Food processing serves up success

Lulla Mohammed saw her life improve after participating in one of Practical Action Sudan's food processing courses in Kassala.

A widow in her mid-forties with a ten-year-old daughter, Lulla realised that the income from her job as an office cleaner was hardly sufficient to support her family.

But after undergoing Practical Action training, she started practising food processing and trying to sell her products to bring in additional money with encouraging initial results.

Lulla joined the Kassala Women's Development Centre (KWDC), participated in sales exhibitions and shared her experience with fellow members. She also managed to purchase a pasta machine that she uses at home.

Now considered something of a pasta specialist, she is still producing a variety of other processed food items, including dehydrated onions and garlic, artificially-flavoured juices, tomato paste and jams.

Gaining a good reputation as a quality producer, she has become adept at meeting special requests from customers for different products or for special occasions, and actively sells her products at exhibitions within and outside Kassala.

The gaining of food processing skills has given Lulla confidence in the future and an increased sense of security. She is managing to make monthly savings, pay her daughter's regular school fees, has acquired a donkey-drawn cart for transporting her products, and is securing enough food, mainly dehydrated products, to feed her family during off-season periods.

More on Practical Action Sudan's Food Processing Programme

Video: Women's Development Associations A project which began with simple food processing techniques is unlocking women's potential and transforming their economic and social status. 2 min 32 sec modem 640k | broadband 1.9Mb