Lujain's journey from fear to fulfillment
UNICEF supports young people in Syria through adolescent-friendly spaces to transition from learning to earning
Khan Arnaba, Quneitra governorate, Syria: “I had panic attacks before my exams. I wasn’t able to memorize the information I learned,” explained Lujain, a twenty- year-old who struggled during her Grade 12 exams. Despite trying twice, she couldn’t pass.
After her second attempt, Lujain fell into depression and isolation. “I refused to join any social activity. I was afraid of being ashamed,” she said.
In 2022, her family enrolled Lujain at a UNICEF-supported youth-friendly space in her town, where she attended a life skills course and restored some normalcy to her life.
“These sessions were helpful. They changed my way of thinking. I learned that every end means a new start.”
“These sessions were helpful. They changed my way of thinking. I learned that every end means a new start,” Lujain said. “I got to know myself in this course. Moreover, I understood that the extreme pressure I put on myself was the reason behind my panic attacks,” she explained.
Lujain’s early life was marked by hardship. Her mother’s illness and subsequent paralysis forced her farther to sell their house to cover medical expenses, moving the family to her grandparents’ home. During that time, Lujain dreamed of becoming a doctor to help her mother as she couldn’t cope with the difficult reality. “I focused so hard to get high grades that I exhausted my nerves. I was desperate to see my mom doing well,” Lujain recounted.
“I felt so anxious before the exams. All my fears showed up and exploded at once,” she said.
Lujain expanded her knowledge at the youth centre, learning computer skills and accounting. In 2023, she applied to work in the youth-friendly space and was successful in getting the job. This was a turning point for Lujain.
While working at the centre, Lujain’s attended entrepreneurship courses. These sessions inspired her to establish her own business. She was passionate about designing gowns and dresses, so she decided to invest in her talent. “I pursued online courses in fashion design. I spent long hours with professional tailors to familiarize myself with the sewing process, fabrics, and market needs,” she said.
Lujain started designing gowns and dresses with a local tailor helping to sew them, and she started selling online. “The small idea started to grow so fast! My sales rate was increasing to the point that I handed the sewing task to a sewing workshop, and selling online was not enough anymore,” she added excitedly.
She soon rented a shop in the city centre, attracting tens of customers daily who visited her shop to rent or buy gowns.
“Those sessions made a difference in my life, and I want to help other young people make the same change.”
“My work is expanding! I exported goods outside Syria, and started a new line of children's clothes,” she added. Although Lujain has a successful business, she is still devoted to working at the UNICEF-supported centre as a life skills trainer. “Those sessions made a difference in my life, and I want to help other young people make the same change,” Lujain said.
“Over two years, I transformed from an isolated person to a successful business owner who helps her family and supports her peers to build their lives. I am confident that one day I will become an international designer,” Lujain chimed in.
From January 2023 until the end of March 2024, more than 253,700 adolescents and youth in Syria benefitted from employability skills, including life skills and citizenship education, entrepreneurship skills, as well as technical and vocational education and training. Through 40 adolescent-friendly spaces and integrated centres and 156 mobile teams in 14 governorates, they received support to transition from learning to earning. The activities were funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the KFW Development Bank, the Global Humanitarian Thematic Fund, the Governments of Canada, Japan and Norway, the UNICEF National Committee for Germany, and the European Union and Government of Norway under the UN Joint Programme to Build and Strengthen Urban and Rural Resilience and the Conditions for Recovery in Syria.
