“When I earned $26 in one day by sewing clothes, I cried. It was the first time I worked for myself and saw the fruits of my labour.”
Maryam holding one of the garments she sewed.
Maryam Mohamed Moalim Kerrow, a 22-year-old mother of four, lives in the Janay 3 IDP camp near Baidoa, Somalia. Originally from the rural village of Balbala, Maryam lived a peaceful life with her husband and children, surviving through farming and livestock. They ate three meals a day and sold surplus produce to cover school fees and family needs. But this life was destroyed by a devastating drought. Crops failed, livestock perished, and hunger took hold. “Food became scarce, and we started eating just once or twice a day or nothing at all,” Maryam recalled.
When flash floods wiped out the last of their animals, and with no access to medical care, Maryam faced a heartbreaking choice. One of her children became seriously ill, but she couldn’t even afford the $20 needed for hospital transport. Desperate to save her family, she made the painful decision to leave everything behind. “I was forced to make the hardest decision of my life to leave everything and walk with my children so they could have a future.”
Maryam walked with her children including a one-month-old baby on an empty stomach and no water. She breastfed without having eaten it herself. “I gave my baby an empty breast because even water was finished.” A kind stranger with a donkey cart helped her reach a nearby village, where locals offered food and transport to Baidoa.
At Janay 3 camp, Maryam was welcomed with support. Soon after, she was selected for a tailoring course under the Danwadaag Project, implemented by GREDO. It was a turning point. “Tailoring was always my passion. Now it is my profession. I sew for my people and serve my community.” Despite giving birth just four days earlier, she attended every day of the four-month course. She learned sewing techniques, pattern design, and how to run a business.
Maryam sewing clothes in her tailoring class.
After graduating, she received a sewing kit and started her own workshop. Just before Eid, she launched her business and earned $26 in a single day. “I cried. It was the first time I worked for myself and saw the fruits of my labour.” With her income, she now provides three meals a day, pays school fees, and dresses her children with dignity.
Maryam proudly counting the money she earned from her tailoring work.
Maryam also gives back. She trains two women in the camp and has taught her husband to sew. “I was taught for free, so why should I charge others? I teach my community to give them the same hope I was given.”
Maryam’s story is one of resilience, determination, and generosity. “My life before and after the training is like night and day. Now I feel alive and full of hope.”
Project Information
The Danwadaag HARBS Project, implemented by GREDO, addresses youth unemployment and livelihood challenges in Baidoa, particularly among IDPs. The project offers free vocational training in market-driven skills like tailoring, aluminium work, beauty salon services, driving, and computer literacy. Training includes entrepreneurship, life skills, and literacy support. Graduates receive start-up kits to launch their businesses, build self-reliance, and reduce dependence on aid. Maryam’s story is one of many lives transformed through this initiative.