Asma is a Syrian refugee living in Jordan. She recently recieved a grant to start her own home based business in cooking. She makes sweets, pre-packed lunches, and has a growing database of customers. (Photo Credit; Sara Rashdan/CARE)
My name is Asmaa and I fled to Jordan from Daraa. I live in a one room apartment in Amman with my two daughters and one son. We live on the bottom floor of a building, the sort of room that is built for the janitor or the guard. There was a small open area in front of the room, which I roofed with some corrugated metal sheets to expand our living space. I have another daughter, but she is married and lives with her husband. My husband lives in Germany, where he fled to in X. I hope he will apply for family reunification when the right time comes.
I have come to know about CARE when someone told me that they help vulnerable Syrian refugees; I registered and they gave me Emergency Cash Assistance with an amount of JOD 130. Later on, one of my neighbors told me that CARE is also giving vocational training workshops in areas such as beautification, sewing or cooking. I registered along with my sister and we took a tailoring and sewing workshop because we have been good at this ever since we were back in Syria. Apparently, we did really well at the workshop because we were contacted by CARE and they told us that we have an interview to apply for further trainings and a grant to build up our own business. During the interview, I told them that I know how to do basic tailoring skills which include making sheets, pillows, shortening clothes, and mending them. My sister told them the same, and added the fact that we know how to make traditional Arabic sweets, and we try to sell sweets during Ramadan and Eid.
One month later, my sister and I were invited to attend a small business development course where we were taught advanced skills in sewing. We entered the course, and to be honest I had no idea what to expect. The teacher was talking about the basics of owning a business, and the ways in which it should be developed. As the teacher explained further, I realized that going into a sewing and tailoring business was a very big risk, and the idea of opening a small kitchen started to make more sense because my sisters and I are also very good at this. I took the risk, and went to the instructor and the CARE staff and told them that I would like to change my business development plan from sewing to making food and sweets. I showed them pictures on my phone, of dishes that we have previously prepared for customers. They agreed.
Back in Syria I never had to work a day in my life, my husband provided us with everything and we owned the house that we lived in. It was a family home that was very spacious and beautiful. Coming to Jordan as refugees, the whole situation was a very big shock for all of us, but what can one do? Life is like that sometimes, and war is unfair to the people that least deserve it. I have lived through some very tough times here, where I did noot have a single dinar to spend on my family. But after I took the grant, I was able to buy a food processor, a freezer, molds to make sweets and chocolates, and food items such as sugar, and chocolate, nuts, you know, the basics to fulfill any order that I might receive.
Whatever order I get, I do not say no! It is a blessing and I cannot reject. Life has totally changed for my sister and me. We have regular customers now and we get orders in bulk. My eldest daughter knows how to use the internet, unlike me, so she created a page on Facebook called “Al Thawaq Kitchen”, and I printed some business cards. I try my best to do everything that we learnt in the course, down to the details of adding electricity and water expenses to the prices of my products. I was able to include my sister in this home-based business and help her sustain her family too. When things get too hectic, my other sister comes and helps us too, and so we became a team; three sisters living off one grant.
We still face challenges especially with orders that are outside Amman because the delivery is very expensive, but hopefully I will look for a trusted person who already works between governorates to help with the delivery. Another challenge is that I am trying to build a business that does not rely on holidays and seasons, but goes all year around. We struggled and will continue to struggle, but life is totally different for us now. We can at least sleep knowing that if one of our children needs medication or there is another emergency, we will be able to afford it. I just hope that the better days are coming our way.
Learn more about CARE's work in Jordan.