I am better off having established my home-based business, says Syrian refugee

Shaheen News – “I encourage all women to explore how their hobbies and interests can help them generate income to support both themselves and their families,” said Syrian refugee Huda, who turned her economic situation around through the establishment of a home-based business that sells accessories and crochet clothes.

“I used to work from home in Syria selling my products to gift shops in hotels, and no design was impossible for me to complete, but all of a sudden, life became much harder,” she said. Huda fled to Jordan with her husband and four children in 2011 after the war erupted in Syria.

“Back in Syria, I knew everyone and everyone knew me, so finding customers wasn’t a problem,” Huda said, describing her efforts to start from scratch in Jordan until she took a course from the NGO CARE International, which made her eligible to receive a grant to buy raw materials to produce crochet dresses, clothing and accessories.

Implemented in September 2017, under CARE´s Economic Empowerment component, the small business development training that Huda took provides refugee women with technical and vocational training, and simple start-up toolkits aimed at the establishment and management of micro businesses, Economic Empowerment coordinator, Taghreed Saeed told The Jordan Times.

“After an evaluation is done to specify the best candidates, the ones who have the best results receive advanced business development training and a grant that assists them to start up a home based business,” Saeed continued, explaining that “participants are guided and supported along the course until they provide a successful business work plan, and once the plan is approved, they get the fund”.

“Had it not been for the grant and the course, I would not have been able to know how to market my products and develop my business here in Jordan,” Huda said, adding that her work has been displayed in several bazaars since then.

“Now, she [Huda] is economically independent and earns a good income that assists her family to pay for their basic needs, in addition to feeling more confident and safe,” Saeed said, pointing out that CARE is “working to support more women to start income generating activities — especially those who find it difficult to get employed due to their refugee status or the lack of formal degrees”.