Syrian native who made Clonakilty her home raises €1.9K for earthquake victims 

Reham Ghafarji has raised close to €2K for victims of the Syrian/Turkey earthquake

A Syrian native who runs a soap and skincare business in Clonakilty has raised €1,900 for victims of the Syrian/Turkey earthquake on February 6.

Reham Ghafarji, who fled war-torn Syria in 2017, has been selling soaps and other self-care products since 2020.

Following the devastating earthquake on the Syria/Turkey border earlier this month, Ms Ghafarji said she felt she "must help" those affected and decided to donate 100% of her profits to White Helmets and the Molham Volunteering Team, two organisations working on the ground in her homeland. 

"My closest friend and her 50 days old son were killed by the earthquake in Syria," she told the Irish Examiner. 

"The survivors [have] become homeless with absolutely nothing."

"I decided to help my family and all Syrians who are suffering 12 years of war and now with [the] earthquake, the suffering is double."

The death toll from the massive earthquake has surpassed 47,000, with bodies still being retrieved from the rubble of demolished buildings. 

One of Reham Ghafarji's soaps

Ms Ghafarji said she is "so grateful" to be living in Ireland and feels "so lucky to be here." 

"Almost every day I receive flowers from my lovely community in Clonakilty," she said.

The business woman usually donates 15% of her profits to Irish homeless charities as a way of “giving something back.” She also previously created a Ukranian soap and donated 100% of profits to the Irish Red Cross Ukraine Appeal.

For anyone interested in supporting Reham Ghafarji's business and supporting her appeal, you can purchase her products on soapandmore.ie.