How refugee Muhammed is rebuilding his life with his thriving in-camp shop

Muhammed is an inspiring survivor we support, who experienced the full atrocity of war and conflict in Syria.

“Our house was bombarded,” he says. “My sister's back was severely wounded, my nephew’s arm was cut in half and my niece's foot is still disabled.”

Muhammed, from Hassakah, has always needed special care and a wheelchair as he cannot walk. He has now been a refugee for almost 10 years and lives at Domiz 2 camp.

Previously, Muhammed had a small shop providing TV box and satellite receiver tools, but he had few items to sell and struggled financially because his mother was very ill. Until she sadly passed away, the family spent most of their money on her medicine and treatment.

His shop grew ever more empty, and some days he would not even open to the public.  Though he tried repeatedly to grow his business in order to support his family, he lacked the financial means to invest in it.

Then Muhammed heard about our She Leads in Food Security project and applied to take part. He was selected according to the vulnerability criteria as well as a technical assessment, and he then participated in our Get Ahead Business Training sessions.

As one of the beneficiaries who also received a financial grant, his venture could really begin, and he relaunched his shop. “When The Lotus Flower came along with this project, everything started to get better,” he says.

Being able to afford the things he needed for the business led to more customers coming to the shop, meaning they could meet their needs more sustainably, without having to leave the camp.

The support also allowed Muhammed to buy relevant equipment – such as a security camera and a laptop for installing satellite and TV programs to make his work more efficient. He also plans to use space in his shop for professional printing and scanning services.

He promotes his business through social media, attracting clients from outside the camp, and says that the project has been highly beneficial in enabling his personal and professional growth, with his father now even assisting him in the shop.

“The grant helped me psychosocially too, as I have stronger self-confidence and better networking and marketing skills. The experience I got from the business training also helped me communicate with customers and manage my shop better.”

We’re just delighted that our project – delivered in partnership with Care Iraq through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – made such a difference to Muhammed’s life…