MHD Talal Murad

In Syria, he had a good life. He was living in Damascus with his family and running a women’s clothing store and plastic recycling company at the same time. However, during the war, his company was bombed, and nothing left for him. Therefore, he decided that staying in Syria would not be secure for his life and immigrated to Jordan. Later, in the sixth month of 2018, he and his family thought that moving to Turkey would be a better option for their family, and they moved to Istanbul, Turkey. Fortunately, he kept his family together during their journey to Turkey.

In Jordan, he could not pursue his profession. Life had been hard for him since he could not find a decent job there. To have a better life, he moved to Turkey. Firstly, he opened a workshop that manufactures underwear. However, it did not operate as he planned, and he closed the workshop. Later, he started to work for a houseware company and worked there for two and a half years. During these years, the pressure of work was high; there was no break, and the salary was low. Therefore, he decided that working for his own account would be much better for him; besides, he was an employer in Syria, and he was well experienced in running a business. In 2019, he established a grocery shop, including wholesale of food, beverages, and tobacco. Although he started his business, he operated informally for more than a year.

He was aware that establishing and running a business in Turkey requires to realize necessary legal registrations. However, he did not know how to realize these steps in related offices. Therefore, he could not complete and operated informally. For this reason, he could not add more products to his business; he felt hesitant to expand his business.

Prior to the project, he had no knowledge about United Work and GIZ. Once, project officers called him and invited him to the meeting at the hotel; he heard about them. After joining the meeting, he learned about GIZ, United Work, and the project. Later, he is convinced that participating in the project would remarkably contribute to his business. With the support of the project, he registered to tax office and chamber, obtained a work permit and license, and acquired a POS machine and fire extinguisher. In the end, his business has become entirely formal. Today, he can work without the pressure of the legal authorities, and he can think of expanding his shop instead of maintaining it. For this reason, he is grateful to all project partners; he mainly thanks project officers who helped him during all steps with patience and respect.

In the future, thanks to the support of the project, he wants to expand his business, to add new products, to open new branches, and to set up delivery services. In order to achieve this target, he requires developed financial resources and support. Additionally, the pandemic, as everyone in the world, influenced him directly. He has faced severe income loss, although the financial aid provided within the scope of the project covered some part of the loss. In social aspects, he has good relations with everyone in Turkey. He thinks that he would be able to offer a better future for his family here. Therefore, he wants to spend the rest of his life in Turkey and does not think of returning to Syria.