Hanane
After losing everything, she found a way to re-start her salon.
There is no couch or television to furnish the lounge of Hanane’s small home in Chtaura, a town in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Instead, two second-hand barbers’ chairs, mirrors, and a few purposefully placed shelves have transformed the room into a modest version of the beauty salon the 27-year-old mother of two owned and managed in Damascus.
Resourceful and determined, Hanane, like many Syrian refugees, is the sole income earner for her family. But when she arrived in Lebanon, she struggled:
“I was depressed. I was devastated about losing my salon in Syria and didn’t feel I could start again.”
Participating in a livelihood project by the nonprofit Near East Foundation (NEF), Hanane gained the skills and confidence she needed to return to work. With help from a start-up grant, opening a salon became a reality.
“I started with a few clients—friends and neighbors—and then I put a sign in the dollar shop. I rely on word of mouth, and now I am known in the neighborhood as ‘Hanane, the Hairdresser.’”
A year after re-launching her salon, Hanane’s entrepreneurial spirit and business have grown. With help from NEF, she attended an advanced business training course, received a business expansion grant, and has developed her concept to meet the needs of her clients: “I now offer my bridal customers a whole package. I can do their hair, makeup, and nails, and they can rent a dress with a veil, even a music speaker.”
Reflecting on her achievements, Hanane is satisfied — but she has even bigger plans for the future.
“My life is different. Everything has changed. I am generating an income for my family. Hopefully, I will be able to take up a shop and move the salon out of the house.”
Learn more about Near East Foundation (NEF), a GlobalGiving partner.
Story By Andrea Crowley, Director of Partnerships and Philanthropy at NEF
