What we did: Case Story

A 37-year-old Syrian woman, working as a house cleaner, faced overwhelming challenges as the sole caregiver for her elderly mother and two nieces after their mother passed away and their father left the country. 

A 37-year-old Syrian woman, working as a house cleaner, faced overwhelming challenges as the sole caregiver for her elderly mother and two nieces after their mother passed away and their father left the country.

Struggling financially, she was forced to rely on credit to buy food, cut back on transportation and healthcare expenses, sell household items, and borrow money to make ends meet.

Through the Developing Economic Empowerment and Protection (DEEP), she received a grant that provided the financial support she needed to sustain her struggling tailoring business, along with business development training and technical support. In addition, the project offered access to psychosocial support, helping her rebuild her self-esteem and focus on her personal well-being. The emotional support combined with practical financial aid equipped her with the tools to start fresh.

"Thanks to the support I received from the DEEP project, I was able to grow my tailoring business. Taking care of myself also gave me the mental clarity to focus on my work. I feel better both mentally and emotionally, and for the first time, I believe in my ability to build something of my own. It's just the beginning, but it's a step towards a brighter future." She says.

With the grant, she purchased equipment and materials for her tailoring business, including sewing machines, irons, scissors, and fabric. Now, she provides services to her community such as simple repairs and customizations and reported a 50 % increase in her customer base and started serving new customers from different areas.

Before receiving the grant, her business's monthly profit averaged $67. After receiving the grant and support, her net monthly profit increased to $150, reflecting a 124% increase.

Prior to her involvement with Near East Foundation, she had not participated in any technical or vocational training, but she found the Business Development Training (BDT) particularly useful, especially the insights into capital preservation, personal empowerment, and customer management. Her plans now include expanding her business by opening a workshop to train girls in sewing.

Her journey reflects the power of financial support combined with emotional resilience. Though she is still early in the process, the progress she has made highlights the importance of self-care, the strength of support systems, and the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.

Near East and DOT Lebanon implemented the activities and the project was funded by the RDPP during the 2^nd phase of the programme.