The story of too many refugees is one of fleeing one war-torn country to end up in another. Such is the case with Monica, who fled to Khartoum in Sudan from her home country of South Sudan, only to return to South Sudan once war broke out in Sudan. When she returned to South Sudan, she resettled in Warrap State, where she was invited in April 2024 to join a Savings Group consisting of other women returnees in her new community. 

Like others in her Savings Group, Monica had no source of income and struggled to provide food for her children. When the opportunity came along to join a Savings Group, she saw it as a chance to take charge of her own future and transform her life and those of her children by becoming an entrepreneur. With the training provided in her group, she borrowed money and invested it in farming groundnuts, both for her family’s consumption and to sell at the market. With her earnings, she was able to start sending her children to school to create pathways to economic empowerment in their future as well.

Not only has the group been beneficial for helping Monica financially and to grow as an entrepreneur, it has also been a source of psychosocial support. Monica is growing as an entrepreneur alongside other mothers who are also returnees in search of safety and community.