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Woman Shoe Manufacturer – A Success Story

By: Aisha Braima

KHARTOUM (SUDANOW)—As can be evidently seen in the Holy Koran and the tradition of Mohammad the Prophet, Islam honors and commends honest work and encourages Muslims to practice jobs for earning an honest living and for maintaining dignity instead of relying on others. And in cases of the poor who cannot work for any reason, Islam, as one of its five pillars, the Zakat (tax) to be paid by the rich as part of Muslim solidarity and fighting poverty. The Zakat Chamber also finances small projects for producing families to achieve self-sufficiency.
SUDANOW had an interview with a woman who runs a factory for manufacturing shoes. Murdiyah Mubarak Hassab al-Sid, the mother of seven children, lives in Thawrah neighborhood of Omdurman where her factory lies.
The interview ran as follows:
SUDANOW:- Why have you chosen this job which is normally carried out by men rather than women?
Murdiyah:- My husband had a cartilage and an acute pain in the back rendering him incapable of work and I had to find an honest job to support my children.
Q:-Why the shoe-manufacturing job, in particular? Have you had a previous idea about it?
A:- Yes, I have an idea of this job; my husband was working in this industry in Abu Hamah neighborhood of Khartoum and I used to assist him by painting and cutting the leather.

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Q:- How was the project funded?
A:- It was funded in different stages, in the first one I request from the Zakat Chamber a financial support for a small productive project to support my family. The Chamber responded by offering me 4thousand SDG-worth materials that included canvas and light and heavy rubber for the sole in addition to various kinds of paint. But I bought the machine and motor by myself. In the second stage, I obtained a license for a kiosk which cost 7 thousand SDG, four thousands of them was offered by the Zakat Chamber on my request and the remaining sum was offered by the Commissioner of the Locality. In the third and final stage, the Zakat Chamber again responded to a third request and paid 5 thousand SDG for building the kiosk.
Q:- What was the actual beginning of the project?
A:- It was manufacturing children's shoes with the help of my husband who was an expert in them. I learned from him how to make women's shoes, slippers of all kinds, men's shoes and diabetic shoes.
Q:- Do your sons offer any assistance? How?
A:- They paint the canvas, fix the ribbon and other minor jobs but I do the cutting and finishing.

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Q:- How about the marketing?
A:- I have customers and retail and wholesale merchants. I demand low prices for attracting the customers and for financing my trade incessantly.
Q:- Where are the products put on display? How are the profits counted?
A:- I have a home shop where the shoes are displayed. As for the profits, a dozen of slippers bring a net 40 SDG; the women's shoes bring 50 SDG and the men's 200 SDG after the cost is deducted.
Q:- Do you market the products outside of Khartoum State?
A:- I have customers in West Kordofan (An-Nuhud), Northern and Gezira states who make their purchases after the harvest season and they pay in cash, thanks to God. I also sell to the merchants in Omdurman markets where I demand 80 SDG for a dozen while its real price is 120 SDG.
Q:- What about the commodities fairs?
A:- I participated in many of those fairs which are held from time to time. I benefitted a lot as the rate of sale was high and I used to earn a 1-1.5 thousand SDG per day in those fairs.
Q:- What problems has the project faced?
A:- Thanks to God, no problems or obstacles were faced. The project was successful by 100%, because I didn't have installments to pay back and the credit goes to Almighty God.
Q:- What changes has this productive project had on you?
A:- I benefitted a great deal from the project, particularly with regards to the education of my seven children, four daughters and two sons. The eldest son graduated as an automobile mechanic from the Sudan University, two have been admitted to the university and the remaining four are in the primary schools. Our income has increased to the extent of meeting all necessities of education, health, food, residence and other living needs. The project has transformed us from a poor family to a productive, self-sufficient one. I was so realistic that I concentrated on the essentials rather than the luxuries, content with the minimum and taught my children also to be content and avoid extravagance because the extravagant are brothers of the devils as the Holy Quran says.



Q:-Finally, what do you have to say?
A:-I would like to extend many thanks and consideration to the Zakat Chamber which has supported me in establishing this project just as it backed numerous people in need as individuals by offering them such means of production as iron smith and carpentry equipment, vegetable stands, tailing machines and carts. It also supported such collective projects as poultries, dairies, oil mills, etc. I also thank the staff of the Chamber who encouraged me until the factory has reached this stage. I advise my colleagues who have obtained backing from the Chamber to strive diligently and steadily so that they can run those projects in a proper way that enables to move forward and change their families from consumers to productive families to bring up their children and assist their relatives, even with the minimum assistance.
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Sudanow is the longest serving English speaking magazine in the Sudan. It is chartarized by its high quality professional journalism, focusing on political, social, economic, cultural and sport developments in the Sudan. Sudanow provides in depth analysis of these developments by academia, highly ...

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