Sisters Stories: Hussna’s small business goes from strength to strength

Each week, our ‘Sisters’ Stories’ series celebrates some of the women we support, recognising their incredible achievements in the communities where we work.

This week, we introduce you to Hussna, a 23-year-old conflict survivor who sadly has no parents or siblings. Before the ISIS invasion of 2014, she lived in a small house with her grandparents, but during the atrocities they were forced to flee, and came to Essyan camp in Kurdistan as refugees in 2015.

Hussna recalls: “In the beginning, it was very difficult because we didn’t know anyone. We had no friends, no relatives and no income. That meant we were totally dependent on support services and donations, and it badly affected my psychological health.”

After struggling for many months, she later heard about the Lotus Flower’s women’s centre at Essyan, and was encouraged to seek mental health support from one of our psychologists. She also took up the opportunity to join therapeutic and educational classes at our centre, including our Storytelling Sisters project – which teaches women and girls the power of imagery and how to document their everyday lives through the medium of photo journalism. 

“I also took up handcrafting and basketball, which I’ve enjoyed a lot,” Hussna adds. “All of these activities have really helped my mental health and allowed me to become stronger while coping with life in a small tent with my grandparents.”

Even more life-changing was the moment she was selected to take part in our Women’s Business Incubator project last year. After receiving intensive business training, a start-up grant and mentorship, she was able to open her own shop, which sells clothing and accessories for children and women in the community.

So far, it has proved a real success, and she says: “It means I now earn income for me and my family, so I can provide food and clothing for my grandparents. One day I hope I can pursue an education too, so that I become more skilled and am able to expand my business further and employ other people.”

After all she has been through, we’re sure you’ll agree that Hussna’s determination to keep going and carve out a prosperous future for herself and her family is incredibly inspiring…