A turnaround

A widow with a huge family of 16, Shukri Said* has struggled to make ends meet. She has survived by hunting, selling charcoal, and at times even begging in the streets. Shukri lives in Bula-Hubay District in Mogadishu. Now, she beams with joy knowing she can afford all the basic needs for her family − her own children and others she fosters. She has been hired by a UNDP project as a cleaner and this has turned around her life.  “My children were almost dying from hunger. Nowadays I buy food that is able to last a month. My children eat two meals a day and I can also afford clothes,” says Shukri. Income earned from the project has helped Nimco take her children to school. For this sprawling family, the future looks bright. “I remember the time I did not have regular income and could not afford school fees. Currently, I have taken all of them to school, including the four-and-a-half-year-old, Abdinasir,” explains Shukri. The project is implemented by UNDP’s Employment Generation for Early Recovery project through a local partner, VARDO. *name has been changed