Corporate Livelihoods Appeal

In communities experiencing extreme poverty, people face many barriers preventing them from earning an income to provide for their family's basic needs. Conflict, climate-related disasters, hunger, disease and displacement multiply the barriers they face and leave their loved ones exposed to many more risks.

At Concern Worldwide, we empower people to build a better life for themselves. Our support includes training in business skills, financial literacy, life-skills coaching, technical skills, small-business support, and climate-smart agricultural techniques. 

Concern’s proactive approach unlocks opportunities for people to learn skills and earn a stronger income to pay for food and healthcare, housing and education - it is vital for survival. A gift supporting Concern’s livelihoods activities is both a significant and sustainable way to help people overcome the cycle of poverty.

Surad's* story is one of transformation.

After years of hardship in Somalia and her struggles to provide education and adequate healthcare for her children, she now sits in her own shop looking out at the horizon.

"I didn’t know where to turn," she tells us, recalling those difficult times. "My children were so young, and their father was not working. The whole country was in turmoil, and I had nothing. It was a hard time."

When Concern Worldwide began reaching out to women in the community in 2012, Surad* felt daunted at the prospect of starting her own business. 

“I didn’t know how to sell products or even how to talk to people. I lacked confidence. The war also made things difficult; whenever I went to the city centre, it was dangerous."

However, she ultimately gained the confidence she needed from Concern's Self-Help Group (SHG) model. Surad*, along with a group of like-minded women, learned the tools to help their own families first, and later the community at large.

"I was able to pay my children’s school fees and take them to the hospital when they needed care," she says, proudly. "I could buy food, provide for them, and even take loans from the bank, something I never imagined I’d be able to do."

The initiative made Surad* feel like a part of "something bigger."

"During times of drought," she adds, "we gathered supplies and assisted families affected by the drought. I was no longer focused on my own survival. I was helping others in my community.”

By making a donation today, you can help more women like Surad* to grow their communities and bring people out of the cycle of poverty.

People living in extreme poverty in places like Mogadishu struggle to earn enough to ensure that their families have enough to eat, get adequate health care and an education. 

Our livelihoods programmes - such as the SHG model - aim to give them the tools to ensure they are able to earn a sustainable living, helping them to learn new skills, improve the productivity and nutritional value of their crops and set up small businesses to generate more income.

Your gift today will help to ensure that more people like Surad* can access crucial supports to build new businesses and raise themselves, their families and ultimately their communities out of the cycle of poverty.

*Surad's name has been changed.