Giving money is the easy part. Making sure it changes lives takes time, presence and follow-up.
Many small businesses fail in their first few months, not because the owners lack effort, but because of problems that could have been solved early: buying the wrong stock, selling on credit that never gets paid back, or mixing business money with household spending during a crisis. For women who have never had capital before, these early mistakes can be costly.
That is why the EcoRise South Sudan team goes back. In this photo, our team visits one of the women’s group businesses to see how the start-up capital is being used. We check stock and records, listen to the challenges the women are facing, from rising market prices to slow sales, and offer practical advice right there on the spot.
These visits are not about policing. They are about partnership. Women know they are not alone, and that someone is walking the journey with them. Problems that could sink a young business are caught and solved early.
Monitoring is also how we stay accountable: to the women we serve, to our partners Cohere and the Quadrature Climate Foundation, and to everyone who believes in locally led change. Every pound must do its work.
Lasting change is not built in a single day of distribution. It is built visit by visit, conversation by conversation.
#EcoRiseSouthSudan #IREP #SouthSudan #Accountability #WomenEmpowerment #IDPs
With support from @Cohere and @Quadrature Climate Foundation
