Hello, hello! Today, we’re introducing you to someone truly special. Meet Abdalla—a Yemeni entrepreneur living and working in Hargeisa, Somalia.
In May of 2015, Abdalla came to Somalia with his two brothers, Abdirahman and Zakaria. The family was fleeing instability in Yemen. Back home, Abdalla was a perfume and incense salesman, but when he left, he brought nothing more than himself and his two brothers.
To get by, the brothers started a business selling Yemeni curries. But as time went on, Abdalla wanted to return to his roots, selling perfumes and incense. He restarted his business and was selling perfumes and scented oils. We loved the way Abdalla, Abdirahman and Zakaria all supported each other and their businesses, so we wanted to see what we could do to support the whole family.
One of the things that Abdalla explained—while his brothers nodded along—was that buying oils is the most cost-prohibitive part of their work. If you want to make a profit off oils, you have to buy in bulk, which has a high up-front cost. This can be tricky, but we can help!
Abdalla knew exactly what he needed to turn a profit here in Hargeisa, so we all hopped in the car and headed to a nearby shop. He quickly picked out just what he wanted! And in no time at all, we were off on our next adventure, leaving Abdalla and his family set up for success in the new year!
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Meet Sam!
Sam developed an interest in forced displacement, food insecurity, and identity while working on her master’s degree. She’s now using this knowledge to support Changemakers 365 across our country programs. When she’s not off on a work trip, she’s busy fermenting beverages, training for half marathons, or listening to podcasts at her home in Minneapolis.
