Changing the Narrative Through Small Businesses
Yar Mary graduated from the Leadership Academy of South Sudan (LASS) in 2019 and later attended Makerere University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in social sciences. But life wasn’t always full of hope for Mary before she joined LASS. Her family moved to Nyumanzi Refugee Camp in Uganda in 2016 after the outbreak of South Sudan’s Second War. She shares, “Growing up in a refugee camp was tough. I didn’t feel hopeful about the future. I never thought I could achieve anything. But things changed when I attended LASS.” She graduated with a desire to transformation for her community for the glory of God.
At LASS, Yar Mary learned what it meant to be a servant leader. Wasting no time, she applied her new wealth of knowledge and skills from the discipleship and entrepreneurship classes to mentor others and start a small social enterprise. She attended a social initiative pitching event sponsored by an organization called Entrepreneurial Barazi through which she won a prize of $3,000 to expand her small business.
In 2021, she used her award to launch Marie Medicinal Haven LTD, a company that makes eco-friendly and natural health and skincare products. Through Marie Medicinal, over 35 young refugees have been reached by teaching them practical skills like making soap and shampoo, as well as business tools like sales and marketing. Her goal is for each of them to have the knowledge and skillset to make a living on their own. Marie Medicinal now employs 8 staff members, who are all refugees like Mary.
Mary is proud of where they are headed: “We are now expanding our focus to provide friendly and comprehensive services on sexual reproductive health and rights with the hope of reaching schools and local communities through outreaches, partnerships, and networking.” She has submitted a proposal to UNHCR to fund a project on sex education within my camp. Her dream is that through all these efforts, her camp can be transformed.
“I want to keep growing Marie Medicinal. I hope to employ and teach even more young people from refugee camps. I also want to mentor young girls in refugee camps who, like me, may have lost hope. My goal is to give them hope for a better future.”
Through young leaders and entrepreneurs like Mary, we are shifting our perspective to see Africa as a nation that is rich in opportunity. We invite you to embark on this journey with us of going all-in on investing in Africa’s greatest resource—its people.
