Overcoming Challenges, Building Dreams: Celebrating Walaa’s Strength and Success on International Women’s Day
Overcoming Challenges, Building Dreams: Celebrating Walaa’s Strength and Success on International Women’s Day
March 7, 2024 | Nawar Maarri
Walaa Aktaa, a 39 year old mother of two, arrived in Türkiye with her family in 2019. She was leaving behind her life in Syria, which had included a career in teaching at the University of Aleppo. In Türkiye, Walaa struggled to balance working and family life, particularly with an infant daughter to care for. Needing to find a better solution, she decided to launch her own business, providing the flexibility to work from home and set her own schedule.
Utilizing her software engineering background, Walaa founded Se Media in 2020, offering digital marketing and web development services. She was starting from scratch in a new country, but her business began to expand through word-of-mouth, social media, and support from Building Markets.
“Discovering Building Markets in early 2021 was a turning point for me,” Walaa told us. “Their free services, like mentorship, training, and access to finance, were invaluable on my path to success. Participating in entrepreneurship workshops and marketing training sessions equipped me with essential knowledge and skills, especially through Building Markets’ PMP certification program.”
Se Media rapidly gained traction, attracting clients from various countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Norway, and Türkiye.
Last year, Walaa and her family faced another profound challenge when a massive earthquake struck southern Türkiye, forcing them to leave their home for a second time. They sought refuge in a shelter, finding solace in others’ companionship. Despite the chaos, a resilient Walaa continued to work from the shelter with her employee, using one undamaged laptop.
During this challenging period, Building Markets was proud to provide steadfast support. Through our earthquake response program, Walaa was able to receive grants totaling $7,000, crucial for her company’s recovery. “Building Markets played a vital role in crafting my recovery plan, and their support enabled me to settle debts, restock supplies, and regain stability.”
As a woman and mother, Walaa wants people to know she is proud of how her success has improved their standard of living and positively impacted her children’s academic performance and well-being. She is also planning to expand her team and is proud to help other women create similar opportunities for their families by working from home.
“Everyone should pursue a significant goal,” Walaa told us. “It’s about planning, patience, and perseverance.”
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate Walaa and all women entrepreneurs who are building better brighter futures for themselves and their families!
