“Stronger Together” closes with a large Bazaar in Port Sudan

The “Stronger Together” project, implemented by the Microfinanza e Sviluppo association in partnership with PASED and funded by the Waldensian Church’s 8×1000 fund, concluded with a large two-day Bazaar in the center of Port Sudan. The event saw the participation of 25 exhibitors and over 200 visitors, celebrating the economic empowerment journey of many Sudanese women.

The project, carried out between February and December 2024, took place in Port Sudan, one of the main cities on the Red Sea, which currently hosts thousands of displaced people fleeing the civil war that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This conflict has caused the economic and infrastructural collapse of the country, leaving over 10 million people homeless.

In this dramatic context, the project involved 250 women belonging to five women’s associations. The objective was twofold: to strengthen the economic autonomy of the participants and to offer concrete tools for the development of their entrepreneurial activities, even in a time of emergency.

Training and opportunities for women entrepreneurs

The project offered an extensive training program ranging from financial education to business management, digital marketing to leadership, and facilitating access to credit. Furthermore, it promoted opportunities to meet potential clients and commercial partners, fostering the development of solidarity and collaboration networks.
During the Bazaar, participants had the opportunity to present their products and share stories of personal and professional change.

Jana Ramadan, 45, a mother of three and a member of the Laha association, produces charcoal cubes for cooking.

Thanks to the training received, she understood the importance of product presentation, improving the packaging and adding a label with her phone number. This small change led to an increase in sales and attracted the attention of a UNIDO official, who decided to support her business.

Nuha Mohammed Hassan, 37, a mother of four and a member of the Noor Ala Noor group, sells local perfumes.

After attending a digital marketing course held by NASNA, she launched a Facebook page and, in collaboration with her daughter, a TikTok profile. Social media significantly increased her visibility and sales, allowing her to consolidate her business.

Ekram Abu, 25, displaced from Khartoum, started a small commercial activity to support herself economically after a kidney transplant.

Thanks to the project, she acquired promotional skills and obtained livestock farming tools from CMA GGM Group, which decided to support the enterprise after participating in the Bazaar. Today, Ekram is finally autonomous, free from the need to ask for financial help.

The final event celebrated not only the work accomplished but, above all, the ability of women to reinvent themselves and resist in a crisis context. The integrated approach of the “Stronger Together” project demonstrated how support for female entrepreneurship and financial training can generate concrete impacts, creating opportunities for economic and social development even in the most difficult situations. Through the stories of Jana, Nuha, and Ekram, a message of hope emerges: women are protagonists of change and, with the right support, can build new perspectives for themselves and their communities.