From displacement to self-reliance: Women in Sudan's Tawila turn handicraft skills into livelihoods

Sudan is now the world’s largest displacement crisis. Since war erupted in April 2023, more than 11 million people have been forcibly displaced, many of them multiple times, as violence has destroyed homes, disrupted livelihoods and pushed families into increasingly precarious conditions.

Tawila has become a major destination for people fleeing the conflict, particularly following the fall of El Fasher. More than 700,000 internally displaced people are currently living in Tawila, placing enormous pressure on already limited resources and services.

Among them is Hussaniya Mohamed Ali, a 36-year-old widow who fled El Fasher in July 2025 and was displaced to Tawila. She later moved to Daba Naira IDP camp but had no regular source of income and few opportunities to support herself.

But Hussaniya had a skill she could build on: she knew how to make traditional handicrafts such as hats and baskets.

Through the Multipurpose Community Centre (MPCC) operated by UNHCR’s partner HOPE, she accessed support to develop her skills and start earning an income. With support from EU Humanitarian Aid, the MPCC provides displaced and vulnerable women and girls with access to protection services, skills development and opportunities to strengthen their self-reliance.

The centre provides a safe and inclusive space where women and girls can learn, access protection services and take part in activities that support their well-being. Women involved in the activity buy raw materials, such as palm leaves and thread, from Tawila’s main market and use them to make traditional handicrafts for sale.

“Now I can make handicrafts and sell them to my neighbours and in the nearby market in the camp. I can depend on myself,” Hussaniya said.

She is not alone.

Hussaniya (centre) makes traditional handicrafts with other women at the MPCC in Daba Naira IDP camp, Tawila, North Darfur.

©UNHCR

So far, 34 women and girls have been trained and benefited from the activity at the MPCC. Some are now selling what they make, using the income to help meet their households’ needs, including buying food, as well as purchasing more materials to continue their work.

For Faiza Mohamed Ahmed Adam, a 40-year-old woman with a disability from El Fasher, the MPCC has also provided an opportunity to learn and rebuild after displacement.

“After the fall of El Fasher, I was displaced to Daba Naira IDP camp in Tawila. I arrived at the camp with nothing, as I lost everything,” she said.

Faiza began visiting the MPCC run by HOPE, where she received handicraft training.

“Now I have learned to make handicrafts; this has changed my life. I have gained new skills. I can make many things from palm leaves, and I can train other women in the centre,” she said.

The activity has particularly focused on women and girls facing heightened vulnerabilities, including widows and women with disabilities.

“When we started training some women and girls in making handicrafts, we especially focused on vulnerable groups such as widows, disabled women and girls,” said Buthaina Abdulnabi Sulieman, a Community-Based Protection Officer at HOPE’s MPCC in Daba Naira IDP camp.

“We realized the passion among women and girls for learning and getting new skills. Now, those who have received training are making and selling their handicrafts at the MPCC.”

The handicraft activity is part of wider support available through UNHCR-supported community centres in Tawila. UNHCR works with HOPE to operate two MPCCs, one in Rwanda IDP camp and another at the Daba Naira IDP site.

Traditional handicrafts made by women at the MPCC in Daba Naira IDP camp, Tawila, North Darfur.

©UNHCR

The centres provide a range of protection services and assistance, including individual and group psychosocial support, protection awareness, community meetings, recreational activities for children and capacity-building events. Protection desks at the centres provide confidential counselling, referrals and assessments for tailored cash or material assistance based on individual needs.

The centres also provide a platform for other humanitarian organizations, community groups and grassroots initiatives to offer services and support to the surrounding communities. In Rwanda IDP camp, for example, a health organization co-located at the centre provides access to primary health care services.

Beyond the MPCCs, UNHCR works with partners to expand access to shelter and non-food items and supports organizations led by forcibly displaced people in Tawila, including initiatives focused on improving access to education and livelihoods.

Yet the needs are immense, and opportunities to rebuild livelihoods remain out of reach for many displaced people.

For women who have lost homes, livelihoods and possessions to conflict, learning to make traditional handicrafts cannot replace everything they have lost. But it can provide something important: a skill to build on, an opportunity to earn and a measure of independence.

For Hussaniya and Faiza, rebuilding begins with something they can make with their own hands.