Zukaa, who fled Syria 9 years ago, continues to change her own life and inspire other women. With contributions from the United States, France, Norway, and other donors and in collaboration with partner NGOs, UNHCR continues to support and empower thousands of women like Zukaa with documentation, legal protection, education, and work opportunities.
Zukaa fled Syria with her husband and three children nine years ago, seeking safety. When she arrived in Gaziantep, Türkiye, she carried the deep marks of the difficult days she experienced in her soul. Leaving not only her country but also her career and social ties behind, finding the strength to build a new life seemed almost impossible to her.
Zukaa’s life began to change the day she first visited the Association for Social Development and Aid Mobilization (SGDD-ASAM). As one of UNHCR’s partners, SGDD-ASAM first provided Zukaa with psychosocial support. Gradually, she started to feel much better. The cash assistance she received also supported her and her family.
Zukaa joined the Women’s Committee established at the SGDD-ASAM office and started to engage in regular gatherings with other refugee women. Through her new friendships, she began to feel less alone and to sense that she belonged somewhere after a long time. “We were talking and supporting each other. When we realized we were facing similar challenges, we no longer felt alone,” she says.
“We were talking and supporting each other. When we realized we were facing similar challenges, we no longer felt alone.”
The Women’s Committee gave her hope for her new life, but Zukaa wanted to share this hope with other women in the same situation as her. “I started to ask myself, why should only we benefit from this committee?” she says. She decided to expand the Women’s Committee and support the empowerment of all the women they could reach. The committee members attended trainings on preventing child and forced marriages as well as gender-based violence prevention and support mechanisms. They began reaching out to women in their community, sharing their knowledge and providing support.
After the success of the Women’s Committee, Zukaa was inspired to create a broader community where women can seek support: a Neighbourhood Committee. “The neighbourhood committee was like a bridge. If there was a problem in the neighbourhood, as a woman, we could learn about them and move forward on them,” she says. They received training on women’s health and took women to the hospital for early breast cancer diagnosis.
As Zukaa and her committee expanded their vision beyond Gaziantep, they reached out to women in neighbouring provinces, shared the knowledge they acquired through trainings, and included these women in the committees.
In the meantime, Zukaa wanted to continue developing her skills. After completing entrepreneurship and leadership training, she founded a women’s cooperative together with her committee and patented her own product: a special type of grape molasses. “During this process, I realized that women can do anything they want. There is no need to be satisfied with what you have,” she says, sharing her inspiring story. Zukaa adds, “Now we have a bag production project. Soon you will see, we continue creating new opportunities.”
“I realized that women can do anything they want. There is no need to be satisfied with what you have.”
She says that she will continue developing her skills and supporting the empowerment of all women she can reach. “We, women, do not have to stay at home and be stuck in gender stereotypes that are imposed on us. We can work, produce, and be involved in social life. That’s why we must be strong and continue supporting each other.”
With the contributions of the United States, France, Norway, and other donors, UNHCR and its NGO partners are empowering thousands of women like Zukaa and helping individuals find hope and strength in their journey towards a better life.
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