IOM YEMEN: THE SMELL OF SUCCESS How One Yemeni Business Brought Hope to Displaced Women

West Coast, Yemen 

Her family’s relocation from Eritrea to Yemen marked the beginning of a new chapter in Sa’diah’s life. Leaving her community behind, she embarked on a journey filled with challenges and opportunities. Displacement to a new society brought about numerous changes, requiring Sa’diah and her family to adapt.

One of the first obstacles she encountered was the language barrier, which posed challenges for the newly displaced family. Despite initial struggles and limited opportunities, her family’s unwavering support played a crucial role in helping Sa’diah’s integrate into her new community.

From a very young age, Sa’diah exhibited an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Her passion for learning new crafts and exploring innovative ideas set her apart from her peers. People around her took notice of her unique talents and encouraged her to pursue avenues that allowed her to express her creativity.

Through interactions with children in her neighbourhood, Sa’diah slowly began to forge connections. Learning Arabic at school allowed her to fully integrate into Yemeni culture. The tradition of burning incense in homes ignited her curiosity and marked the beginning of her journey into perfume and incense production.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

During initial discussions with the community in Al Danakel displacement site, Sa’diah expressed a strong interest for the training in incense production organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) through its Women’s Empowerment Project. Her selection for the training was conducted through focus group discussions and with support from community mobilizers, under the guidance of the camp coordination and camp management (CCCM) team.

In response to the women’s enthusiasm, IOM provided vocational training for over 300 women from the host community and internally displaced population. The organization also distributed practical kits to help the trainees start their own businesses and achieve self-efficiency.

As she began honing her skills in crafting perfumes and incense, Sa’diah transformed her talent into a thriving business venture. Her unique perfume and incense fragrances soon garnered recognition from her community and became inspiring to other women in her displacement site. Seeking to grow her business beyond Yemen, she expanded her sales to Djibouti and Eritrea.

“Supporting my family brings me honour and pride, especially knowing that many families struggle to meet their basic needs such as food and medicine.”

BUSINESS SUCCESS

Encouraged by the community mobilizers, the participants developed a strong commitment to the activity and their daily interactions during the training. IOM Field Assistant Hala, who regularly visits affected communities, has been impressed by the courage and professionalism displayed by the women who produce incense and perfume.

“They maintain a surprising level of sustainability in their production and provide a consistent income for their families.”

The conflict in Yemen soon presented challenges due to the scarcity of materials essential to her business. Supported by her husband, Sa’diah refused to be discouraged and found a way to bring them from Djibouti through people travelling to Yemen.

As time passed, her small business began to flourish. 

Through the training, Sa’diah was able to not only provide for her family but also serve as an inspiration to other women. While in the past men bore the heavy burden of labour to support their families, today, Sa’diah’s dedication and hard work have brought financial stability to her own family.

“The production of incense and perfume opened doors for my family after years of financial struggles.”

FOOTNOTESThe Women Empowerment Projects in Yemen are funded by UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), EU Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) and USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) in the framework of IOM’s camp coordination and camp management activities (CCCM) in Yemen.