Thuria's Story

Thuria came to Canada from Egypt because she felt there were better opportunities for women to have careers. In Egypt, Thuria had been a henna artist. In applying the plant-based dye to the body, Thuria’s exotic designs had earned her a reputation as one of the best artists in her region. Her first job in Canada, however, was not so artistic. She had a job cutting up boxes at a grocery store. "I was very grateful to have a job," Thuria says now. "But I missed my work as an artist. I became unhappy. I longed to do what I was good at, what I felt I should be doing. That was working with henna."

A social worker who had helped Thuria upon her arrival in Canada suggested she contact Momentum for advice on starting her own business as a henna artist. "Right away," says Thuria, "I knew I had made the right decision in contacting Momentum." Thuria soon found herself enrolled in Momentum’s ABCs of Small Business program, where she took part-time courses in the evenings learning about bookkeeping, taxes, insurance, all aspects of running a small business. And in keeping with what she had learned, Thuria started small. "I would set up a booth to do henna art at special events, and at gatherings for holidays like Canada Day," she says. "That was how my business began, and it just grew from there."

Thuria says that her Momentum experience made her feel strong again, made her feel like her "old self" again. Her course also helped her to see that using her art to create a business wasn’t just a dream; instead, it was a solid business idea that could really work. Thuria also says that she made some great friends in her Momentum courses, and is still in touch with many of her classmates. "Now I’m able to do what I know in my heart I should be doing," says Thuria today. "And that is the best feeling in the world."