As LEAP Turkiye, we are working to empower women and support them to reach their full potential. We have been developing programs and providing technical and vocational training to build the employability profile and improve sustainable income generation prospects of targeted refugee and host community women.
Today we share the story of “Aya”, a Syrian woman who has been participating in the “Natural Doll Making Atelier,” established in Kilis under RET and LEAP’s socio-economic empowerment programs.
“Aya” is one of the many people who fled Syria due to the humanitarian crisis in 2011. She took refuge in Turkiye with her husband and child. They faced many difficulties during their first years of refuge in Turkiye; however, she never gave up. She learned the Turkish language, studied at university, and began to work to assist her family.
“My name is Aya. I am 32 years old, and I am from Aleppo. I got married when I was 17. The same year I graduated high school and had my first child born; the war began in Syria. We tried to survive and stay during the first two years of the war. As the war intensified in Syria, we moved to Kilis, Turkey, in 2013. Even though my husband started working immediately in Kilis, our economic situation was not perfect, and we had to live in a wrecked house that we called home. Psychologically, we weren’t doing very well.
I couldn’t stand still and do nothing all day at home, and I had to contribute somehow to change our situation positively. First, I enrolled in a Turkish language course and kept on studying until I reached the C1 level. Then, I enrolled in Kilis 7 Aralık University and majored in “Early Childhood Education.” My husband’s support was tremendous.
We were still facing some economic challenges in 2018 when one of my friends told me about LEAP’s Natural Doll Making Atelier. Immediately, I enrolled and have been earning income since I joined. I learned how to knit, crochet, etc. here.”
“Aya” has been working in Kilis Natural Doll Making Atelier since 2018. This year she had her second baby. She brings her baby boy to the atelier, where all the women take care of her little one.
According to “Aya’s”, the support of the women in the atelier means a lot to her. “This year, I had a second baby boy. However, we cannot hire a nanny or enroll him in a nursery. My friends in the atelier volunteered to take care of him with me, “We can do that together!” they shouted. I returned to the atelier when my baby was three months old, and all the women love him. He has 20 aunts in the atelier, and we all care for him together. When I look at my past, I see a desperate woman with no hope and dreams. In 2022, I say, everything is possible!”