Across South Sudan, many communities rely on food imports from neighboring countries like Uganda, Kenya and Sudan. COVID-19 meant imports rarely reached the country, causing severe inflation of commodities and food insecurity for a population already living in extreme poverty and struggling to provide for their families’ basic needs. Your support through Savings Groups has brought hope and refuge amidst these times of adversity.
MEET REBECCA
Rebecca is a mother of six and lives in the northwestern part of South Sudan. She is a determined woman, determined to ensure her children are clothed, fed, educated and know what security is, despite the insecurity that surrounds them. Rebecca is a member of a Savings Group supported by Five Talents. Because of her diligence in saving, she was able to borrow a significant loan from her Group, equivalent to $385. She invested this into buying vegetable seeds, farming tools and hiring people to help in her vegetable garden - a garden not just for personal consumption, but one that would generate an income and support her local community.
AN EMPOWERED ENTREPRENEUR
By selling her produce, Rebecca now earns about $35 a week. With this income, she is able to pay her workers, buy more seeds, pay off her loan, continue saving, and perhaps most importantly for her, provide nutritious food for her family and pay for school fees as well as healthcare for her children. With her next loan, Rebecca hopes to buy an ox plough to help her scale-up and increase productivity. Financial Literacy and Business Skills training have taught Rebecca to dare to dream big; her savings enable her to realize those dreams and to continue dreaming big for her family’s future.
Special thanks for Five Talents colleagues in South Sudan and in the United Kingdom who helped to prepare this story.