Syrian refugee starts from scratch in Morocco

Diyaa, 37, was a successful shoemaker in Syria. But when war reached his hometown, Diyaa, his wife and his two young children were forced to flee. They came to Morocco with little more than the clothes on their backs.

“I came to Morocco with empty pockets. I had to start, not from zero, but from minus one hundred.”

In order to support his family in Morocco, Diyaa began working as a shoemaker once again. But being a shoemaker with no equipment in a new country proved to be very difficult—a challenge compounded by the fact that it took Diyaa two hours to get to and from work each day.

Despite the hardship, Diyaa was determined to get back on his feet. He worked 18-20 hour days, barely seeing the family that motivated him to succeed. Soon he received a grant from UNHCR that allowed him to buy his own sewing machine, helping him grow his trade into the thriving business it is today.

“Little by little, things improved. Today, I employ four Moroccan workers.”

Now a successful business owner, Diyaa is giving back to his community. He employs young Moroccans from poor neighborhoods and helps other Syrian refugees open businesses of their own. He even received an award from the Moroccan Association for the Support and Promotion of Small Enterprises (AMAPPE) for his entrepreneurship.

But Diyaa longs to return to Syria. He wants to raise his children in the country where he grew up and learned from his father to become a shoemaker. However, after seven years of the conflict, Syria is no longer the beautiful nation Diyaa once knew. Shellings and violence have destroyed most Syrian cities and more than half of the population has been displaced.

With no end to the conflict in sight, Diyaa may never get to reintroduce his children to the country they once called home.

Here's how you can help…

This month marks seven years of conflict in Syria. Like Diyaa, more than half of the country’s population has been forced to flee their homes.  You can help spread the word about the crisis in Syria and the resilience of its people by sharing Diyaa’s story with your friends and family using the Facebook and Twitter buttons at the top of the page.