
Khaled Abo Alhawa was a farmer in his native Syria before his family were forced to flee the civil war and became refugees. They were resettled in the United States in the summer of 2017 and began to integrate and rebuild their lives in the Greater Atlanta Area. In December 2021鈥攚ith passion, dedication and a dream in hand鈥擪haled and his wife opened their first family business鈥.
Kababji Grill serves authentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food with a focus on providing a fresh and healthy alternative to fast food in a busy outdoor shopping area. When asked why he chose to start a business, owner Khaled shared, 鈥淏ecause working for someone can be difficult, but starting your own business is an investment towards a better life and future.鈥
Working for someone can be difficult, but starting your own business is an investment towards a better life and future.
鈥淭he most challenging part of establishing my business was navigating the licensing and permit process in the beginning,鈥 said Khaled. 鈥淏ut 探花精选鈥檚 Microenterprise Development (MED) program helped me do this and took the lead.鈥 The 探花精选 in Atlanta also assisted Khaled with applying for an interest free $10,000 micro-loan to purchase new equipment for his business. He continues to work with his 探花精选 Business Counselor regularly as he builds-out his marketing strategy and revamps his website and menu.
Since the launch of the MED program in January 2018, the 探花精选 in Atlanta has supported refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs to open 72 new businesses and worked with 96 individuals to strengthen their existing businesses.
Much of our MED program鈥檚 success is made possible by Georgia community members who support these growing businesses鈥攁s volunteers, donors, interns, mentors and patrons. We know that refugees bring many skills, strengths and talents with them as they rebuild their lives in the United States and we are honored to support these entrepreneurial and resilient individuals in the pursuit of their own American dream.
You can visit and support Kababji Grill鈥攁nd enjoy their excellent cuisine鈥攁t 3640 Satellite Blvd in Duluth, open seven days a week!
Are you a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur in Georgia? To learn more about the 探花精选 in Atlanta's Microenterprise Development (MED) program, or to access our MED services, please contact Kendall.Souders@rescue.org.
To learn more about the work of the 探花精选 in Atlanta and for information on how you can get involved with the 探花精选 as a donor or volunteer, please contact Development Director, Heloise Ahoure, at Heloise.Ahoure@rescue.org or 678-636-8941.
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