Mariam's booming business

Training and funding displaced entrepreneurs

Mariam did not earn much and made less than USD 10 a day from her in-home grocery shop. Through a programme supporting entrepreneurs run by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Somalia team and Building Resilient Communities in Somalia (BRCiS), and with funding support from DEVCO, Mariam now earns up to USD 25 a day from her business.

“We have been working in Baidoa since 2013, and the city has become an epicentre for over 260,000 displaced people,” says Kassim Mohamed Adam, head of our office in Baidoa. “The challenges are many, but programmes like this encourage people to become self-sufficient and withstand the shocks that come with drought and conflict.”

The BRCiS programming seeks to train and assist displaced people and host communities in Somalia. Mariam and other businesswomen were given entrepreneurship training that focused on management of small enterprises, record keeping of profit and loss. and strengthening the relationship with Baidoa’s main supplier market. After the intensive five-day course, Mariam received a USD 500 grant to expand her business.

“I no longer operate the business from my home as I have expanded it to include clothing as well,” says Mariam. She has shifted her business to a market we constructed in her settlement under the BRCiS project funded by DEVCO.

“Working from the market with other business people makes me feel more secure.”

Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

As a result of her increased income, Mariam has enrolled four of her children in school. When asked about why she decided to become an entrepreneur, she says: “There aren’t many other options to earn money, owning a business is a dignified way to earn money to raise your children and to cover your family’s financial needs.”

What is her advice to other entrepreneurs?

“Record your earnings, use some money for your basic needs and save the rest to grow your store. Expand your network and educate yourself about trends so that you bring the right products in your store.”

Mariam’s working capital has increased by USD 300 and she now operates with USD 800.

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