Breaking the Cycle: How Lana Started her New Adventure in Life
“I didn’t just find a job - I found my first step towards achieving my dreams.”
- English
- العربية
For a full year after graduating with a degree in accounting, Lana’s life became a circle of rejections.
Interview after interview.
Application after application.
No after no.
“Every single time I applied for work, I was told the same thing: ‘You don’t have experience.’ I used to think — how can I get experience if no one gives me a chance to work?”
Lana, 24, didn’t give up — but her hope began to fade. She wanted to work and gain enough experience and save money so she can realize her dream of opening her own beauty salon — a business she had long been planning to save up for — felt like it was slipping away.
She even offered to work for free. Still, no one said yes.
“I kept searching, but after a year I felt stuck. I just needed one opportunity — one door to open.”
Then one day, while scrolling through social media, she saw something that caught her attention.
A chance at something different, something new.
It was an advertisement for the UNICEF-supported Azem programme, a training programme that ends in employment, designed for young people to enter the job market. The description felt tailor-made for her: support for youth without experience and help finding appropriate job opportunities.
“It felt like the advertisement was speaking directly to me,” Lana says.
She applied online and was invited for an interview. There, she explained her situation — a qualified graduate eager to work but constantly turned away. The programme team offered her a placement as a cashier at Abu Odeh stores — conveniently located near her home.
Before starting the job, Lana completed skills training combined with ‘on-the-job’ training - allowing her to develop foundational and employability skills while also training across several store branches, learning how the systems worked and building strong customer service skills.
“One of the best parts was that the training was completely free,” she says. “And the job was close to home, so I didn’t have to spend money on transportation — which is helping me save up for my dream business.”
Learning through real experience
During Azem’s ‘on-the-job’ training, Lana learned how to serve walk-in customers, manage online orders, and handle delivery messengers. She also developed crucial soft skills — communication, time management, and how to manage customer concerns calmly and professionally.
“These are skills I can use in any job — and especially when I kickstart my own business,” she says.
For the first three months, Lana trained under close supervision of the staff from the Abu Odeh store, with someone always available to guide her and answer her questions. Then, after the initial three months Lana officially began working for them on a one-year contract.
“That day marked a turning point. I was no longer waiting for a chance. I was given one.”
Becoming someone new
Lana gained more than a job — she gained confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.
“Before, I kept to myself. I was shy and stayed in my room most of the time. Now I talk to new people every single day, I learn from others, I socialize. I feel like a completely different person.”
Her transformation reached her home, too. For the first time, Lana had stories to share from work, updates to give every day, and — on her first payday — gifts to offer her family from what she earned.
“We all cried tears of joy the day I got my first salary. It was an emotional moment for all of us. I used to depend on my family. Now I’m supporting myself. That moment meant everything to me and I never felt more enabled.”
A message for others
“To every young person out there who feels stuck: don’t give up. Opportunities take time, and failure is part of the journey. Just keep looking, stay hopeful, and never stop believing in yourself.”
Lana’s dream of opening a beauty salon is alive again. And she’s taking the necessary steps to realizing her dream — one skill, one saving, and one day at a time.
“The UNICEF programme gave me a chance when everyone else turned me down. Now I have the confidence I need. I just hope this programme expands to reach more young people like me across Jordan.”
Azem On-The-Job Training Programme
Azem equips vulnerable young people with accredited vocational training, leading to employment. It is generously supported by the Government of Italy through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, amongst other donors.
