Yousef is 31 years old, father of "Abed" a lovely young boy. The former combat veteran most promising years were stolen from him when he was assigned in Damascus then later in Aleppo, to serve his reserve duty in war. The cruel experiences he went through had an unforgettable mark on Yousef’s life, but what will always stay in his memory is the multiple injuries he was exposed to in 2016, when the building he was assigned in was targeted by missile attacks which led to the total collapse of the whole building and caused the death of some of Yousef’s fellows and multiple abdominal and facial injuries to Yousef.

For Yousef, the discharge from service (due to the injuries), opened a door to a new life, he finally was able to live as a civilian, go back to his old job in a medical supply factory and start a family. But life was not easy after all the economic changes that accompanied the war, Yousef’s old job was not enough to provide for a family of three like it used to before. Yousef started planning to find another livelihood that correspond to his conditions.

The pick-up truck was the perfect solution for Yousef who will keep his part time work in the factory and use the truck to transport their primary material and final products as a side hustle to make more income. Although working two jobs has not been easy, but it has been financially rewarding for the hardworking man to be able to maintain a good life quality for his beloved family. 

One of the biggest challenges that face young individuals like Elias is the lack of resources and opportunities to build a career or prosper in a country beaten by war. 

Elias is 27 years old, who worked for a long time in office for driving licenses issuing. Although, it was a little far from his academic studies in the mechanical engineering institute, Elias’s job has made him closely knowledgeable about cars, and driving in general.

Being the sole provider of his family, puts a lot of pressure on the young man to provide for his elderly parents in addition to his brother and sister who are younger than him. If war wasn’t the tragic reality of Syrians, maybe Elias would have chosen another route for his career, but the long years of war prevented the young man of this chance specially with the financial pressures and hardships. Elias chose to be a taxi driver to utilize all the experience he gained from his job in the licenses office. This career choice allows him to be flexible in his working schedule which enables him to keep a part time job and make a better living. 

Parenthood made the 34-years-old Rafi, defy the impossible to be a good provider for his wife Armineh and their two sons; Sako (10 years old) and Alec (5 years old). Rafi’s family business has always been in ironsmith, from an early age he learnt this craft from his father and contributed to the family’s work. But what made Rafi stand out from other craftsmen is that his specialty was manufacturing Amusement Park equipment. Unfortunately, for a city struck by war and lost its peace and safety, this kind of facilities were closed for so long, leaving Rafi without any source of income. 

Rafi refused to surrender, he was responsible of his little family and he was doing his best to provide them with good life.in 2015, in the darkest moments of war in Aleppo he took his family away from all the horror and temporarily moved to Armenia, but the expenses of such move could not be tolerated for long. When things got better in Syria, Rafi sent his family home while he went to Iraq to work there. However, Rafi’s plans were interrupted by Corona virus spread and his contract ended sooner than expected. 

The fund that Rafi received helped him obtain the tools and equipment needed to open his independent workshop and at the same time be able to stick around to raise his two kids with all the love he has towards them. 

After 10 years of volunteering in police service, the last thing Diaa imagined was to be called to serve for six more years in what was labeled as the worse war of the century, the Syrian war. 

His quiet life in Homs city was flipped upside down when the war started. After leaving the police force, Diaa who is from Homs country side had just opened a shop and was thinking about settling down and starting a family, but God had other plans for him. The news of his new assignment in the citadel of Aleppo was shocking for him. 

the Citadel soon became under siege for many years. For the majority of that time, Diaa lost contact with the outside world, forgot that life existed beyond the walls of the citadel, but did not forget about God’s mercy that saved him from the multiple injuries he went through during that time.

In 2016, Diaa and his friends were finally discharged. But unfortunately he discovered that his shop in Homs was destroyed and he had nothing to return to. 

Diaa then made the decision to stay in the city of Aleppo and start a family here where he spent the last seven years. He started working for a vehicles company to make a living and after a while, got married. He has been trying to build a life despite all the obstacle standing in his way. This is the major reason for him to want a taxi and be financially independent. the taxi for Diaa, who due to his injuries has limited work choices, will help him secure a good and content life despite all the difficulties. 

When Haroutun’s shop in Al-Ramuseh was destroyed, during the early years of war, he was left without a job and without any clue on how to support his big family. He and his sons used to work in car mechanics, but with war arriving to Aleppo their workshop first became out of reach then destroyed due to the armed conflict in the area. Later with the vicious progress of war being unemployed was beginning to be the least of their concerns; their house in Al-Midan was in a very dangerous zone, his wife was affected by the mortar shells and suffered from a nervous breakdown, two of his sons were called to serve their mandatory service in the army and his oldest son and his family of four moved in with Haroutun when he lost his source of income and had nowhere to live. And on top of that, their car was burnt after one of the bombshells hit it while it was parked in the street.

Simon (the oldest son), started working as a driver for an employer to secure their living, but neither he nor his father lost hope to someday return to their workshop, until this glimpse of hope disappeared when they heard that their property land was destroyed then turn into a local market. The savings didn’t last long, Haroutun was forced to find a job in order to provide for his family. That’s why the 63-years-old man started working as a taxi driver. 

The positive step that this project presented to Haroutun’s family is that instead of paying rent to the car owner, he can now secure a better monthly income for the family. 

Although it’s been ten years now, But Marderos can’t forget how war started suddenly and changed his family’s life forever. Tragedies started to fall upon them one after another and turned their lives into a nightmare. In The hardest days of 2015, when mortar shells were showering upon them, his daughter got injured and her injuries were severe and mainly in her abdomen, luckily she healed  after several shrapnel removing surgeries. Marderos also lost his brother by a mortar shell. 

The economic situation was miserable too, for months Marderos couldn’t find a job; as he used to work in transportation between Aleppo and Northeastern regions in Syria. But when a church near his house was hit and destroyed, Marderos preferred to sell his car in order to afford food and life basics and barely survive instead of risking it would be destroyed by the shells.

Having his own taxi means a lot for Mrderos, who lately have been borrowing his friend’s car to work part-time and support his family. The taxi enables Marderos to secure a decent and a stable income.

Everything in our lives is a reflection of choices we’ve made, but what if we didn’t have a choice at all! It is a feeling of helplessness and sadness that the 59-years-old father of two, Dikran is very familiar with. 

For ten years, Dikran was a pickup truck driver, he used to carry different merchandise, all sort of goods around the city and even transport furniture for clients as a side hustle. With sweat and tears he was able to secure his household’s needs and put food on the table for his wife and two kids. And although he didn’t have his own vehicle, his income was good and his family was able to have a decent life. 

But Dikran didn’t choose to live in war, he didn’t choose to be living in a dangerous area either. What made him feel more trapped and broken is that he didn’t have a choice to leave his house that got hit by a mortar shell in 2015 and was severely damaged, simply because he didn’t have anywhere to go. To make it worse, his relative who owned the pickup truck that he used to work on decided to sell it. Nevertheless, Dikran wasn’t left alone, the church helped him repair his house (that he was living in despite of it being destroyed) and offered him a morning job to help him survive.

When Dikran applied for his project, it was profoundly a wish to reclaim his right to decide his future, he wanted to make his own choices, provide a better life for his children and become independent once again. and having his own pickup truck has surely empowered Dikran and helped him take the first step toward the life he wants.

In the midst of the financial crisis, losing a job could be a dreadful nightmare specially if you are the family's provider and a father of a toddler. The 28-years-old Gabriel was devastated when he lost his job when the program ended in the organization which discharged the employees. 

Although Gabriel’s family business has always been in carpentry domain, but due to war their workshop was severely damaged and their machines were stolen. Without a profession, he returned to the savings to rely on, and to make matters worse, he had a knee injury. Gabriel had to act fast and smart to find a job that both ensures a decent income for his family and suits his health situation. The pick-up truck was Gabriel’s choice, majorly because he has a lot of acquaintances from his old work that he can depend on their orders for transportation services, and it basically involves driving which is convenient for his knee injury.

Purchasing a pickup truck is a big change in Gabriel’s career, it is a new experience that he is determined to go through, full of hope that it will enable him to provide a decent life for his lovely family. 

In the midst of war and economic crisis, establishing a business is nearly an impossible thing for young people like Samer. 

Eight years ago, the 31-years-old man who takes care of his mother, wanted to enter the blacksmithing field, gain a ton of experience in order to be able to open his own workshop one day and be an independent individual. The hard financial situation stood in the way of Samer's life and prevented him from achieving his goals and dreams, and the worst thing that he lost his job too. When all doors closed in is face, Samer went to Lebanon, to work there. He stayed for four years until he decided to return to Aleppo last year after Lebanon’s recent emerging crisis. 

Today Samer wants to take a chance with lots of hope and determination to open his independent blacksmithing workshop after purchasing all the tools and machines that will allow him start his work soon. It is a huge step for this young man but at the same time a very important one for his future life. 

When Rober and his family fled their house in Al-Midan in a hurry in the middle of the night due to the armed attacks, they didn’t imagine it would be the last time they will see their sweet home. The family left their residence with the start of war in 2012, and started a long journey of displacement and suffering. 

For four years they were homeless, they had to live in a shop under terrible conditions, and because the blumbing workplace became dangerous, Rober had no choice but to leave Aleppo and go to Latakia, seeking a new start. 

It’s been four years since Rober came back to Aleppo, and since then, he has been struggling to provide for his family and mother. He worked as a driver, a cleaner and many other jobs before he decided to go back to his profession, which was extremely hard since he didn’t have any equipment or tools to start again with.

It was hope fulfilling for Rober to know that there are people who still care and are willing to support him to be able to purchase his equipment and revive his livelihood. Now Rober is doing what he knows best and living a decent life with his family.

On a gloomy morning in 2012, Antoine’s life turned upside down, when he was kidnapped on his way to work. It was the hardest 15 days of his life, when he was finally set free, he made the decision of leaving Aleppo.

Antoine took his family of four to Latakia leaving behind his furniture spraying workshop and equipment. Settling there was not an easy thing, Antoine started looking for jobs in his original field of work, in order to provide for his family. It wasn’t until 8 years later when he returned to Aleppo, only to find out that his workshop was destroyed and his equipment were stolen.

Since the workshop needed a lot of repairs, he could not use it quite yet, but a good friend of Antoine’s rushed for help offering his place and tools so that Antoine can start working temporarily and provide some income for his son and daughter. 

Today thanks to the Micro Projects Program, Antoine was able to buy his own tools and equipment and carry on the persistent, hard work for the future.

Throughout his life years, Whether it was as an employee in a shop or for clients everywhere, Armen’s job has always been in the sales domain.

He started back in 1990 and his hard work paid of after long years of persistence and Armen’s acquaintances’ list grew longer specially when he became a salesman. His position allows him to drive a pick-up truck full of merchandise to sell and distribute them around the city. 

Although Armen liked his job, but due to war, it became very hard for him to provide for his family of five and for his mother who shares her residence with Armen’s family. 

When Armen applied for his project, he was trying to make a better income from a domain he enjoyed working in and also had long experience in. Having a pick-up truck will give him the flexibility to collaborate with many retailers and steadily expand his business and increase his income.