Stories
September 18, 2023 • 2 min read
Haroon Hassan is a 70-year-old retired policeman living in Dababin North, a neighbourhood of Kutum in North Darfur, Sudan. Ten years ago, he was involved in a traffic accident that left him with a permanent physical disability. Now, he heads a household of nine - including seven children between the ages of 3 and 18 years old.
Struggling to make ends meet
Haroon relied on his monthly pension of 10,000 Sudanese pounds (approximately €15), and his tuk-tuk, to support his family. Maintaining his tuk-tuk, however, proved to be a challenge for Haroon due to his insufficient income. Most of the money Haroon brought in from his business went towards medical bills, food, and school fees. But even then, Haroon did not earn enough money to send all of his children to school regularly. “We often borrowed [money] to provide food for our children, and we rarely changed meals,” Haroon explained. The lack of variation in the children’s diets has previously led to three of them being diagnosed with malnutrition and being admitted to a GOAL therapeutic feeding programme in the area.
Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance
Haroon was targeted by a GOAL community-based selection committee, as he was the head of one of the neediest families in the community. He received three rounds of Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA), funded by the EU. In total, Haroon received 195,000 Sudanese pounds (approximately €300). With the money, Haroon repaired his tuk-tuk, and he’s now able to transport more passengers than before. The repaired tuk-tuk now brings in an average of 2,500 Sudanese pounds (approximately €4) daily, and 75,000 Sudanese pounds (approximately €115) monthly.
This additional income for a family that previously depended on 10,000 Sudanese pounds per month has allowed Haroon to send his children back to school and purchase enough food to sustain his entire household. “I was in dire need to get the children into school, provide for their daily living, and maintain the tuk-tuk so that I could afford some of the basic needs of the family. Now, my eldest daughter is sitting her middle school exams, and will then be enrolled in secondary school,” he said, smiling. “We’re now able to change our meals at least once a week.”
