Syrian Cheesemaker Finds Success in the UK

— -- Razan Alsous is a 31-year-old Syrian who found refuge in the United Kingdom after fleeing the war with her family in 2012, leaving all her belongings behind.

In April 2014, Alsous got a $3,000 loan to open her very own cheese factory, making her one of England’s few halloumi cheese producers.

“It’s hard to think about my comfortable past, but if you think about the past you can’t think about the future,” said Alsous, who now lives in Huddersfield.

Yorkshire Dama Cheese, her company, won the bronze award at the BBC Good Food Show on Nov. 14.

Her husband, Raghid Sandouk, 48, has not yet acquired permanent status in the UK. His passport has been withheld by the Home Office for the past eight months, he told ABC News.

More than three million Syrians have fled the war torn country according the UN, who have asked Western governments to take at least 100,000.

The UK, who is the second largest bilateral aid donor to Syria, has only given refugee status to about one hundred Syrians. Now, 30 aid groups have urged the government to resettle 10,000 more.