Refugee stories: From war-torn Aleppo to welcoming Rome

One day in September 2012, I got a phone call from my Dad telling me not to come home. The house had been destroyed by bombing. In an instant, we had lost everything.

Without a place to call home, we carried the few possessions we had, from one place to another. To survive, I had to earn a living. I took any job going, from caretaker to construction worker. I was even processing tomatoes for a while.

In 2014, with some family support, I started my first entrepreneurial venture. I got a market stall and a few pieces of clothing to sell. Between customers - and while the bombs continued to fall around us - I studied for a degree in Business Administration from Aleppo University.

I have always believed that my own success goes hand-in-hand with the success of people around me, so I started volunteering to support others in my city. I became an active member in several programmes across different fields, from education to social cohesion to citizenship.

By 2017, despite Aleppo still being an extremely dangerous place to live, I had launched two start-ups - in recycling and cleaning services - and over 15 social initiatives that brought together NGOs, charities, local communities and students, including women's empowerment and NGO co-ordination.