Activity Description: ITDG (Practical Action) Sudan's transport programme in Kassala and Gedarif States helped to design affordable carts for transportation. These carts are durable, made locally, and can help generate income of about 2,000 Sudanese Dinars (US$ 7.50) daily for the owner or operator. They also provide cheap transport for users and save time in tasks such as hauling water.

Over 200 carts were manufactured and distributed for the use of poor families during 2001/ 2002.

Activity Description: Practical Action Sudan (formerly ITDG) conducts a building materials and shelter project that has assisted low-income brick producers in securing employment and improving their livelihoods in the village of Shambob by supporting the formation of a building materials producers' association.

Technical training included work on producing high quality bricks, which helped set new national standards and influenced brick makers and consumers across the Kassala region. The association sold more than 1.2 million bricks during 2001/ 2002.

Activity Description: The food processing project includes helping community-based women's development associations provide technical assistance to female members including extending credit and marketing support to help in the launch of small businesses selling processed foods.

Five such associations formed with Practical Action Sudan's (formerly ITDG) support now have a combined membership of over 5,000 women. About 9,000 women from Kassala and Gedarif have undertaken training in food processing through the project as of 2002.

Activity Description: Practical Action Sudan (formerly ITDG) brings together blacksmiths, metal, and aluminum casters in a craft association. This facilitates the provision of business development services, links to local banks for gaining access to credit, and technical training to enable the blacksmiths to improve the quality and diversity of their manufactured products and increase their market share. The program also offers technical training to help casters improve the quality and range of their products and develop their tools and equipment to increase productivity.