Almost a queen
- "I'm a queen now," says Clara. She stands with her back straight and cranes her neck proudly. It wasn't always like this.
As a young refugee from South Sudan to Uganda, she knows too much about poverty and war. Now she has received vocational training under the auspices of Caritas Norway and displays her own soaps in the shop.
Clara and her friend Topista live in the Bidibidi refugee settlement in Yumbe, in the far north of Uganda on the border with South Sudan. They fled civil war in their home country several years ago and have had little schooling. Both are single parents of young children.
Making their first money
Through Caritas Norway, they have received simple vocational training - and they have seized the opportunity with both hands. They have learned to make both soap and skin creams. They have also learned simple bookkeeping and marketing. This will enable them to earn more by selling their own products.
Clara and the other women are eager to sell the products in their shop. For the first time, they are earning their own money, which they invest in their business and in their children's education. The children don't have to go to bed hungry.
- They are healthier now. And they have the energy to do their homework," says Clara.
Clara, a refugee from South Sudan who earns money from soap production
The young women are tired of war and poverty. But now they are looking forward. Clara even traveled to the capital Kampala. There, she treated herself to a single item: A large, wide-brimmed hat.
- "I'm a queen now," Clara smiles, her face glowing with confidence.