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 lotions and creams that she hasn’t been able to afford to stock up on, as well as incense—a popular item in Hargeisa. We took Fartun and her items home and she was beaming all the way, feeling refreshed and ready to up her store’s game in the new year!
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Meet Sam!
Sam developed an interest in forced displacement, food insecurity, and identity while working on her master’s degree. She’s now using this knowledge to support Changemakers 365 across our country programs. When she’s not off on a work trip, she’s busy fermenting beverages, training for half marathons, or listening to podcasts at her home in Minneapolis.
