Pain is part of life, Suffering is an option. When suffering happens, it forces us to confront life in a different way. We have to learn how to adapt to difficulties so the most stressful parts of our lives are no longer the most significant parts of our lives.

this are wise words Jirayr lives by every day. He is an ambitious young man, who adapted to all the circumstances he faced and turned them into opportunities.

Living on the verge of poverty, even Jirayr's mother couldn't afford living a quiet life of retirement, but rather she has to work as a cleaner in a hospital, and prepare meal and groceries from home for Jirayr to distribute.

Jirayr started working when he was only thirteen, he was a blue-color worker in a rubber molding workshop until he became 20, when he had to join the military service for two years. Later he got back to the same profession and stayed in this domain till now as a worker.

Life became so hard, and as his mother is getting older she will eventually retire, and Jirayr will be the lonely provider for this family, and with his modest salary he knows that it will be struggle.

So, he applied to the Hope Center, hoping to use his great experience to initiate his own business, become an owner of an independent rubber molding workshop, it won't only enhance his livelihood and income but also will allow his  mother to finally retire after all the years of hard work.  

Shoushig and her husband Leon, saved each penny to achieve their dream of having an apartment of their own and raise their two lovely kids Titar and Mardo.

But the war forced them to give up on this apartment, and search for another one in a safe area, and far from the shells.

Her husband works as a driver, and to help him with the family livelihood, in 2012, Shoushig started working as a make-up artist from home. First she attended a specialized course in all beauty sections (makeup, nail care, and skincare) and she gained a good experience and over the years the number of her clients kept increasing. 

The income from this profession is good, but all her kit has become old and not useful anymore, and at the same time she cannot replace her outdated tool kit because of the high prices.

So Shoushig applied to the Hope center, seeking support that could improve her work and her income. it will be so empowering for shushig, the ambitious makeup artist, to be able to upgrade her business and continue her career prosperously.

Losing a parent is something nearly everyone goes through at some point in their lives, but the hardest thing is when that loss comes early, like what happened with Fadi after the death of his father, he was very young, grieving and responsible of his older pharmacist brother. 

While the economic situation in Syria went into a breakdown, securing livelihoods became harder. Fadi and his brother had to take care of their mother, who was a retired teacher at the university.

He started working in an optics shop in 2006 as an employee and then served in the military for two years between 2008-2010. After that, he got back to his work in the same optics shop until 2015, but unfortunately, the employer migrated and the shop was closed.

After achieving sufficient experience in this field, he decided to rent a shop and some primary equipment on his own in 2015.

Nowadays, to follow the development of technology, Fadi needs some new necessary equipment, to be added to his useful fifteen years’ experience in the optics domain, this what made him apply for a Micro-Project to get the support to purchase those machines, so he can expand and consolidate his career.

When dreams are larger than life nothing can stand in the way of victor not even the harsh economic reality. 

Victor’s laboratory is one of the well-known dental Prosthodontics Lab that used to be his father’s. through the years the father and later on victor built it slowly and with hard work to be inclusive and diverse to be able to manufacture different types of dental Prosthodontics. 

When war started Victor thought that his only concern will be safety of his wife and parents especially that their house was in extremely dangerous neighborhood, all he could hope for is to survive the vicious war. As the fight was over good tidings were looming, the couple welcomed their adorable twins and had high hopes of a bright future. But what Victor underestimated was the economic repercussions of a prolonged conflict that would prevent him from growing his business and become a huge obstacle in his way. The deteriorating currency in particular made it difficult to even think about obtaining the machinery Victor was eyeing. 

Victor applied for his project with one objective in mind, to purchase a 3d scanner for veneers, this machine will make a drastic change in the business, a technology that is not that common in Aleppo and with the high demand in the market it will be a great upgrade with huge potential. For victor, this support is so important without it wouldn’t be possible to push the business forward 

Emad is an ambitious person, he studied in the Medical Institute and specialized in the optics department, after that he worked in Saudi Arabia for about ten years in optics, that's how he got his great experience.

Later on in 2010, when the economic status was good in Syria, he returned to his hometown dreaming of a better future, by having a good job and a nice family. He bought a house, got married, and employed in an optics company as a salesperson.

While the crisis started, and his first and only beloved girl "Mira" was born, life started to become so hard, and he was trying his best to survive, in addition to supporting his widowed mother with a part of the household expenses, along with his brother. His experience in the rare domain of dealing with artificial eyes, helped in making his income a little better for the first period of the Syrian war.

Two years ago, in 2019, while the economic situation in Syria went into a breakdown, and life requirements became more and more expensive, his wife started seeking a job trying to support her husband, but the only opportunity she got was a position as a governmental employee with a really small salary.

Life is getting harder, and all the prices are becoming very expensive. Emad wants to secure his future life by starting his own business, using his useful twenty-years experience in the optics domain. That’s why he shared Hope Center his needs and the chance to help him secure a better future for his lovely small family, by supporting his Micro Project.

Serving in the military for more than 9 years has forced many young men to leave their jobs and change their lives, which led to the loss of the opportunities to gain vocational experience, but Hovhannes didn't want to give up on building a career and he wanted to restore his previous experience and return to his profession and practice it again.

Back in the day, Hovhannes worked in the field of car maintenance for about 8 years. He lost hope of being a workshop owner after spending nearly 9 years in military service, and getting injured. That prevented him from practicing his profession for a long time. 

However, things don't last long, after his release from the army, good things started to happen, Hovannes got married and started his small family.

In order to provide for his family, Hovannes was working in a car mechanics workshop, barely earning what can make him meet the ends. 

When he got married, the economic situation was better, while his current income isn’t commensurate with the high cost of living, and with the a newborn on board, Hovannes can no longer afford the large expenses of securing a comfortable life for his growing family.

The Micro-projects program decided to help him with all the necessary equipment that he needs, he become an independent business owner. The support will improve his financial situation, ensure he and his family have the financial stability they desperately need

Many people have lost their property during the war, when most of them had to sell their homes and cars, trying to survive at a time when finding a job become difficult.

George says: “I lost the only thing I have ever owned when I sold my car, trying to save emigration money, searching for safety for my family, hoping that by leaving Syria I can build a better future for them, but unfortunately, we lost our opportunity to emigrate and lost the only property we had".

George and his wife have a lovely daughter "Janet", they live with George's mother at her house, and take care of her because she is suffering from paralysis in addition to other elder diseases.

George told us "My main job is a taxi driver, but after selling my car, I rented a taxi and began working as a driver for a charity in the mornings, and after that, in the afternoon, I work on freelance to be able to secure our requirements, I have to drive all the day because I am the only provider for my family, and I have to save for my daughter’s university, and my mother’s medicine".

Having a taxi will help George to increase his income, so he can use it in his current job without paying the car rent. This project will provide his small family a better livelihood.

Losing home, career, and starting over is a tragedy that many people had to face, especially in times of war, one of them is Subhi, who lost his house and he and his family became displaced.

These circumstance forced him to desperately search for a safe roof over his head, so he moved over to another governorate to MashtaAl-Helou, and worked there for 6 years in the same domain his been in for years; tiling, to later on, when the situation got better, he returned to Aleppo and settled in his brother's house.

He started his career in 1980, tiling houses, decorating shops, and he still worked in this profession until his health wouldn't help him anymore, specially that his work has constantly put pressure on his knees and caused him serious pain and complications that eventually led to a surgical operation two years ago. Since then, Subhi needed assistance in his job and couldn't function as productively as before surgery. But since he didn't have any other choice, Subhi pressured himself to work despite his pain, until he reached a point where working in the same manner became impossible after a second major surgery he underwent 5 months ago.

Abandoning his career would be a nightmare for this hardworking man, but it was a decision he was forced to take for his health's sake.

Transitioning from being a head of tiling workshop to a mini pick up truck driver, took some time during which the family was living off their daughters salary (she works as an accountant).

However, now that Subhi made his mind about the pick-up truck, things are looking better already. and the best news is that this way he wouldn't be forced to give up his workshop and let go of his fellow workers, especially that the two jobs are considered complementary anyway this slight change will endable Subhi from transporting tiles between factories and work sites more conveniently and will maintain him a good source of income without putting much strain on his injured knees.  

Berjouhi's family has become small after all of her children have scattered around the country due to the horrific shells falling around their house, causing at times little damages to their apartment, and affecting their psychological state immensely, to the point that Berjouhi's son decided to leave Aleppo and join his sister in another governorate in search of safety.

But Berjouhi stayed at her home with her husband, who works in a metal lathing workshop, and despite her age and the harsh circumstances she started looking for a job that suits her situation to be able to help her husband face the difficult economic conditions.

In the past, Berjouhi attended several courses in the field of tailoring. She actually worked as a seamstress in a nearby sewing workshop for more than 10 years. She left work only when the workshop was damaged during the war.

 After her children left, Berjouhi was feeling empty nested and this gave her additional reason to occupy herself with an income generating activity, so she decided to work from home utilizing an old sewing machine she previously owned whenever she had the opportunity.

Berjouhi enjoyed being a productive person, and is considering her home based job more seriously, but in order to do so she needs reliable sewing machines that enable her to respond to the market demand and make a good income at the same time.

Gracia and her husband's paths have crossed in the workplace, when they met as two teachers in a private school and together created a lovely family with tow children; a daughter Mirella and a son George. 

After retirement the couple felt helpless, on one side the livelihood expenses were four-folding on the other hand their pension was not enough to make them survive and taking action to improve their livelihood situation became  a necessity.

the war also cost the family the loss of Gracia's husband's second job, which was a freelance touristic guide, but since the war started this job came to an end. 

The rapidly worsening financial situation forced the family to sell their car and lose their savings and even at times they had to rent a room in their apartment to strangers only to be able to have a better income.

Gracia has always been thinking about improving their situation, and as she had a very small experience in sewing, she decided to take a sewing course to improve her skills, and slowly the idea of investing in sewing machines was forming in her head.

This idea was making more sense, as Gracia was thinking of it, especially that her son George was working random things to be able to cover his university expenses and if he helped his mom in her self-owned business everyone would be happy.  

 Everything was well planned, the execution, responsibilities even the few clients and acquaintances that could help them launch.

All Gracia needed was financial assistance to buy sewing machines and start this project, hoping that getting what she needed will be a huge contribution to her success.

Life disappointed Joseph many times, one of which was when his wife's life was jeopardized after one of the mortar shells fell near their house while she was home. This painful incident destroyed Joseph’s wife’s life she had to go through nine surgeries to undo the damage was has caused. 

The second disappointment was the immigration of his five children, who have fled from the dangerous city of Aleppo to a safer place leaving their father behind. 

Despite all the challenges and disappointments that made joseph lose hope at some points, he never thought of leaving instead he was always trying to be resilient and pursue his dream, even in his career, Joseph who started as a government employee left his job to become a professional furniture upholsterer, and in the course of 40 years he started as a worker in this domain to later own and run his own upholstery workshop. But when war broke out and destroyed everything his business was all gone. 

Today, Joseph is doing his best to be the breadwinner of the house and a good caregiver for his wife, but he can’t do that without a little help from the micro-projects program which will give him the opportunity to restore his equipment and start over after long-sufferings. 

Sarkis is a man who suffered a lot during his life and faced hard times, he studied dentistry but left this career after probation year. 

He then worked with his father in shoe sole manufacturing, at their workshop in Al-Hullok area where they had 33 laborers. After his father passed away, and at the beginning of war in 2012, Sarkis lost the entire workshop in addition to all the machinery he used to have which was completely stolen. 

After all these hard circumstances, he didn't lose hope nor give up; he moved with his family to Tartous and opened a small workshop there in 2013, and stayed for about 7 years. Sarkis lost his son due to a medical fault, and that was the most heartbreaking experience any person could bear. This lost made him realize how fragile life is and he just couldn't continue his normal life, thus his work deteriorated and the shop was closed.

Now Sarkis, his wife, and their two adorable daughters are back in Aleppo. With his experience, and the good reputation he has, Sarkis decided to restart working in shoes sole manufacturing, but he still needed the machinery.

Since life has gave him a very hard time, the Micro Project initiative will help him with a chance to enhance his livelihood.

Fania's life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Bassam, fell ill, leaving him unable to provide for their family. With a studying son to support, her mother-in-law, and her husband's health deteriorating, Fania knew she had to act fast. 

Determined to secure a future for her family, she seized the opportunity presented by their small shop. With hope, She applied for assistance from the Micro Projects Program, seeking support to stock shelves, buy a refrigerator, and purchase goods to transform the shop into a mini-market and dairy shop, envisioning a lifeline for her family.

Her shop flourished and Bassam will find solace in being able to contribute as much as possible. 

Through her microproject and the support of the program, Fania not only sustained her family's livelihood, but also inspired others with her resilience in the face of hardships.

Elias Al-Ghabra is one of the minorities who are still interested in preserving the family profession as he began working in the field of manufacturing convection ovens with his father at a young age in a rental workshop in Jaramana and continued in the filed alongside his study.

The main field of work is manufacturing thermal ovens based on gas after the electric ovens stopped being demanded due to the terrible electricity situation in the country, their work increased and they also started to receive ovens maintenance orders. 

In 2010 Elias was called for military service and the war began shortly after he joined, so he was transferred to serve in Al-Hasakah Governorate until 2019, during which he went through difficult circumstances and faced many dangers. However, on his vacations, he used to return home and help his father in the workshop.

However, as a result of the significant increase in prices in addition to his mother’s battle with cancer and her treatment in Al-Biruni Hospital, their business deteriorated and the expenses became higher than the income forcing them to sell some of the equipment to cover the mother’s treatment expenses.

After Elias was discharged from service in 2019, he returned to work with his father, but the remaining equipment and materials were not enough to strengthen the work and have a proper income to cover the living expenses.

With the help of Hope Center, Elias was supported to purchase new machines to enable this intrepid young man to expand his work which will positively impact his living circumstances and help preserve the family's profession.

Alaa is a talented young man in his twenties, he lives with his parents and sister in Jaramana after being displaced from their home in Harasta due to the armed conflict in the area at the beginning of the Syrian crisis.

Alaa was always passionate about photography so he trained at a young age at a Clacket studio to learn more about this career, then he got employed at the communication department at SSSD as a photographer until 2018 trying to find better income to match the increasing costs of living.

Soon after, he started working at an event planning office as a photographer and videographer, but at the same time he was dreaming of having his own equipment that would enable him to establish private work and develop his career.

With the help of Hope Center, Alaa was supported to purchase a camera which was a dream coming true for him as he is able now to have his own photography session, and at the same time add his own signature which will empower his name in the field and open the chance of developing his work and improving his living conditions.

In the heart of a bustling area nestled a home where dreams brewed and aspirations soared. Dhyaa Al-Btros, his wife, and his family members lived within its walls, each floor holds a part of his close-knit family.

Since 2004, he delved into the field of confectionery, honing his skills by working at various pastry shops. In 2008 he was called for military service until 2010. Upon discharge, he returned to his roots in Khabab, opening a pastry shop until 2014 when adversity struck, so he relocated his shop to the Al-Dukhanieh area in Damascus, but the situation wasn't any better there as violent incidents and armed conflict took place in the area which resulted in the loss of his shop.

Undeterred, he adopted a novel approach, distributing goods via electric bicycles until 2019 when he was called again for the reserve service for three years before resuming the distribution of goods and biscuits, using his brother's electric bicycle.

Presently, Dhyaa toils in the morning as a warehouse worker, and by dusk, continues his work on a bicycle, aspiring to have a pick-up truck for efficient distribution, which would improve his income and release him from the hard morning work. 

considering this tapestry of trials and challenges, Dhyaa was supported by the Micro project program to purchase his own pick-up truck hoping to empower his unwavering spirit in the face of adversity, improve his living conditions, and preserve his dignity.

Meneam Salloum's life was marked by hardships but with his strong determination he was able to rise above all the challenges he faced.

he is living in Al-Abbasein with his retired father and two brothers, and together they faced numerous setbacks from losing his mother to grappling with unstable security conditions during the crisis, but he never let circumstances define him. 

Before the war started, he was working at his own shoe-making workshop in Jobar, but after few months of the war, the area was subjected to numerous incidents and his workshop was burgled making him lose everything he worked for in the previous years.

unfortunately, when Meneam decided to move his work to his living area in Al-Abbasein, he was sniped in the flank which put him in bed for several months until he recovered.

after that incident, Meneam decided to quit his profession and started working at cars office and then as a taxi driver, and later becoming a salesperson at shoes store, trying his best to afford the livelihood demands for his family and preserve their dignity.

Despite all financial strains that Meneam and his family faced, Yet he refused to succumb to despair, so he applied for the pick-up project at the Micro Project center.

Receiving funding for his project marked a new chapter—one filled with possibilities. It wasn't merely about starting a business; it symbolized resilience, hope, and the triumph of the human strong will over calamities.

Rafy Al-Sahwy, born in 1982 and residing in Al-Dwalaa, faced numerous challenges in life. With his parents deceased and siblings married, he lived with his brother, striving to make ends meet. His journey through different jobs—from being a taxi driver to a private chauffeur and later distributing charcoal by bicycle—reflects his resilience amidst hardships.

The war and his father's illness forced Rafy to abandon his farming work at the village and return to live with his family in Damascus. Despite various setbacks, he ventured into charcoal distribution, utilizing a meager capital. However, soaring prices abruptly halted his work, leaving him with loss.

For Rafy, the taxi project he applied for, symbolized hope and stability in turbulent times, and having support to purchase his own taxi potentially rescued him from the brink of financial ruin.

It wasn't merely about financial gains for him; it was about reclaiming control over his life and promising a brighter tomorrow.

Jean Baghdady, born in 1997, lives with his family in Jaramana. His father, Antoun, works diligently as a maintenance worker at Saint Paul Monastery trying to put food on the table at the end of the day.

Jean's journey through work has been diverse; from volunteering at the UN in 2017 to becoming a photographer's assistant from 2018 until the present day, he has explored various professional avenues. Additionally, he has been employed as a receptionist at Alberto Monastery since 2021. Despite his workload, Jean managed to pursue accounting and marketing courses in 2019.

He commenced his career as a photographer in 2019, honing his skills and preparing to be an independent photographer full of ambitions to start his business alongside collaborating with other professionals, trying to gain as much experience as possible.

While their household and furnishings are modest, Jean's family supports him as he navigates his career path. Receiving support from Hope Center, marks a turning point for Jean, offering him the opportunity to expand his own business, enhance his skills, and elevate his income.

For Jean, this support isn't just financial aid—it's his life dream, propelling him towards independence and self-improvement to secure a better future for himself and his family.

A talented and determined man is the least that can be said to describe Samwel Skeif. He is in his fifties yet, he still has the will and strength to keep learning and investing in himself. He started at a very young age to support his parents with living demands and so he worked as a tailor assistant, but he was clever and skilled enough to learn the profession and start his own sewing workshop which he ran for years until the conditions worsened; his job was affected badly forcing him to sell the machines in order to afford his family’s living expenses then he started to work in drawing and manufacturing sewing templates for different factories. 

Learning has always been a passion for Samwel, and even though he couldn’t finish his schooling education, he didn’t hesitate to enroll in several life skills courses such as fashion design training - TOT courses - speed reading courses - body language courses - and neuro programming.

Samwel got hired as a trainer at a development institution for design and sewing courses and he was so excited to transfer his knowledge and talents to others.

However, with the increasing costs of living, he wasn't able to provide his family with a decent living and he was thriving to have his own sewing workshop with the idea of turning part of it into a training center for sewing and designing courses.

Today, after being supported to start his own project, Samwel is so grateful to have this opportunity that will enable him to fulfill his passion for work and teaching and at the same time increase his income and improve his living conditions. 

At the age of fifteen, Eva Alshehadeh started to work at a hairdressing salon to support her family, since then, she started to learn everything related to this career including hairdressing, makeup, and nail care which gave her good experience in the field. Her father was deceased and she was the supporter of her mother and siblings so she was doing her best to afford the living demands, challenging all the difficulties of work and her health condition as she was suffering from sideropenia which caused her several symptoms and continuous feeling of tiredness.

In 2019, with the help of the church, Eva underwent Glandectomy surgery and her health condition started to improve, unlike her financial condition as the salon she was working at was closed and she found herself jobless.

Eva didn’t accept being dependent on aids especially since she became the only supporter of her mother so she started to work at customers' houses, using her old inappropriate tools, and touring from one house to another to have an income and cover the basic living needs of her family.

After applying at the Micro project center, Eva feels delighted because she was supported to establish her own makeup and nailcare center which will be the means to have an independent source of living and improve her living conditions.

Although she is still 22, Valentina was overloaded with life calamities and had to hold the responsibility of her family and her younger sisters in addition to taking care of her sick and heartbroken mother.

Valentina was living in safety and security with her family while her mother and father were doing their best to provide the best living circumstances for their girls. 

In 2013, this reality changed into a nightmare as their father was a victim of snipping while he was driving his car to work and the criminals took his body and the car. His family didn’t just have to handle his death news but also they had to pay an amount of money to have his body and do a decent funeral for him.

After that incident, the mother’s health deteriorated so she quit her job to take care of her daughters while Valentina started to work during her study time to support her family.

She started doing makeup and nail care for her relatives and friends then in 2018 she enrolled in several courses to enhance her skills then she started to work in different beauty salons trying her best to afford the livelihood of her family.

With time passing, Valentina discovered that her work was so tiring, and with no proper income, she quit and started to work for a percentage of profits waiting for a chance to have her project.

With great faith, Valentina applied at the micro-project center for support and despite her young age, this strong-willed lady was supported with all the tools and materials necessary to start her project because after all those hard years she deserved to be independent and have a decent source of income to help her family.

With more than 40 years of experience, Riadh Al-zawahra, a loving husband and father of two daughters Nour and Niveen, was still working as a tailor at a sewing workshop in Jaramana.

He started to learn the career at the age of ten, the same age he started to work and support his family then when he became experienced enough, he implemented all the steps of sewing and many workshops dealt with him.

During his life, Riahd was able to establish a lovely family and support his daughters to finish their education and work but due to the difficult years of war and the deteriorating economic condition, he wasn’t able to establish his own workshop.

“ All i wish after those hard-working years is to settle down, be my own boss, and have the ability to increase my income”.

Riadh applied at the Micro projects center, and considering his long experience and need to improve his living conditions, his request was approved as he got the required support to establish his own sewing workshop with all hope that this project would be a turning point in his future life and will give him the independency he longed for.

Being a mother of three young kids never prevented Raheel from working and supporting her family to pass through the years of war, while still trying hard to support her husband during the deteriorating conditions.

Raheel is a determined lady who started working as a seamstress at a young age and even after she got married she kept working at her sewing workshop in Damascus, until 2014 when the security situation became critical so she moved with her family to live in Jaramana.

Despite all the dangers and the daily shelling over Jaramana, Raheel and her husband kept working together to secure the best living for their kids. Together, they started a small shop for sewing and renting dresses where she worked in designing and making the dresses and her husband supported her in dealing with customers and the finishing.

However, with time passing, the electricity condition worsened and the shop income was no longer enough to put food on the table, while her machines became too old to use for professional sewing. So her husband decided to work two jobs in order to meet the living demands but his salary was still not enough due to the high costs of living.

Now, after supporting Raheel with new sewing machines and an electricity resource, she restored the ability to increase her work and get a decent income good enough to secure her and her family with good living. 

From a very modest but close-knit family who works to live, Beshara Al-mhanna was raised to become a hardworking man who started working at a young age to support his family.

He used to work in delivering vegetables on the village-city road but during wartime, the road became insecure and he decided to move to Damascus to study and work there. Beshara was a big-sized young man and as a result, he was exempted from military service so he kept working as a driver on different vehicles delivering any order to afford his living and support his family in the village.

Beshara was good at what he did but the high car rent wasn't sufficient to cover the increasing costs of living so he applied to the Micro-project program for the pick-up truck project planning to use the truck to deliver furniture and goods.

Considering his health condition, and determination to work, Beshara was supported to have the project he sought and he is now working his best to have more orders so that he can improve his financial condition and secure his family with a decent living.