A Journey of Growth and Empowerment for Women in North West Syria

Marah*, a determined 28-year-old woman from Syria, has always been passionate about uplifting her community. With her modest background in community work and her role as a monitoring and evaluation (MEAL) officer at her local organisation, Marah has always been committed to improving the lives of others, particularly vulnerable women. She was dedicated, feeling a strong urge to create even more meaningful change within her organisation and community.

Despite her desire to help, she lacked many technical knowledge and skills required to effectively manage a community project. Her self-confidence was also a barrier, especially when presenting her ideas to others. But this all became a thing of the past.
                                            
Luckily, World Vision Syria Response, through its Civil Society Organization (CSO) empowerment project, conducted training sessions for her local organisation on the same topics she is interested in, an opportunity that would allow her to gain all the skills needed to grow.

The project, funded by World Vision US, trained four women-led CSOs, on project management, presentation skills, strategic planning, proposal writing and effective community engagement in order to improve their capacities to implement donor-funded programs. Eager to grow, Marah enrolled in the sessions as one of the 24 participants invited, determined to gain the knowledge she needed to better serve her community and advance her career. 

The sessions empowered her to develop impactful project ideas that address community needs, write compelling proposals to secure funding, manage resources efficiently for long-term success, and strengthen communication with local communities to understand their priorities. Most importantly, the training reinforced her confidence, helping her present ideas with clarity and conviction. 

Following the training, the four CSOs received a seed grant of 31,000 US$ to implement women empowerment projects. These grants were awarded by World Vision based on the project proposals submitted by the CSOs, with a focus on sustainability.

Marah’s organisation provided sessions dedicated to empowering individuals, especially women, and provided them with Life skills and the tools to succeed in their career. The sessions included knitting, mobile phone maintenance, bag and cosmetics Manufacuring and small business management courses. These impactful sessions reached over 40 participants through 80 sessions. Marah served as one of the facilitators and actively monitored the implementation of these sessions, ensuring the activities were in line with the project’s objectives and contributing to the overall development of the local community.

Through the dedicated work of the four CSOs, the training sessions, and the grant, the organisations were able to reach a total of 195 participants through 176 intensive sessions.

Looking to the future, Marah aspires to continue empowering women and communities through sustainable development projects. She plans to expand her impact; helping women access equal resources and opportunities to achieve long-lasting growth. Marah’s vision is to support women-led initiatives that create economic independence and provide lasting social change in the region.

To others striving for change, Marah offers this message of inspiration,

"Training is the key to self-improvement and building the skills needed to make a real difference in our communities. Every step toward learning, no matter how small, brings us closer to achieving our dreams and transforming our communities."

Today, Marah is not just supporting her community, she is empowering it to build a more resilient, self-sustaining future.

*Name is changed to protect identity