost capital and the business,” said Halima.

Since joining Green Hands Women Association, Halima and other women members have participated in gender-based violence sessions and small business management skills trainings. The Green Hands Women Association is a local community body established by women members, officially registered, and technically supported by the Red Sea University. 

The Red Sea University in partnership with UN women Sudan has supported eighty women members of the Green Hand Women Association with cash to start up and expand businesses. Each of the eighty women received 1,000,000 SDG equivalent to 500 USD. Following the cash distribution all targeted women have kicked off different successful and profitable small businesses.

“The cash that I received helped me to restore my business, I bought perfume ingredients and began to produce and sell my nice perfume bottles at home, in the nearby shops and in the neighborhood areas”, explained Halima. “I am earning good profits that will help to sustain my business”.

Khamesa Tazaker, a mother of five children, lives in Red Sea state and another of the eighty women who benefited from the cash that UN women provided.

“ I utilized the cash that I received to restore my business in trading, I buy and sell local handcrafted folklore items that are used in decoration and in social celebrations. So far, I have earned 300,000 SDG, nearly equivalent to 150 USD as  profit since I started my business,” said Khamesa adding that, "The money that I earn is assisting me to support my children's livelihoods amid this economic hardship".

UN women Sudan has made this successful cash-based interventions possible through the support of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). Currently, UN women Sudan through the SIDA fund is carrying out lifesaving interventions in Red Sea state focusing on women’s economic improvement. Besides cash grants for small businesses, there is support for other income generating activities such as goat farming.

The conflict that broke out in Sudan in April 2023 continues generating a dire humanitarian crisis with a total of 24.6 million people (around half the population) acutely food insecure and 637,000 (the highest anywhere in the world) facing catastrophic levels of hunger.