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South Sudan refugees in Congo make market vibrant success

Resourceful and enterprising refugees from South Sudan have set up a successful market in a remote corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

From food to furniture, clothing to haircuts, the bustling market in the settlement of Meri in the rural northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a colourful example of refugees’ resourcefulness and how they can contribute to the local economy.

Just over a year after the first refugees arrived from South Sudan in this poor and remote area, stalls offering a vast range of products and services attract traders and customers among refugees and Congolese residents alike.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, supports economic activity by more than 30,000 South Sudanese refugees in Meri to help them become self-reliant.

Cash grants by the World Food Programme, distributed with the support of UNHCR, help money to circulate, and the allocation of agricultural land by the local authorities and the provision of tools and seeds by UNHCR and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization contribute to the entrepreneurial activities of the settlement.