It has been over a decade since Emm Mahmoud, 43, left her home.
She is one of the millions of Syrians who felt they had no choice but to flee as war tore their country apart.
Livelihoods and educational training meeting at the Woman Now Centre in Lebanon
The Syrian women starting again after losing everything to war
Thirteen years since the conflict began, more than 5.6 million refugees are still unable to return to Syria. Emm Mahmoud and her family were safe - but their problems were far from over. She'd left behind not only her home, but her community, and a successful sewing business.
Emm Mahmoud heard about a centre offering courses to help women who had fled the conflict in Syria come together, build on their skills, and find new ways to earn a living.
Initiatives like the Women's Now Centre based in Lebanon provide essential resources and programmes that empower women like Emm Mahmoud.
Thanks to generous donations from supporters like you, CAFOD works with local experts to help our partner, Women Now, provide psychosocial support for women and children recovering from trauma, as well as English language and computer skills classes.
Please give today
“After the first session I attended, I returned home and told my family that I feel I am alive”
Women Now soap-making classes
Help more people access new skills
At the moment, Emm Mahmoud is learning to make soap from household materials like used cooking oil and orange peel, and plans to use these skills to start her own soap business.
“After the first session I attended, I returned home and told my family that I feel I am alive,” she beams. “You don’t feel like you’re in class, but you feel like you’re with a family at the centre. You feel like you are an important person, doing something useful and benefiting from this. Also, gaining experience and providing advice to others using what you learn.”
Please give today to help more people across the world access new skills to help them rebuild their lives.