Young Syrian entrepreneurs turn their plight into creative projects

Dara Dandashi, a 25-year-old interior designer from Homs in Syria, travels to Gaziantep from Istanbul once a month to work on a project to design a cozy and unique corner in each household that can provide an "escape" from the day.

The project, called "Corners," is inspired by her experience of changing places over the course of the war in Syria. When fighting started in Homs, Dara and her family briefly moved to Damascus. After the country plunged deep into war, she came to Istanbul. 

"It is difficult to work in Turkey without learning Turkish. That is why I am focusing on learning Turkish now. My biggest break so far is designing a café from scratch in Mersin. But mostly I work online outside with clients in Cyprus and Lebanon," she told the Hürriyet Daily News in Gaziantep. 

"The Corners project will start with a strong client-designer relationship, where I will try to understand what works for you to feel relaxed and happy. Then I will design that unique, cozy and modifiable corner for you," she said.

Dara and her brother Farouk are part of a 29-member group of Turkish and Syrian entrepreneurs in the InnoCampus Entrepreneurship Accelerator Training Program in Gaziantep, supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Turkey Mission and Gaziantep University. With two thirds of the participants being Syrian and other refugees, while the rest are locals, the project creates platform of integration as well as cross-cultural cooperation.

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"The training has generated significant interest among the Syrian community in Turkey, particularly among educated/skilled refugees who are having difficulty finding employment to match their qualifications"...