Mazen is 65 years old from Al Khaldiyeh in Homs, Syria. Like many others, he was impacted by the crisis and its repercussions. Mazen and his family were displaced. They left their home to Daria in Damascus, where Mazen worked as a tailor to support his wife and children. 

“We went back to Homs when the city was opened again, but we stayed in a shelter,” Mazen said. Being displaced affected his family and children, who had to leave school during that period. Mazen was his children’s biggest supporter, and, in time, he pushed them to pursue their education because of his belief that education is a beacon of hope. “I love learning. Education is the most powerful weapon a girl could have towards a better future,” Mazen explained. 

Mazen and his family were finally able to return home, but their house was damaged because of the war. Mazen is still rehabilitating it until this day – four years after his return. 

Mazen used to sell clothes and in time, he started making them. “My ambition was to make a career out of tailoring. I wanted to manufacture and sell clothes rather than buy them”. He took the first step with his sister’s help. He started sewing clothes using a rented sewing machine. He bought the same machine with five others out of the profit he made from selling what he produced from clothes. His first attempt progressed to become his primary source of income; where he also hired seamstresses to work with him in his small workshop. “Hearing the sound of the sewing machine became a hobby”.