This is Muna Abu Jabar from Sudan. Her husband was killed in war and she was forced to move to her elder brother’s compound in another village, with her son.
Conflict in Sudan has caused many families to become displaced and to lose their small animals – which can mean the loss of food and income for a family. Concern runs a programme in this region, funded by Irish Aid, which provides small animals to extremely poor female-headed households. As part of this intervention, Muna was nominated by her neighbours as one of fifty women to receive two breeding goats. Since receiving the two goats, they have already produced two offspring, one male and one female.
Now Muna can feed her son and earn an income by selling the goats’ milk at the market.
Mafulesi Matengambiri (main image) is a mother-of-three from Galafa village in the Nasanje district in Malawi. Mafulesi experienced a difficult marriage and was eventually abandoned by her husband, leaving her to support her children on her own. With very little income, Mafulesi feared that she would not be able to provide for her children alone.
In Galafa village, where Mafulesi lives, Concern and Irish Aid support a Savings and Loan Group that allows members to borrow money to invest in small businesses, pay for services or cover unforeseen expenses. Thanks to the group, Mafulsei now runs her own business selling tomatoes.
She has already saved 35 dollars and she hopes to expand her business and use the money to support her children in school. She describes how the support from Concern has transformed her life,
The Village Savings and Loan groups have helped many women in Mafulesi’s district Nsanje, with 78% of women reporting control over earnings in 2014, compared to 42% in 2012.