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World Women's day March 8th 2010
On World Women’s Day we are reminded of the struggle that many Sudanese women face in providing for their families, coping without male support after decades of conflict, and learning to assert their equality and rights to opportunities in Sudanese society. Below is the story of a lady called Halima who has greatly benefited from a FAR micro-credit loan. Her story represents the change both in attitudes and possibilities that FAR seeks to change.
Halima lives in Leya IDP camp near Kosti in with her husband and her 6 children. Until recently Halima hardly ever left the house and did not work, and the family relied on the little money her husband earned as a seasonal worker on a local farm. Halima’s husband believed his wife should devote all her time to caring for the family and running the household, a view reinforced by the common concern that if women have the freedom to leave the house and to work, they may be tempted by other men. Conversely, Halima was worried that because she rarely left the home and did not have the necessary contacts, she would not be able to find husbands for her daughters, one of whom is already 22.
When Halima heard from her neighbours about the FAR loans for small businesses, she discussed with her husband the possibility of applying for a loan . He refused. But their discussion did help her to realize what his fears about her working were; primarily that he was wary of her meeting with foreign men. Halima persevered and researched the project run by FAR, and to her surprise discovered that the teams running the projects were all women! After speaking with her husband again, they both agreed she should apply for a loan. Halima’s application was successful, and she now breeds sheep and sells them on. She has received extensive training from FAR not only in livestock management but also in basic business administration and accounting.
Halima has also attended gender courses organized by FAR and she convinced her husband to attend as well. The course was a turning point for her husband and he admitted to Halima that he began to see things in a different light. Halima now sells clothes from house to house and regularly goes to the market. She and her husband have joined forces to start a business which has been so successful that she has already paid the loan back to FAR. The family have even been able to build a one-room extension to their house and are planning to invest in land later this year.
FAR works to include women as beneficiaries and participants in all of its projects as part of our strategy to be inclusive and to empower, encourage and support the most marginalised.
FAR’s mission is to facilitate the holistic transformation of vulnerable communities in Sudan and to enable them to address and overcome the root causes of poverty. READ MORE...
Download FAR's 2008 Annual Report below:
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Voices from FAR
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| Environmental Concerns in the Nuba Mountains
Desertification is a big problem in central Sudan. In the Nuba Mountains, water is disappearing from boreholes and hand dug wells; young trees have trouble growing because goats eat them and mature trees continue to be cut for fire wood and fences. FAR is working to prevent desertification through tree planting and gabion check dam projects. READ MORE.
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