Two people from one family. Six months. A craft turned into a business that pays.
Usrati works with fifteen Omani productive families, each represented by a woman and a young person from the same household. Over six months it builds technical craft skills, then business and digital skills, and ends with a public exhibition where the families sell what they have made.
What you get
Advanced craft training
Technical training in the chosen craft or sector, aimed at raising quality to a standard that competes in local and international markets.
A registered business
Entrepreneurship awareness, forming the working team inside the family, and registering the project formally with support on licensing.
Business and financial planning
Developing the idea into a prototype, then building a business model, a financial plan and a marketing plan the family can actually run.
Identity, packaging and a market
Visual identity and packaging training, digital marketing accounts set up for every family, and a place at the closing exhibition.
What the programme sets out to do
Usrati is built around five objectives, aligned with Oman Vision 2040 targets for family and community empowerment.
How the six months run
Nomination
The Ministry of Social Development nominates 30 eligible families against social and economic criteria.
Selection
A joint committee from Sharakah and MB Foundation interviews the families and selects 15, with 5 held in reserve.
Phase 1: women
Three months of advanced craft training, entrepreneurship awareness, team formation inside the family, and project registration.
Phase 2: youth
Three months developing prototypes, business models, financial and marketing plans, visual identity and packaging.
Exhibition
A closing public exhibition where families present and sell their products.
Who this is for
Families are eligible if
- The family is Omani and already produces something at home
- Two members take part: a woman aged 15 to 55, and a young person aged 18 to 25
- The household is on a limited income or facing social or economic challenges
- The family is nominated by the Ministry of Social Development
- Both members can commit across the full six months
Selection weighs
- Readiness of the idea or the product
- Commitment of the family as a unit
- Social need
- Potential for growth and for reaching a market
A three-way model, not a donation
Usrati brings together the private sector, the social sector and an SME development institution. Mohammed Al Barwani Foundation covers the full cost of the programme: management, training, marketing, the success-story booklet and the closing ceremony. The Ministry of Social Development nominates and follows up on families, eases licensing and registration, and links graduates to national initiatives. Sharakah manages delivery across every phase and reports on social and economic impact. The intention is that the benefit does not end at month six.
About the Partners
About Sharakah
Sharakah, the Fund for Development of Youth Projects, was established by Royal Decree in 1998 to support small and medium enterprises in the Sultanate of Oman. On Usrati, Sharakah manages the programme across all its phases, prepares periodic and final reports, and handles media coordination.
About Mohammed Al Barwani Foundation
Mohammed Al Barwani Foundation funds Usrati in full, covering programme management, training, marketing, the electronic booklet documenting participants' success stories, and the closing ceremony. The Foundation also provides institutional and media support throughout.
Interested in the next cycle?
Families are nominated by the Ministry of Social Development. Contact us for more about the programme.
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