Ukubu's journey of empowerment - riding through the pandemic

Ukubu Tekele lives with her daughter Frewaini and her two children, Daniel (16) and Yonas (13). This extended family is one of the beneficiaries of the income-generating activities from sub-zoba Assab, the most remote and marginalized zoba in the country. In 2021, this women-headed household received cash transfers in the form of income-generating activities to run a small retail shop. The family had no means of income before receiving the cash transfer that aimed at starting a small family business.

Hence, Freweini has been engaging in some informal income-generating activities, including Daniel and Yonas who worked as street vendors, which in return prohibited them from attending school. During the COVID-19 outbreak, all informal sector activities closed and the family became exposed to extreme economic vulnerability.

However, with the support of community-based social workers, Ukubu’s family was designated for social cash transfer support to start a retail shop, thus her daughter stepped in to support. This one-time grant comprised NKF 10,000 (about USD 666) to initiate the income-generating activity (shop).

Ukubu says, “Together with my family, we received this support during the pandemic. It crucially supported us to ensure our livelihood and enabled my grandchildren to continue their education. They were about to drop out of school due to the challenges. Today, my grandchildren are attending school regularly”. Furthermore, Ukubu adds that she is profiting from the business while her family has access to health services, including improved food consumption in terms of availability and nutrition.

Ukubu thanks the donors for this support who played a crucial role in ensuring her family's survival during the pandemic. Through generous Italian funding, 499 families have been supported with various income-generating activities that are improving the resilience of such vulnerable families.