When we sat down with a Congolese community living in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement to learn what we could do to help, one thing came out loud and clear – women wanted more ways to support themselves.
“Back in Congo, women had little shops, selling things like sugar, salt, vegetables, and clothes,” said Taby, a Congolese woman who sought refuge in Kyangwali almost a year ago. “What we need is something to help start those businesses again. We need a market, a place for people to gather.”
The community where Taby lives is having a tough time. Some people are even returning to Congo, where they fear for their lives. Our colleague Andrew had an idea to help…
“My mother has sold bracelets in the market for years,” he said. “I was raised up at the market. If we build a market stall for women to gather, they have a place to start a business.”
Together with Andrew and the ARC team in Kyangwali, we built a brand new market stall for women in this area to use!
“When you empower women, you solve so many issues,” said Andrew. “It’s amazing. I love this idea. I’ve seen how important this can be to women, and to their families.”
Getting the market stall up and running was just the first step. Tomorrow? We’ll take a closer look into what these ladies would like to sell.
