Our Entrepreneurs

Resilience Amidst Challenging Times

In 2020, Abdulkadir Isaack Hessen was awarded a $320 COVID-relief grant by AEC in Kenya.  The grant not only ensured that his small grocery store could continue providing critical food security in the Kakuma refugee camp, but it also allowed him the stability to rebound and grow. 

Abdulkadir is a Sudanese refugee living in Northern Kenya. He lost his entire family to the war in Darfur.

With the pandemic, his revenues were starting to drop due to limitations of getting stock from outside the camp, and customers held back on any purchases that were not absolutely vital.  The shop that he had re-built his life around was starting to falter. 

With the grant, Abdulkadir could now afford to maintain customers as prices increased, and now regaining his foothold, he supported a fellow widow in the camp community to establish a phone charging business. In the spirit of sharing the opportunity, Abdulkadir says: “I am happy when I make a difference in my community” and knows the widow’s business that has significantly improved her life in the camp as well.

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