‘Fatenah Arbsh 23-year-old has a lot to teach us about determination. She and her 8 siblings left Syria in 2012, arriving in Jordan with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Amman – Wanting to help her family to make ends meet, the 12-year-old refugee who had just arrived to Jordan back in 2012 after the Syrian war, always thought of different means to generate money and help her family. Despite her young age, she always had the mindset of an entrepreneur.  

For a few years, Fatenah played catch-up between school and the world of work. She repeated the 9th grade twice, but this was not the end for her.

“I started to search for jobs when I was only 16. My first real work encounter was at a beauty salon near the neighbourhood, but that didn’t last long as I knew there’s something better out there”, Fatenah said, adding, “I wanted to open up my own salon one day”.  

The moment she learned about the Qudra – Enabel scholarships advertised back in January 2022 through the official Facebook page of National Company for Employment and Training – Enabel’s national implementing partner, Fatenah accessed the link, applied, and got a call back within a week.

The scholarship Fatenah had been accepted in, is offered as part of the Enabel project “Skills Development for Employment of Syrian Refugees and Vulnerable Jordanian Youth” co-financed from the European Union Regional Trust Fund "Madad", the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.

“It really felt amazing when I got accepted in the makeup course” Fatenah said, and added “I like to go to school and learn. I have been excluded from that feeling in my early years, and attending such courses gives me the motive to become better, as well, contributes to pave my way towards professionalism and intellectuality”.

During this Enabel project, more than 2000 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) scholarships have been offered to vulnerable Jordanians and Syrian refugee youth in Jordan. Enabel and the EU have been working to support access to meaningful, accredited post-basic education in a series of nighty eight disciplines, i.e., dough making, beauty and make up, sweets making, etc., where more than 55% female beneficiaries had enrolled in the provision of those scholarships. By May 2023, more than 2000 will be the number of students who had received their graduate diplomas under the Enabel project.

“I knew I needed to upscale my skill-set prior to starting a business on my own. Many naysayers whispered that potential risks may be involved in the process and that I should not even try, but such words did not knock me down”, Fatenah shared.

Given her former work experience in the domain, Fatenah elaborated on how the course has taught her new hacks and techniques in the beauty industry. When the 4-month course ended in June, Fatenah mobilised her resources to open a salon at her own home. “During the course, I learned about the importance of facial cleaning, manicure and pedicure, and spa treatment essentials, but importantly, how to manage a small business. Today, I apply those hacks in my own salon”, Fatenah said.

While deciding to choose marriage over her education back in 2018, Fatenah vowed to learn from her setbacks and pursue educational programmes whenever the opportunity represents itself again. “My husband has been supportive since day one. He is the one to inspire me to renovate a small room in our home. Few months after graduation from the Qudra – Enabel scholarship, at 23 I had my salon decorated and ready to cater to women around my neighbourhood!”. Fatenah enthusiastically expressed.  

Knowing the limited job opportunities out there in the market, Fatenah asked 2 of her colleagues to extend a helping hand at her new salon. Not so long after, they became permanent workers there, Fatenah told us.  

Reflecting on what it means to pursue an independent business, Fatenah has a message for those searching for direction: “If you have lost hope in life, you must find it again. This programme brought ambition back into my life and gave me new perspective. When I think of the future, I feel that everything is going to be ok, and so should all of you!”