Today we’re meeting with another Yemeni entrepreneur, Fartun! We’ll be spending the next few days with her and learning more about her business. Fartun has an amazing, winding story. Growing up in Yemen, she eventually moved to Mogadishu for work, but fled to Aden, Yemen when the Somali Civil War broke out in the 1990s. When war later broke out in Yemen, she found herself starting a new life—yet again—in Hargeisa. Here in Hargeisa, she’s had a chance to put down some roots. Fartun told us, “This is the best time of my life. I finally have a sense of being, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been now that I’m away from the gunfire and war. I have finally been able to settle, open my shop, and I’m so proud of it.” Fartun came to Hargeisa in 2015 and opened her shop a couple of years later. She sells perfume, beauty products, and a select few clothes. But Fartun has always wished to sell more in her shop, so today, we took her out to get some of those items. She picked out … [Read more...] about A Shop Refresh
Archives for January 2020
What’s in Store?
It’s our third and final day with Bidraya, a Yemeni entrepreneur living in Hargeisa, Somalia. Although we’re sad to part ways with her, we’re excited about this last project together. Bidraya is a talented cook and baker and sells sweets to various shops around town, plus directly to schoolchildren during their breaks. As she’s gotten older, Bidraya has been feeling the physical effects of carrying her sweets all over from shops and schools. With time, she’s wished more and more to find a shop of her own. For a while now, Bidraya’s been eyeing an empty storefront next to her apartment and previously spoke with the owner about the cost of the place. But when we came back to speak with him about renting, he tripled the price, making the space far out of budget. But that wasn’t the only storefront in town! Not too far from her apartment, there was a perfect, affordable space where Bidraya could envision building a business. We were able to secure a deposit and the first five … [Read more...] about What’s in Store?
Taking Stock
It’s our second day with Bidraya—a Yemeni sweets maker in Hargeisa—and we’re helping make her business aspirations come to life. Bidraya is already running a small sweets production out of her apartment, but the demand for her goods is higher than what she’s able to supply with her limited supplies and space. People simply can't get enough of those sweets! Yesterday, we made sure she had the right kind of stove to expand her business. And today, we’re making sure she’s got all the right tools and supplies by taking Bidraya to the market. At the market, Bidraya was able to find all the things she needed to stay busy and productive in the coming months. We picked up staples like flour, oil, and sugar, which are always needed in the kitchen! Then, we stocked up on supplies like larger pots and pans, cutting boards, new knives, and heftier bowls. Each new piece is made to last and will keep her going for some time. It’s a small effort for our team, but it’ll make a huge … [Read more...] about Taking Stock
Now You’re Cooking with Gas
Welcome back to another day in Somalia! We’ll spend these next three days with a charming Yemeni woman, Bidraya. Bidraya is one of those neighborhood aunties who looks after everyone around her. Originally from Hudaydah, Yemen, she fled the civil war for Somalia four years ago. She’s alone in Somalia, with family members scattered across Djibouti and Yemen. But she shares an apartment with another Yemeni family and has a small community around her. Bidraya is a talented cook and makes her own sweets, like the Yemenite Fried Dough called Zalabia. The dough rises in the hallway of her apartment building, and she then fries it in the small kitchen corner of their one-bedroom apartment. Despite all her talents and ambition, Bidraya doesn’t have all the equipment she needs. One such item is a stove and oven—she has a single burner that sits on her floor for a pot to rest on, but it limits what she can produce. We wanted to help Bidraya do what she already does best, so we took … [Read more...] about Now You’re Cooking with Gas
Oil in a Day’s Work
Hello, hello! Today, we’re introducing you to someone truly special. Meet Abdalla—a Yemeni entrepreneur living and working in Hargeisa, Somalia. In May of 2015, Abdalla came to Somalia with his two brothers, Abdirahman and Zakaria. The family was fleeing instability in Yemen. Back home, Abdalla was a perfume and incense salesman, but when he left, he brought nothing more than himself and his two brothers. To get by, the brothers started a business selling Yemeni curries. But as time went on, Abdalla wanted to return to his roots, selling perfumes and incense. He restarted his business and was selling perfumes and scented oils. We loved the way Abdalla, Abdirahman and Zakaria all supported each other and their businesses, so we wanted to see what we could do to support the whole family. One of the things that Abdalla explained—while his brothers nodded along—was that buying oils is the most cost-prohibitive part of their work. If you want to make a profit off oils, you have … [Read more...] about Oil in a Day’s Work
Let’s Cool Things Down
Today is our third and final day with Ikran and Shrukia, the mother-daughter duo who are running their own beauty salon out of their small house in central Hargeisa. We spent the last two days supplementing their makeup supplies and hair equipment, but today, we’re taking a slightly different approach. Since our first discussion, Ikran and Shukria had been asking about the potential to purchase a refrigerator. While we might take for granted how ubiquitous they are, not everyone in Hargeisa has one. Ikran and Shukria thought that a new fridge would help them stand out from their competitors. They would be able to store specialty makeup and other beauty supplies that require refrigeration, as well as offer their customers cold drinks and other snacks to consume while they received other services. So to wrap things up with this dynamic duo, we took them out shopping for a refrigerator that would be able to meet their needs. The two were all smiles when we finally left … [Read more...] about Let’s Cool Things Down
Do Your Hair Toss
Welcome back to Somalia! We’re spending another day with Ikran and her mother, Shukria, working to give their salon the small boost that they were looking for. They offer both hair and makeup services, so yesterday, we spent the day buying makeup supplies that would help boost their offerings and attract new potential customers. Today, we’re focusing more on the hair side. Ikran dreams of eventually owning her own salon outside of their house. She wants it to be a one-stop shop for all beauty needs. Until she gets her own place, she’s using the house to practice her skills and get to know customers who could refer others later. But Ikran is lacking some of the equipment she needs to offer the services she wants to provide. So today, we’re heading out to another store to pick up some hair appliances. They already had hair straighteners and curlers, but they really needed a new blow dryer and a hair steamer. Ikran and Shukria picked out the perfect tools, and they also … [Read more...] about Do Your Hair Toss
All Made Up
Hello, hello! The Changemakers 365 team is still in Hargeisa, Somalia, but we’ve left the orphanage. We’ll spend the next few days working with Yemeni and Syrian refugee entrepreneurs. We’re starting this next set of projects with Ikran and her mother Shukria. Ikran is a student at the local university, studying business management. But though she’s still learning, she’s already trying her hand at running a business! As a mother-daughter duo, Ikran and Shukria run a beauty salon out of their house. They primarily offer hair and makeup services for clients attending weddings, graduations, and other big parties. But they’re limited in what they’re able to offer because they don’t have all the necessary supplies. As Shukria told us, “we don’t make a lot of money from our hair and makeup work because we can’t offer a lot of the services that our clients request.” To help remedy this, we took Ikran and Shukria out shopping for additional makeup that they could use to attract … [Read more...] about All Made Up
Reading and Writing
Welcome back to another day in Hargeisa! It’s our second-to-last day working at the orphanage that homes and schools over 400 children. Today, we’re focusing on some of their scholastic needs! The orphanage’s on-site school had plenty of books for the students to use and learn from, but they were missing exercise books, pencils, and erasers. Without these, the students could read along just fine. But they couldn’t write in the books to hone their writing skills like their teachers had hoped. So, we decided to pick up a few boxes of exercise books, pencils, and erasers for the teachers to distribute and use in their classrooms! Our Hargeisa staff was careful to pick out the most exciting exercise books, with covers of nature and wildlife, to make their writing classes even more fun. The kids will be writing with ease in no time, and we can’t wait to read all they have to say! If you’d like to support doing the doable and making change each and every day, make a donation … [Read more...] about Reading and Writing
Cozying Up
Hello hello! It’s our third day working with the orphanage near our office in Hargeisa, Somalia. Today, we’re focusing on warming these kids up—in style! When we think of Somalia, we tend not to picture cold weather. It’s hard to imagine pulling cozy sweatshirts over our heads to warm up. But even though it tends to be hot in Somalia, in the cooler rainy seasons, the evenings can be brisk! So, even in Hargeisa, a soft and warm sweatshirt can sometimes be the perfect accessory. The kids living at the orphanage all have a nice set of clothes to choose from each day. But it’s just the basics, and they don’t necessarily have the most exciting wardrobes, either. A couple of our staff thought it would be nice to supplement the things they already had, to jazz up their options and help keep them warm! So today, we got them some cozy sweatshirts they’d be able to wear on those brisk evenings in Hargeisa, or to cuddle up in when feeling sick. We had a handful of kids try on the … [Read more...] about Cozying Up