A group of Sudanese women with low income began contributing to the country’s production and employment after the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) provided material support to start a business.

TIKA’s support covers 50 women in Mayo, one of the poorest neighborhoods of Jabal Awliya district in the capital Khartoum. They started making products related to cooking, baking, sewing, leather processing and spice making after receiving training from the agency.

With the project, female entrepreneurs support family budgets and create further employment by training their relatives and providing them with jobs.

Nidal Barud, one of the women who received bakery support from TIKA, said that she was unemployed despite being a university graduate but now has her own job and wants to expand her business by opening a new shop.

"Earning a livelihood is difficult in this region. My father is retired, and we are tenants. I became the owner of my own business thanks to TIKA. I sell various homemade products, including cakes, pastries and biscuits, to grocery stores and markets by receiving orders from social media," she said.

Meryem Ibrahim Adem, who sews clothes for special occasions such as graduation ceremonies and celebrations, said that women living in the region look for material and financial support to work. "Everyone is in need here. They are in need of service, they need rehabilitation. The people in the region, especially women, are waiting for vocational courses and material support to start a business," she said.