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After her husband left her, 49-year-old Fatima became the main breadwinner for her four daughters. Motivated by the desire to secure a better future for them, she migrated to Egypt in 2017, taking the two youngest children with her.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI took one step at a time, but I always had the mindset of trying to succeed for my daughters,\u201d she says. \u201cLeaving my eldest daughters behind was one of the most difficult decisions I had to make.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Once in Egypt, Fatima barely managed to survive on short-term jobs as most employers would not hire her because of her age. \u201cThey told me I was too old and unfit, and when my daughter, who was 17 at the time, applied for jobs, they told her she was too young,\u201d says Fatima.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Before the onset of COVID-19, migrants in Egypt and elsewhere were already vulnerable. This worsened after the pandemic, and Fatima and her daughters struggled to make ends meet. \u201cWe suffered even more and there was no one to help us,\u201d Fatima recalls.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n UN News\/Abdelmonem Makki<\/span><\/p>\n Khartoum, Sudan.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n Through the Sudanese community in Egypt, Fatima learned about the UN migration agency\u2019s (IOM) Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme, and realized that a return to Sudan was a viable option.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In June 2021, IOM arranged for Fatima and other Sudanese nationals stranded in Egypt to return. After arriving in Sudan, Fatima was among those who received reintegration assistance in cash, which allowed her to cover her needs across the economic and social dimensions of reintegration.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Sudan continues to face several overlapping challenges, including internal population displacement triggered by conflict, climate and socio-cultural conditions, leading to elevated levels of food insecurity. The socio-economic impact of COVID-19 worsened the already rising prices of basic food, medicine and other commodities, rising unemployment and falling exports.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Nevertheless, with the assistance she received from, Fatima was able to set up a micro-business. IOM also helped her to register for national health insurance, which covered her and her two daughters, both of whom received support to pursue their education through the programme.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\nUN-provided reintegration assistance<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
A successful entrepreneur<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n