Mohamad Rabie Alsheikh is one of the beneficiaries of the “Şirketim” project. Today, he is 35 years old, and he runs a restaurant in Esenyurt, Istanbul. In February 2020, he applied to the project in order to formalize his business in line with the Turkish Trade Law.
His life started in Damascus, Syria, in 1985. He finished high school and started working in a restaurant. He was 17 when he started to work. After that, he joined the army; however, he was demobilized from the army. Following his leave off the army, he established his own business in Damascus. Life was decent for him until the Syrian civil war started; he had to leave his business behind and had no choice but to immigrate to Turkey.
In 2016, he immigrated to Turkey alone. Nevertheless, after a few days, his wife and children followed him to Turkey. Now they are living a safe and happy life in Esenyurt as a family. Unfortunately, not as a whole family since he only has his wife and children in Turkey, while his other relatives are still living in Syria.
Actually, he was initially involved in the restaurant business starting in Syria. Leaving this establishment behind and coming to a country that he had no idea about the language, rules, regulations, and the market made it hard for him to start a brand-new business in Turkey for a year. However, after a year, in 2017, he decided to establish his own business after learning about the market. Before starting his own business, he did not work in any job in Turkey. Although he had learned about the market and obtain a basic knowledge of the law, he could not practice the requirements of the law. Therefore, because of the missing registrations, he felt insecure while operating. Even though he always thought of completing the formalization process, he never could undertake the necessary steps.
Prior to the project, he did not hear about United Work or GIZ. Once, one of the field officers paid a visit to his restaurant, he learned about both of the organizations. Later, he listened to the project from the field officers explicitly. Followingly, he decided that it would be beneficial for his business, and he participated in the “Şirketim” project. In the beginning, he learned about the rules of trade through his own research; however, it was not enough to make his company 100% formal. Thanks to the project, he expanded his knowledge on formalization, and he could undertake the necessary steps with the help of the project. Within the scope of the project, following the three long years of informal business practice, he became a taxpayer, registered in the chamber of handicraft, obtained a work permit, and municipality license, as well as completing the necessary inventories in his restaurant. Today, he feels secure, and for this reason, he is grateful to all project partners and project staff.