From Survival to Stability: How Micro-Enterprises are Transforming Displaced Women’s Lives

Posted on January 31st, 2024

In communities fractured by displacement, survival is often the only priority. For women uprooted by conflict, instability, or climate shocks, the struggle to provide food, shelter, and safety for their families frequently overshadows every other concern. Yet, within these same circumstances, remarkable stories of resilience, innovation, and transformation emerge—stories that prove how micro-enterprises can shift the trajectory from mere survival to lasting stability and dignity.

Displacement and the Informal Economy

Across Cameroon—and much of Africa—displacement is not just a loss of home; it is also a loss of access to opportunity. Many displaced persons are shut out of the formal job market because they lack identification documents, professional networks, or the capital needed to secure employment. In this vacuum, they turn to the informal economy, a dynamic yet precarious space where survival often hinges on creativity and grit.

Women become vendors of fresh produce in crowded open-air markets, seamstresses sewing clothes with borrowed machines, or food vendors selling traditional dishes by the roadside. Some make handicrafts, others provide childcare or domestic services. While these activities bring immediate relief, they are usually unstructured and unsupported. Without training, capital, or market linkages, these micro-initiatives remain fragile—leaving women vulnerable to exploitation, low returns, and burnout.

The WIHD Approach: Turning Informality into Empowerment

This is where Women in Humanitarian Dynamics (WIHD) steps in. WIHD recognizes that the informal economy, when nurtured, can serve not just as a coping mechanism but as a foundation for resilience and prosperity. Through its Micro-Enterprise Empowerment Program, WIHD equips displaced women with the tools, knowledge, and capital they need to transform small survival activities into sustainable, income-generating businesses.

The program is built on three pillars:

1. Skills Training – Practical, market-oriented training in areas like food processing, tailoring, craft-making, and petty trade management. Training is tailored to local market demand, ensuring women learn skills that generate immediate income.
2. Seed Capital & Equipment – Small grants or in-kind support (such as sewing machines, grinders, food dryers, or starter stock) enable women to launch or expand their enterprises without falling into debt.
3. Mentorship & Financial Literacy – Ongoing coaching helps women manage cash flow, save and reinvest profits, and adapt to market shifts. Financial literacy training demystifies budgeting, pricing, and record-keeping—skills crucial for growth.

Mariam’s Story: From Displacement to Entrepreneurship

Consider the journey of Mariam, a mother from Cameroon’s Northwest region. After conflict forced her family from their home, she relocated to Souza, a small town about 30–40 km from Douala, Cameroon’s bustling economic hub. Despite Douala’s proximity, opportunities for displaced women in Souza were nearly nonexistent.

Through WIHD’s program, Mariam was trained in food processing and received a small grant to purchase drying equipment. With this support, she began producing dried fruit snacks, a healthy and marketable product that filled a gap in local demand. What started as a survival activity quickly blossomed into a thriving micro-enterprise.

Today, Mariam not only supports her children’s education and household expenses but has also created jobs for two other displaced women. Her business illustrates how targeted investment can multiply impact within communities, spreading empowerment from one woman to many.

Beyond Income: Rebuilding Confidence and Community

The benefits of micro-enterprises extend far beyond economics. For displaced women, owning a business is an act of reclaiming agency and dignity. It allows them to redefine themselves not as victims of displacement but as entrepreneurs, providers, and community leaders.

Women in WIHD’s programs frequently report increased confidence, stronger social networks, and a renewed sense of belonging. By coming together in business groups or cooperatives, they share strategies, pool resources, and advocate collectively—pushing back against the social exclusion and marginalization they often face in host communities.

Crucially, women-led businesses often channel earnings into family well-being: paying school fees, improving nutrition, accessing healthcare, and upgrading shelter. The ripple effects strengthen the social fabric of entire communities.

Bridging Training and Sustainability

Unlike one-off aid initiatives, WIHD’s model emphasizes long-term sustainability. Women receive continued mentorship and are linked with local business networks, microfinance institutions, and cooperatives. They learn how to diversify products, respond to customer preferences, and navigate supply chains.

For example, groups of women trained in tailoring have formed cooperatives that secure bulk fabric purchases at lower prices, increasing profitability. Others in food processing have created distribution networks to sell products beyond their immediate towns, reaching new markets.

The Ripple Effect: Pathways to Transformation

When displaced women move from survival to stability, the change reverberates across generations and geographies. Children stay in school, families invest in healthcare, and entire communities begin to transition from dependence on aid to self-reliance. Moreover, empowered women become role models of resilience, inspiring others to pursue entrepreneurship and leadership.

Micro-enterprises, when nurtured, thus become catalysts of systemic change:

• Reducing dependency on humanitarian aid.
• Strengthening community cohesion between displaced persons and host populations.
• Promoting inclusive, local economic development.

Why This Work Matters

The transformation of displaced women through micro-enterprise is not simply an economic achievement—it is a matter of justice and dignity. It challenges the dominant narrative that displaced persons are passive aid recipients. Instead, it highlights their capacity to innovate, lead, and contribute meaningfully when given equitable access to opportunity.

At WIHD, we view engagement with the informal economy not as a fallback strategy, but as a pathway to empowerment and social justice. Supporting women to establish and grow micro-enterprises is an investment in the long-term stability of families, communities, and entire societies.

A Call to Action

The impact of these programs depends on collective commitment. To truly transform displacement into opportunity, we invite:

• Policymakers to create enabling environments—through simplified business registration, reduced barriers to accessing markets, and inclusive economic policies.
• Donors and development agencies to invest in scalable microenterprise programs that prioritize sustainability, not short-term relief.
• Private sector partners to provide market access, mentorship, and supply chain linkages for women entrepreneurs.
• Community leaders to champion the inclusion of displaced women and support their integration into local economies.