Locations
“Now we have hope. We have something to live for, and I’ll be able to support my family,” said Shereen, a mother of three children. Photo: Lima Ibrahim/UNDP Iraq/2019.
Qushtapa camp, 05 November 2019- Amal, Heyam, Marwah, Najma, Shereen and Tuleen were among millions of Syrians who were forced to flee the war in Syria to neighboring countries. They have been living in Qushtapa camp near Erbil, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, for several years with little to no financial means.
To create livelihoods for them, UNDP’s Headway programme, funded by the European Union’s Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, the EU MADAD Fund, co-organized vocational training on hairdressing and makeup skills with the well-known local signer, influencer and owner of Luvion Salon, Helly Luv. They also built a salon inside Qushtapa camp for the six refugees to work and earn income to support their families.
On 05 November 2019, the refugees celebrated the completion of their life-changing training and the salon opening with Headway Programme Manager, Isabela Uribe, and Helly Luv.
“Now we have hope. We have something to live for, and I’ll be able to support my family,” said Shereen, a mother of three children.
The salon was named Amal Luvion to reflect the hope the partnership between Headway and Luvion is giving to refugees and their families. This partnership showcases the important role of local private businesses in generating jobs for refugees, leading to successful long-term solutions and decreasing the burden on local authorities.
