It’s wonderful for Tony to see all those spices filling his shop. After the war and the economic crisis, he was left without a job. With RestarT his dream has come true and he has found serenity.
Tony Attye’s passion is spices. The 37-year-old is married with four children. Before the war broke out he worked as an employee, then his life – like that of many Syrians – went into crisis. With the attacks and devastation it was impossible to continue working.
How do you regain hope for a future in his country of Syria? From where do you start again? RestarT was an opportunity for him to turn the situation around and stake everything on his dream of opening a spices shop.
Before anything else Tony needed to fill the shelves of his fledgling business to attract customers, then encourage them to come in and buy. Becoming one of RestarT‘s key players was crucial, as the programme supports the restart of small businesses by providing capital goods and – where necessary – goods to sell.
Rice, sugar, flour, bulgur wheat, oils, margarine, spices of all kinds and some detergents filled the shelves of Tony’s shop, making it look totally different from before. And on the economic front, things have also changed. Income has increased, a period of greater tranquillity for him and his family has set in, which has also had a positive impact psychologically.
Now Tony can look to the future with hope. Becoming self-employed has given him the impetus to imagine new developments for his business. And it is with great generosity that he puts into practice the reciprocity clause he signed when he became a beneficiary of RestarT. Tony gives away the products that are for sale in his shop to anyone who cannot affort it. Immediately after the earthquake struck, he was one of the first to help the community.
