Jomana and her children are originally from Latakia, Syria. The family fled their home country with their father in the beginning stages of the Syrian War, in April 2012. They found refuge in Turkey, but once they were there, the father decided to go to Europe in hopes of finding some work opportunity that could support the family. He is now living in Denmark with asylum status, and awaiting permission from the Danish government to be reunited with his family and bring them to Denmark. The family’s situation is complicated further by the fact that Jomana and her husband are divorced; because of this, it is unclear whether the father will apply for reunification for Jomana. Furthermore, their oldest is almost 18 and after that age her father cannot ask for reunification for her, either. Because of these complications, the family may be in Turkey permanently.
Jomana, who is alone with the four children, (who are 2 ½ to 17 years old), has an advanced degree in natural sciences and would normally qualify to teach or do research at a university. As a refugee, however, it is hard to find work of any kind. And Jomana also needs to care for her youngest, Joman, who is not old enough yet to go to school. The older three children could be in school, and this is Jomana’s wish and her main concern. In the family’s current living situation, transportation costs to get to and from school are 150 USD/month. Jomana cannot afford this. She is hoping to find housing in Antakya, where there is a local school and where she already has friends and a sense of community. ARC has committed to pay for housing costs for Jomana and her family for one year. To support her children’s academic potential, ARC is seeking donations to offset costs related to the children’s schooling, whether they are commuting long distances or are able to attend a local school.
Additionally, Jomana has ambitiously formulated a business plan for a women’s lounge wear/lingerie store. She knows many Syrian women are less than comfortable buying these items in larger stores, so she plans to sell them from the privacy of her home. We have raised the initial funding for this micro enterprise (500 USD) but if the first sales go as well as hoped, we will need more funding to help her buy a larger supply of merchandise next time.
Jomana’s children –
Nuray, daughter – 17 years old
Omar, son – 13 years old
Maya, daughter – 12 years old
Joman, daughter – 2 and a half years old
ARC is working in collaboration with volunteer Stefanie Ziervogl to help Johan and her children. To learn more about the Dabol family, please contact Stefanie at