It was her love of baking combined with a desire to set an example for her daughters that drove Safa to open a shop named after the cinnamon rolls that her daughters can’t get enough of—The Cinnarolls. The bakery has been a labor of love that comes through with each sweet treat. While Safa stands as a strong role model as a female business owner for her five daughters and the community around her, it wasn’t long ago that her bakery was a distant dream.

As a stay-at-home mom, Safa felt disapproval from her community due to not having any sons. It was this criticism that drove Safa to seek work outside of her home and set an example for her daughters to aim higher than societal norms. “The only source of motivation was the encouragement and support of my daughters,” said Safa.

According to the World Bank, women make up only 26% of the workforce in Lebanon and about 10% of small businesses are owned or co-owned by women. In addition to a lack of women workers and entrepreneurs, Lebanon’s economy has been deeply impacted by ongoing conflict, political uncertainty, and rising inflation. Safa’s journey toward starting her own business had been difficult due to many factors that affect entrepreneurs during an economic crisis, like being unable to access funding, but Safa also faced scrutiny as a woman. Social and economic pressures force women to quit work after marriage to take on childcare responsibilities and the gender wage gap pushes women out of earning their own livelihoods. “It was very challenging in the beginning, especially since I am a woman business-owner in a very conservative area,” said Safa.

She enrolled in courses offered by community organizations and opened The Cinnarolls with the skills she learned and donated equipment. Safa received criticism for daring to earn a living on her own, especially since she enlisted the help of her daughters in running her business. Some men in her community tried to intimidate her by parking their cars directly in front of her shop and blocking the entrance. On top of all this, she was raising her daughters, who also helped her to look after Safa’s father who suffered from Alzheimer’s. She struggled with the growing pains of starting a new business amidst a strained economy. It was during this difficult period that Safa participated in our 3amaly program, with the mission to improve livelihood opportunities for women and young people. Our program provides skills training for job-seekers and directly supports small business owners to grow and hire more workers.