Garowe, Puntland – On June 13 and June 14, 2012 Somali Family Services (SFS) provided its first 28 micro grants to local fish vendors and other entrepreneurs to support their businesses. The grants were part of a program to provide 155 small business owners with micro-grants throughout Nugaal, Puntland. The first 28 grants were dispersed in coordination with a workshop series on business literacy. SFS aimed most of the grants towards fish vendors from the local market in Garowe, but plans to make grants available to a variety of small business owners in the future. The micro-grants are part of an unprecedented project for SFS with the support of DFID and UNDP – PREP.

For many participants, the grants will help purchase refrigerators to store fish, which are currently pestered by flies and exposed to Somalia sun for sometimes days before it comes to the local consumers. Refrigerators will reduce the likelihood of distributing diseases through food and provide a competitive advantage to the fish vendor. Other grants will assist small businesses in securing supplies and building infrastructure.

From June 13 to 14^th, Somali Family Service’s Puntland Library and Resource Center in Garowe turned into a vivid classroom in which 27 female and one male participant engaged with the facilitators to train grant recipients in basic financial literacy and business strategy.

For instance, the training helped women develop formal accounting techniques and identify opportunities for business growth. At the end of the two days the participants received their micro-grant.

During the workshop, Somali Family Services facilitators taught business administration skills and helped participants develop their own business strategies. The workshop also focused empowering women to compete effectively in Garowe’s economy, and incorporated units on peace-building and civic education. For example, women broke into groups to develop sample business plans collaborative, emphasizing the need for cooperation and dialogue. SFS also taught participants about coping with a competitive environment, customer relations, quality control and underlining the virtue of reasonable patience when investing in new technology.

Somali Family Services is a non-governmental organization dedicated to fostering a peaceful and democratic Somalia through support of civil society, women, youth, and other marginalized groups.

Learn more about our programs on empowering marginalized groups.

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