Abo Sabri established his own business and regained his financial stability
“Life had been easier before the crisis, which carried huge difficulties and unbearable burdens,” said Abo-Sabri bitterly recalling the distressful situations he suffered with his family to secure their safety and basic needs.
The 50-years-old man is professional in house-painting, from which he used to secure good financial resource. However, the situations turned upside-down. He was displaced multiple times and lost his own workshop and painting tools that had kept him self-employed for ten years ago. He had nothing to do, but to work as day laborer.
Faced difficulties
The father of seven children (five girls and 2 youth boys) lost a son during the crisis. The other son has vision impaired and needs lifelong therapy and medicines, for which he sometimes travels to Damascus to get them due to the lack of medicines in his city (Daraa). His wife has many chronical diseases and he has to afford her needed chronical medicines. Despite the long working hours, the income wasn’t enough to cover all the basic needs of his family, or to secure the minimum living standards.
The light of hope shines after long suffering
Abo Sabri has always held to hope of a better life, and that hope shined lightly at the end of a dark journey. He heard about the small business grants dedicated and distributed by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in the community center in his village (Kherbet Ghazaleh). He paid a visit to the center, where the employees there assessed his situation and needs. He got a cash grant to reopen his own workshop based on his experiences. Professional work means fruitful results
After two monitoring visits to his workshop, SARC volunteers realized that Abo Sabri has invested his experiences and his good reputation very well and that helped him make good money. In addition, the location of his workshop close to a blacksmith shop and in the middle of a densely populated help him attract more customers. Today, his income is increasing gradually, and is enough to meet all his family’s needs.
Remarkable improvement
Several months later, the grant proved remarkably efficient to make the difference in his life. He saved some money of his earnings and bought new equipment for the work. He also decided to sell boiled maize in the evenings and bought the necessary supplies. This part-time work will help enhance his well-being.
