From vision to reality: a young refugee entrepreneur builds her future in Athens
From vision to reality: a young refugee entrepreneur builds her future in Athens
Wandhashina, a refugee from Haiti, makes the final preparations in the massage salon she opened thanks to the support she received through the Ready4Business programme.
When Wandhashina, a refugee from Haiti, arrived on the island of Samos in January 2025, she carried little more than her determination to rebuild her life. At 25, the journey that brought her from Haiti to Greece had already been long, buthere she found a chance to begin again.
While in the reception facility on Samos, she actively began seeking opportunities to help her advance her new life in Greece. There she met Mohamed, a Job Counsellor with NGO METAdrasi. From their first interaction, he recognized her determination.
He encouraged her to attend Greek language classes and introduced her to Ready4Business, an entrepreneurship support programme implemented by METAdrasi in cooperation with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the financial support of VISA Europe. Designed to help refugees turn ideas into viable businesses, the programme offers tailored guidance on everything: from business planning and financing to navigating the Greek market.
For Wandhashina, it was exactly the kind of support she needed, but it also required commitment. She initially began language classes alongside the programme, later pausing them to focus fully on building her business idea. When she eventually moved to Athens, she picked them up again remotely, determined to continue improving while pursuing her entrepreneurial goals.
From Samos to Athens, Wandhashina worked tirelessly: first in retail, then in hospitality, and eventually in a massage studio. But even in those early days of uncertainty, one thing remained constant: she knew she wanted to create something of her own.
“I chose to open a massage salon because well-being and helping people feel relaxed is my passion,” she explains. “I’m also interested in entrepreneurship — I like business.”
Her background supported her ambition. In Haiti, she had studied administration, economics, and massage therapy. In Greece, she refined her experience, learned the local market, and slowly built the confidence to move from idea to action. Through Ready4Business, she began shaping her vision into a concrete plan, while also confronting the administrative challenges this would entail.
The programme provided her with one-to-one mentoring and practical knowledge, but also something less tangible and equally important: belief in her own capacity.
“My experience with the programme was incredible,” she says. “It had been a long time since I had felt so alive and active. I learned how to manage challenges and entrepreneurial risks.”
One of the most defining moments came when she found the space where her future business could take shape. Faced with uncertainty, she had to decide whether to rent it before knowing if her application for financial support would be approved.
It was a risk. She paused, reflected, and ultimately made her decision.
“I’ll do it,” she told herself.
© UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
In November 2025, she signed the lease and began renovations using her own savings – money she had carefully set aside while working.
Two months later, in January, the news she had been waiting for arrived: her application for a start-up loan through the programme had been approved. The first person she called was her mother.
Today, in the neighbourhood of Nea Smyrni in Athens, Wandhashina’s vision has become reality. Her business, Dham Massage, is more than just a salon – is a deeply personal project. The name itself carries special meaning, combining a nickname her mother uses for her with part of her mother’s name, Chamille.
Inside the salon, she offers specialised therapies inspired by her Caribbean roots, blending techniques, traditions, and ingredients from her home country. She chose the neighbourhood carefully – a calm, residential area where she could build a steady relationship with a local community. She is already considering expanding her team as her clientele grows.
Her journey reflects not only ambition, but persistence. As Mohamed puts it, “She worked hard for the opportunity she was given. Having a clear goal makes a difference.”
Ready4Business plays a crucial role in stories like hers. Through a hybrid model of in-person and remote support, the programme ensures that refugees across Greece can access tailored entrepreneurship guidance and continuous mentoring, helping participants navigate challenges, understand risks, and build sustainable businesses.
At its core, the programme recognizes that integration can also mean creation: creating opportunities, generating livelihoods, and contributing to local economies in meaningful ways.
For Wandhashina, entrepreneurship has allowed her to bring together her skills, her culture, and her aspirations into something tangible. Today, she encourages others to follow their own path.
“My advice to other refugees is to have patience and perseverance and never lose sight of their goal,” she says. “Believe in your strength.”
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Wandhashina is among the 95 refugees supported in 2025 through the Ready4Business programme implemented by METAdrasi in collaboration with UNHCR, with the financial support of Visa Europe.