Sisters' Stories: Nawroz starts her own shop after our business training

Little gives us more joy than seeing the women we support thrive in new ventures that enable their economic independence.

A mother aged 46, Nawroz is Syrian refugee who took part in women-led business training provided by the Lotus Flower in Domiz 2 camp last September. Nawroz was so inspired by the training that she decided to set up her own shop, and now earns a modest income to support herself and her family.

Her shop sells clothing, accessories and beauty products, and is proving very popular with the local community. “The Lotus Flower training changed my perspective about business,” she says. “I had the simple idea of turning one of our rooms into a small store for women and kids, and it now helps me cover my family’s living expenses.”

Originally from Qamshli in Syria, Nawroz, has also participated in our awareness sessions and literacy classes, which helps her run her business more efficiently.

During the ISIS atrocities, she and her family found themselves fleeing their home, and her husband was arrested by the regime and imprisoned. After his release, they moved to Kurdistan, desperate to secure their safety and a brighter future and education for their children. “Our journey to Kurdistan was very difficult however, and we had pay more than $1,000 to a smuggler to get us across the border.” 

It was upon arrival at the camp that she heard about the Lotus Flower’s women centres and our business training, which covered topics like marketing, accounting, profit and revenue, supply chains and sales.

While many of the women we support have ideas about viable businesses as well as certain skills, most lack the support to start them, making this kind of training a hugely important and empowering part of our work.

Since getting involved with our activities, Nawroz has not looked back - and we’re sure you’ll agree that she is a true inspiration!