AS a child, Mohamad Al Shaoa had to move with his family from house to house as the war in Syria raged. Yesterday he opened his new business in Enniskillen and looked back on the long journey that took him here.
The Syrian refugee fled the country with his family during the unrest there and finally settled in Enniskillen where he opened a new ice cream shop called Tasty on Belmore Street.
After escaping with his family from war-ravaged Syria to Egypt in 2012, they moved to Lebanon in 2013 before arriving in Fermanagh in 2019.
“When I was in Syria many places were destroyed because of the war. We had to keep moving around to other houses,” the 20-year-old said. “It was the same for my uncles and aunts and cousins.
“Syria was not safe, so we had to leave. In Lebanon life was very hard. I had to stop studying there and worked in a coffee shop.”
The family registered with the Red Cross in Lebanon, and after living there for six years they were eventually chosen from many Syrian families to go to Northern Ireland. Given only a month’s notice before the move, they were in Fermanagh before they knew it.
“We didn’t know where we would be going to. It could have been anywhere in the world. When we were told it was Fermanagh in Northern Ireland I had never heard of it,” Mohamad said.
On arriving in the county at 17 years old, Mohamad did not speak a word of English but thanks to courses at South West College and help from Fermanagh House in Enniskillen, he learned the language.
It’s been a long road to happiness but Mohamad has plenty of ambition and was determined to set up a business here. His years of working in a coffee shop in Lebanon gave him the idea for an ice cream shop in Enniskillen.
“Everything was difficult at the start but the people here are amazing. The Fermanagh people always gave me help and are very friendly. I still miss Syria but this is now my home,” he said.
“In my business, I will make Arabic ice cream, ice cream rolls and crepes. We will also sell waffles, juices and smoothies. I hope the people in Fermanagh will like what we make.”
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