Disability

Due to a physical disability that prevents them from achieving their ambitions, improving their circumstances and actively participating in society, many people fail in life. Those who do not succumb to this disability, on the other hand, make it a challenge to prove stronger in the face of their exceptional circumstances.

Both Mona Saif Saeed Salem, 35, and her husband are blind. They endure comparable circumstances, fears, and suffering with their daughter, Mayar, in a renting house in Al Mansoura district, Aden.

They were receiving assistance from a charity that helps PWDs. With the humanitarian crisis in Yemen since 2015, assistance has stopped, leaving Mona and her family face difficult financial circumstances.

Attempt

Mona started looking for work, but she was unsuccessful. She brainstormed her ideas. She checked what skill she could use to assist her save family expenses. When she found the idea, she could not find fund. She borrowed from her friends and established a small home factory to make incense and sell it to stores. However, due to her lack of knowledge, and inability to buy the necessary tools and raw materials, she was unable to do so, leaving her to suffer in light of disability and the economic and humanitarian crisis in Yemen due to the war.

The Beginning

Mona learned about "Women's Economic Empowerment Project", which Tamdeen Youth Foundation TYF announced that it will implement in Aden and Sana'a, with funding from the German Agency for International Cooperation (giz), to train and empower women in the fields of "incense and perfume industry, handicrafts, hairdressing, sewing, photography, and graphic design."

Mona applied in the incense and perfume industry. The list of finalists to benefit from the project was announced in early 2022, and Mona was one of them.

Life and Vocational Skills

She recalls that moment, saying: "Honestly, I did not believe that the project will be able to help me because I am blind, but I decided to try amid the motivation of my colleagues and the support of the project team. I received training programs in life and vocational skills, entrepreneurship and financial education. I learned how to prepare a feasibility study to establish a private project, as well as how to prepare business plans and manage SMEs.

Establish Her Own Business

After completing the training programs and developing her vocational skills in incense and perfume industry, Mona received the tools and productive assets to start establishing her own business.

She established her project in incense and perfume industry. It was developed dramatically and rapidly to carry her own brand, “Um Mayar Scents”. Mona is now a successful and productive businesswoman who can support herself and her family. She has full knowledge in estimating operating expenses and profits, as well as determining appropriate prices for her products.

Inspiring Success Story

"Mona" is a vivid example of "Women's Economic Empowerment Project in Aden" success stories. She exemplifies how women who face difficulties and disabilities can provide sustainable sources of income and prosper in entrepreneurship.

This project assists in providing the necessary support and vocational training to women who face socio-economic challenges, enabling them to fulfill their aspirations, improve their skills and start their own businesses. This has a positive impact on their lives, the lives of their families, and their communities as a whole.

The German Agency for International Cooperation giz and Tamdeen Youth Foundation TYF cooperate to prepare Yemeni women to join the labor force, and start their own businesses that contribute to achieving stability, early recovery, and sustainable development.