Samaan Oskani is a 21 years old student at an engineering institute, in addition to working as a home electrical technician for about 4years.

During the war, Samaan's family was displaced when his mother's siblings sold the family house they used to live in, unfortunately, they didn't have enough money to buy a house, so they rented a very small one.

To make ends meet, Samaan's mother used to work as a seamstress, but her illness hindered her from going on. And his father is a minimarket laborer, and his uncle, who lives with them, is a wall painter.

The family is living under the poverty line, which pushed Samaan to do his best to be a provider for his family and improve their livelihood, so he worked as a home electrical technician laborer and learned a lot about this profession, but attending his institute lectures wasn't suitable for his employer so Samaan quitted this job.

He applied for a kit from Hope Center which would help him start his own business without losing the progress he made in his education, This way he can finally graduate for university and at the same time keep supporting his family.

When Megerdich was young, he had two completely different jobs. he worked as a jeweler at a workshop and at the same time helped in his father's oriental food shop. he has always been supportive of his father, but when his mother became sick, he had to prioritize and eventually left his job and hometown and accompanied his mother to Lebanon seeking necessary treatment.

War only made things worse, Megerdich's house was destroyed by a mortar shell (still needs repair) and after the death of his father he became the sole breadwinner, but the problem was that he didn't have a job after living in Lebanon for years. 

To secure their livelihood, Megerdich partnered with his married sister to run a sandwich shop, but due to the lack of equipment and lack of capital to launch a project like this and the low profit divided between the partners thing were not going as Megerdich wished for. 

Megerdich knew that in order to thrive in his business and become fully independent, he needs to open his own shop and start his own journey with the micro projects program that will offer him all the support he needs to become a productive individual in his community and provide a decent life for him and his mother. 

Razouk is a 30-year-old man who joined the army in 2005 and simultaneously worked in air-conditioning maintenance, using rented equipment from an elderly man, as he has never had any equipment of his own.

During the war, his family's biggest loss was when his father lost his hydraulic bus-chair's workshop, which was located in Al-Ramouseh area, in addition, their store in Homs was also robbed and destroyed.

When Razouk and his brother joined the army, they were sent into dangerous areas. Their father couldn't bear the  idea of his two precious sons in warzone and all of that reflected on his health, causing him all sorts of health problems; from blood pressure to kidney disease and other complications with sight and hearing.

Now, that fighting is over, one of Razouk's friends knew about Razouk's long experience in maintenance and wanted to help by offering him a shop to put the equipment in with no rent in exchange, thus, obtaining the tools and equipment was the only challenge standing between Razouk and his dream of independence.  

By giving Razouk the necessary tools and supplies for his air conditioning maintenance workshop, we were able to help the 30 years old man overcome one of the biggest challenges and the most important enable him to provide a decent income for his family of five. 

Life forced Mardiros the affectionate and caring father, to play the role of both parents in his children's Anna and Garo's lives when their mother passed away after a long battle with illness. 

But to hear his full story we should go back to 1990. At the time, he started his career in Saudi Arabia, as a worker in an auto body repair workshop, until 2006, that was how he achieved his experience. Later, he came back to Aleppo and worked as a laborer in a company. It was all good, but when he had to move with his family to Latakia, he lost his job. 

This is when the tragedy hit Mardisros again and he lost his partner in life and the mother of his children and had to head back to Aleppo without her in 2017 only to find that there are many misfortunes ahead.  

Like said, the grieving family returned to Aleppo to find their house destroyed by shells, and Mardiros had to renovate it quickly so that it becomes habitable for his family. 

without a mother in the household and him being busy of settling in and providing, Mardiros sent his children to a boarding school  to continue their education and be taken care of during the day and came to pick them up and spent time with them and their old grandmother in evenings.   

To be able to put bread on the table, Mardiros rented his friend's workshop with its equipment and started working in it, but unfortunately, his friend Had plans to travel and take the equipment with him, which meant that Mardiros will be left without any machinery or a workplace.

As he is the only provider for his mother and his two children, and with the help provided by Hope Center, he will be able to achieve a better income and enjoy this equipment after 31 years of experience and secure his children's future.

Losing his beloved father because of the horrendous war made the now 26 years old face the cruel face of life very early. It was a day in 2015 that changed his and his mother's life forever, his father didn't survive one vicious mortar shell attack on AL-Souleymanieh neighborhood, Their house was destroyed and the mother and son became homeless and displaced. They Grieving family stayed six months in Safita before returning to Aleppo again and start over. Their house was not habitable so they had to look for a new residence while looking also for a new source of income.

Samir's plate was full, took upon himself the responsibility of providing and taking care of his mother. A job in a local bank that he landed helped him to do so, while one of their relatives helped by offering his house for them to live in.

Samir was not content with the life he ended up with, and his income was not satisfying either, that's why he started pursuing an old passion of his for early days of university where he took interest in graphic design.  

back then he used to work in a graphic design office for two years and his passion for this field continued. However, Samir did not stop at considering the thought of entering this domain, he, in addition to his work at the bank as a head teller and his volunteer work in a local charity, applied for his graphic design project full of hope that this opportunity will help him realize his own business dream.

Samir applied at the Hope Center for graphic design equipment to start his journey. He chose this project according to his good experience in this domain, and this project will give him a chance to make his life better and increase his income and work as a freelancer designer from his home after the long hours of work in the bank.

Family is the most valuable thing for Bassam, his wife and their 8 years old daughter Anna-Theresa, the family suffered from displacement during the war when their house was destroyed and for more than four years they were homeless, moving in-an-out of rentals, to finally settle in one of their relatives’ houses until their own house was rehabilitated with the help of the Latin church.

Workwise, Bassam volunteered in many social communal initiatives with the Syrian society for social development (in 2012), based on his previous experience in managing large warehouses for huge companies. The nature of his career choices in the years of war were the reason that Bassam decided to be a taxi driver for his future life, it is a domain which doesn't require a wide experience, and at the same time it will ensure a decent life for his family after everything they’ve been through.

This is the story of two sisters; Rita and Milia who started their journey together, simultaneously with the beginning of the war.

Escaping the shelling in 2012, the sisters took refuge to a sibling house in Lebanon. But settling in a new county meant that the young girls had to find a source of income. They started working in a factory without knowing that their first task in the job will become their future life career. It was a very important experience and a productive one, Rita and Milia learned a lot about designing and how to operate on a laser-cutting machine. Days went by, and when Syrian stay situation became complicated, in addition to the COVID pandemic going viral, the sisters found it better to return to their family in Aleppo.
However, the situation in Aleppo wasn’t easy especially on the financial level. Rita and Milia moved in with their family of six to a small house, living off from Roger’s (their brother) earnings. 

Rita and Milia have always been strong and independent women, and they were not planning to give up on their career yet. Thus, with all determination, they searched for ways to establish their own business in Aleppo city. By helping these sisters in purchasing the laser cutting machine, the micro projects program will contribute in the success of this family business and empower many other young ladies out there to take their own path in the business world. 

Elian's life goals and orientation were completely different. His work in hair transplant got him moving to Damascus in 2005 to establish his own center there. Building his career took most of his time, but in addition to his main job, he worked in various fields of work such as food oil distribution and invested in frozen meat, as well as owning a taxi for several years. 

But what any businessman and investor fears turned into a nightmare for Elian when he was scammed and in a blink of an eye, all his money was gone for good. 

It was in 2017, when Elian found himself obliged to come back to Aleppo as he had no money to start over and nowhere to stay, except for his sister’s apartment. Since then, he has been working for many employers but none of these jobs could actually help him enhance his situation. 

Elian applied for a taxi because it is the only thing that does not require a massive capital (unlike a hair transplant for instance), and at the same time it can provide a stable and decent income for the 46-years-old man who has been through a lot in the last few years. 

A physical disability may cause people with special needs to feel hopeless sometimes. 

Krikor Jaco got injured during his old job as a chandelier fixer, which caused arterial damage in his hand. He is the only provider for his three children, and due to the family's expensive livelihood, he couldn't even afford the rent cost, so they had to live at his mother's house.

Now Krikor works as a concierge for the Armenian association, between 4:00 pm and 8:00 am. He stays awake all night with no electricity and returns to his house in the morning. 

His wife has been suffering with Cancer for a few years, and soon she will have to go through surgery. Despite her sickness, she insisted on helping her husband, so she worked in a bank. His son Ebrahim also works in a sweets shop to help his parents. 

Krikor applied to Hope center for a taxi because it fits his situation, and would really benefit from this support and have a better lifestyle. 

Bedros is a 51-years-old father of two who lives with his family and his father-in-law. His career has been changed a lot in the last decade. His start was is a chimney factory which was destroyed at the start of the war, leaving Bedros and many others unemployed. 

This sudden loss of income forced Bedros to work in any job he could lay his hands on, he worked at a local diner for about five years, putting up with the modest salary just for the sake of his family. But with the economic setbacks, Bedros had to look for another job. Financial difficulties were not the only struggle Bedros’ family faced; during the war, the family’s residence was in the middle of the heavily attacked neighborhood and it was damaged by shells many times. 

Luckily the family survived the war without any major damages, and Bedros was able to find another job in a small coffee shop to be able to support his family until he could figure out what the future will bring for him.

What Bedros was striving to find was a hope, and a second chance for purchasing a taxi. The taxi means that he can, for once, be independent and provide a decent life for his family that has been supporting him despite all the hardships of life.    

Joseph Matta is blessed with two handsome boys; George and Antoine, he is an agricultural engineer and employee at the government cereal establishment. His boys faced some terrifying experiences during the war, that left a lasting effect of a post-traumatic stress disorder, especially for his son Antoine, who was at home when a mortar shell fell on their house, which caused him to develop a condition of children-diabetes, that he still suffers from until this day.

Before the start of the war, Joseph and his friend worked together in ornamental birds trading, as Syria was considered one of the first supplying countries in this domain. Sadly, the crisis forced him to leave this profession that he has a passion for, and begin a new career as a taxi driver (rented Taxi), for three years in an attempt to increase his income and improve his family's financial situation.

In many cases, war leads to financial inflation, which causes people with middle-income to lose a lot of their savings value. Therefore, Joseph really needed to have a chance to improve his situation, have a better life with his lovely family, and start his next step towards a better future with Hope Center by supporting him to have his own taxi.

This is the story of Elias, a young man who was living with his parents in “Al-Midan area”, which was very dangerous during the war, where their rented house was hit by a mortar shell, that’s why they were displaced to another place in another area that is a little bit safer.

When war started it brought suffering, death, emigration, and a lot of tragedies that affected lots of people, and that’s exactly what happened to Elias's family. His father “Jean”, was in a traffic accident and got deeply injured in his leg, so Elias had to take full responsibility for helping his family with their daily life requirements. While his brother got hit in the back with a gunshot, which made him paralyzed, and left him with a walking disability for the rest of his life. In addition to all that, his sister's husband disappeared during the crisis in Aleppo, and hasn't returned till now, that’s why she moved back to live with her parents.

Before the war, Elias worked in a printing center as a worker, where he got his 10-years of experience working on huge printers, unfortunately in 2011, this center shut down because of the deteriorating situation in Aleppo.

Elias traveled to Lebanon for 5 years between 2014 till 2019, where he worked as a taxi driver. Later on, he got married and had an adorable baby boy, then in 2019, he returned to Aleppo, and stayed with his parents at their house, along with his sister and her children. As the financial situation got worse, his family expanded, and the house became very crowded, Elias moved from his parents’ house to a rented apartment. 

Elias is co-working with his father, driving the same taxi, exchanging shifts. That’s why this car became the only income resource for these three families. He applied in the Hope Center for a Taxi, so he can continue the job that he worked in for more than six years, and be able to reach his financial independence.

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.