Salma (not her real name), 41, is a mother of six living in Syria. During the war, the family fled their home and settled in another part of Syria, where they had no shelter or work.
“We had to borrow money from others to meet our family’s needs. I remember nights where we had no money or food, and I was unable to prepare dinner for my family,” she said.
Prior to the war, Salma’s family owned a small shop that supported their family. They started off doing odd jobs, but the income was insufficient for them.
Salma eventually decided to start a small bakery, selling flatbreads.
“When I started this business, I did not have enough to buy diesel. I had to borrow some from a neighbour and repay him after I sold the bread,” she said. “Every morning, I mix flour with warm water to make the dough. I bake it on the Saj and prepare it for selling. People come from all over to buy my bread. When the bread sells out, I bake more for my customers.”
As part of the Syria Resilience Consortium’s microenterprise programme, Salma registered her business for a grant. She was given the equivalent of US$500 to improve her business, which she used to buy larger quantities of flour, salt and fuel so she could produce more bread before running out of supplies. She also hired help to support her when she had larger orders.
In the programme, Salma learnt new business skills that allowed her to calculate in advance the business costs she incurs and the profit she can make.
“We were invited by an organisation to learn how to run a business, and how to calculate profits and losses. They gave us some money to run and expand our business. We calculated our baking fees, worker wages and shop rental and calculated our profits after deducting the costs,” she said.
Photo Credit: Dream Production/Syria Resilience Consortium
Salma says with her current income; the family is now debt free. She hopes to further expand her business soon.
“We bake between 10 to 25 times a day. Thanks to God, this allows us to make enough profit to support our family,” she said. “We can earn an income and settle our debts. Our customers come every day to buy our bread. I am pleased because everything is going all right.”
*Salma’s name has been changed for data protection and confidentiality purposes.
