One of the many downsides to living in a country struck by war is the financial instability, a lot of people lost their livelihood because of destruction, others had to change the course of their careers and flip from one domain to another and that what happened to Norayr.

Norayr is a 25-years-old man married to Nour and a father of a beautiful 2-years-old daughter “Maritta”. Norayr first worked with his father in his shop in Al-Telal street (his father was a tailor), and as it is known this area became a fire line between the conflicting parties in the beginning of the war in Aleppo in late 2012. The whole area was nearly deserted and the business wheel stopped almost completely, Norayr’s father tried his best but there were no customers knocking on his door. As a last option, Norayr tried to change the shop from tailoring to selling other kinds of supplies which he thought to it would be better financially but his efforts went in vain.

For the following year, Noyayr rented a shop to sell clothes elsewhere but that didn’t bring him good profits either, so he moved on to working in a plastic manufacturing factory, the salary was very low specially that he and his wife, who works in a local daycare center with a modest paycheck, are the family’s only providers and also for Norayr’s father who lives with them under the same roof. 

Prior to war, Norayr attended several courses to specialize in mobile phones’ maintenance which has become very requested nowadays, that’s why he wants to start this project, this persistent young man who knows nothing about giving up after difficulties deserves a chance. The advantage of this particular business is that it does not require a lot of space, Norayr can work from home, and it will depend on his skills and expertise, of course some equipment of devices is essential to start the business, but the rest is on Norayr to make it a thriving project.

Being a bus driver and working on the roads between cities in a country struck by war is an extremely dangerous profession, that’s what Zaki Dikran said, when he was telling us his story.

Since 1989, Zaki Became a bus driver for Armenian Central high school, a job he practiced during school season, in the summer vacation he had the flexibility to work on the road between the Syrian cities, that enabled him to provide for his wife Amira and two daughters.

His job was going great, Zaki was already working on two vehicles, and he was working an additional part time job at a plastic manufacturing factory in Al-Zerbe area. But unfortunately, the war came and changed the lives of the people completely. The roads in many Rural areas became filled with muggers, and even threatened with all the attacks and bombings, thus land travel became impossible.

Zaki himself witnessed an incident where armed groups stopped the bus he was driving to take two passengers as hostages, this horrible experience was nothing compared to the time when on his way to the factory in Al-Zerbe armed groups confiscated his car and gave him a very hard time. Zaki couldn’t stay anymore, specially that their house in Al-Midan was also in danger with constant bombings and missile attacks, so he took his family and went to Lebanon where his oldest daughter was already living with her husband.

In order to survive, Zaki became dependent on the financial help; whether it was from the church or from his brother or daughter, which is something that Zaki is not used to, this man has always been a hard worker, independent man, and he wishes to continue doing what he loves, since he and his family are back now after the relatively calm in the city of Aleppo. 

Helping Zaki to have a car is more than offering him a livelihood, it will have the greatest impact on many aspects of the family’s life status. 

Manuel Ashdoknian is a 41-years-old former photographer. His shop was located in Al-Helloq area, his father and brother also had a shop there. For so many years the three men used to go to work together every day, until the Syrian war happened.

The tension started to rise between the conflicting parties, the number of armed men was increasing gradually in the area, and things were getting scary for the civilians like Manuel. Eventually on one day, armed groups broke into Manuel’s shop and kidnapped him. It was a horrible and terrifying experience that he went through, he was tormented and threatened by people whom he one day was living among, he recognized them from their voices since they were masked. Then they finally let him go, he was lucky to outlive that dreadful situation.

It was the last time Manuel saw his shop and equipment. Most of his cameras and lighting tools were stolen. The only video camera which he was able to save, he was obliged later to sell in order to have some money for food for his family of five.

Manuel was offered to work on a taxi cab, he took the job, and since 2012 he’s been a driver. Although it was not his first choice, but he got used to it and became good at.

He was happy with the stability this profession gave him. But this stability soon became threatened when the owner of his rented car decided to sell it. Manuel wants to have a taxi so he can continue the job that he gained a seven years’ experience in.   

As the year 2013 began, the war has already overcome Aleppo, mortar shells and missiles disturbed the city’s peace and changed many families’ lives forever. A lot of innocent people were injured, and even more were killed, leaving behind grieving hearts like Ghassan and his wife Gracia. 

Ghassan (52 years old) and Gracia (47 years old) with their two sons George and John used to have a quiet life in their rented house in Al Jabrieh area where Ghassan used to work as a car driver for a transportation company in order to provide for his family, as he was the sole provider, his wife Gracia was a stayed-home mom while the boys were university students.

On a dim morning in 2013, George the oldest son was studying for his exams when an explosion occurred in that particular moment of shock on his balcony when George realized that his forehead was covered in blood, he rushed outside seeking help and the neighbors took him to the hospital to discover that a bullet was in his skull, but fortunately enough a surgery was done to extract it from his head, but this incident was overwhelming for the whole family. 

Four months after this horrendous incident, another tragedy struck Ghassan’s family, this time a mortar shell took his second son’s life in a blink of an eye… John was only 16 years old at that time.

Ghassan was devastated, his health was deteriorating and he found out that he had diabetes and it was hard for him to accept his loss and move forward, specially that life was getting harder each day after the roads were closed so he couldn’t go back to his old profession. 

However, in order to support his family, Ghassan resorted to selling groceries specially that the responsibility of providing was once again on his shoulders after his son George traveled to Lebanon to study theology there. 

Getting this Pick-up truck will be life changing to Ghassan; he will use it to transfer groceries from main markets and sell it to local shops, which will increase his income and provide a more comfortable life for Ghassan and Gracia.

Jean Domat used to be a professional photographer, he owned his own small studio in Bustan Al-Basha area and a prosperous business in photography. 

This 47-year-old man fell in love with the camera from an early age, he worked hard and doubled his efforts in his old job in car parts retail, in order to save enough money to purchase his first camera and do what he loved.

His sincere efforts paid off, he learnt the techniques quickly and became very popular in this career.Unfortunately, the war quickly changed Jean's path. His studio was located between two areas Bustan Al-Basha and Al-Helloq, which suffered from massive destruction and evacuated from civilians as the armed groups took over the houses and shops. Soon, the whole neighborhood became a battlefield, Jean lost everything he owned, his cameras, equipment and the studio itself that he invested all his saving in renting it. 

Despite all that he didn’t give up, he was responsible of his old parents while all his siblings were living abroad. During the years of war, Jean found himself obliged to find a job in order to bring food to the table. He rented a taxi and worked on it, having nothing to lose he gave it a go.

Despite that the income was reasonable, but whoever knows the situation of Aleppo city in 2012 and 2013 can’t deny how dangerous it was to be in wandering in the streets prone to all kinds of threats from being kidnapped to being injured by mortars or shrapnel. However, those dark years have passed now and the overall situation is better, allowing the life forms to be active again, which means that the events are slowly returning to the community life and the need for photographers is increasing again. Jean started getting offers to work with other photographers as a freelancer, the thing that revived hope in his heart.

He even wanted to reopen a studio, like the one he used to own, but it would cost him a fortune now. It is why he chose the driving job when he applied for the micro program. Having a car will allow him to keep his job as a freelance photographer but at the same time he will be able to save some money, and who knows, maybe in the future the dream of having a studio could be turned into reality for this hardworking man.       

To establish a business from scratch is very hard, especially in the time of war. Rami Tawil used to work as a sales manager in a Nylon manufacturing factory, located in khan Al-Asal.

Shortly before the war started, the tension between the conflict parties was building slowly but no armed action was taken against any civilians in the area of Khan Al-Asal, specially that it was an industrial zone with many factories and hundreds of workers going there on daily basis. Until one day in 2016, while Rami and his coworkers were inside the factory, armed groups broke inside pointing guns against the workers, keeping them hostages, while taking full control of the whole area. At the end of the day, Rami was released with the other hostages, it was a nerve-racking experience which they were lucky enough that they were able to get out alive.

After this horrible experience, Rami went to Lebanon for couple of years and worked there as an accountant in a textile factory, they paid him the minimum wage but he had to accept since he had no other choice there.

Rami came back to Aleppo in 2018 after things got a little better, he lives with his mother in the family house in Suleymanieh. The young man who got engaged a year ago, now needs to start over in his hometown and build himself a business to be able to support and provide for his mother and his soon to be wife. 

Recently, he is working in selling and distributing nylon products to some clients, but there are many obstacles in his way, since he doesn’t have a shop or a warehouse to store his merchandises, which limits the expansion of his sale rates and consequently his profits. That’s why having a small shop with good customer-flow would make a big difference in the improvement of Rami’s business.

Like all residents of Syria, Oujen and his wife had their fair share of suffering from being displaced and losing their belongings 

One day at the start of the armed conflict in 2012, Oujen and his wife were visiting his in-laws in AL-Midan when they heard the news of armed groups breaking into Sheikh Maksoud area. They confiscated the houses, and soon the whole area became out of civilian reach, and the family like many others couldn’t save anything of their belongings. they had no idea that they wouldn’t be able to see their house there ever again.

His main profession was in the cloth manufacturing lane, he had even taken some time-off from it and worked as a nurse in AL-Kalima hospital for five years and that’s where he met his wife.

Oujen who’s 37 years old, and his wife Noushig who’s 31 years old have struggled after that devastating incident, they decided to escape the falling shells and travel to a village near Mashta Al-Helou, where Noushig’s Aunt used to live, especially that Noushig was pregnant by then, their family was expanding and they had to work in anything they could find, it was a hard time for them; being in a strange town with no stable job or residence, they reached a point of hopelessness that they even worked in farming, by planting beans to provide their daily livelihood. 

Four years passed by, Aleppo became a bit safer, Oujen and his family moved back to Aleppo. Oujen had previously worked in many different domains. However, going back to the nursing profession was not an option, because of the low salaries. Oujen had no choice but to search for a job in the clothing business.

Today Oujen works in a clothing workshop and Noushig works in another low paid workshop of assembling electrical switches, and together they are barely making a decent living. This is the reason he chose to pursue a new type of career as a taxi driver. It is profitable and will make him stand on his own feet, and most importantly it is not a seasonal job like his current one, which is a vital matter for a main provider like himself. 

My name is Samira Kattaa-aljabal, I am a divorced mother with one girl, her name is Jenny, she is a 20 years old university student. During war, we stayed in Aleppo in our house in Al-Midan area which belongs to my ex-husband. My sister is a single woman who is old and sick. She works in a sewing workshop and her salary is barely enough for the daily expenses, so I always help her. I have been working as a fitness instructor for more than 26 years in a gym located in Al-Forkan. I have excellent experience, and I am well-known in this area. 

I want to rent a hall to start my own project which is to give Zumba and aerobics lessons. I am professional in this field and I know a lot of people who are just waiting for me to open my own place so they can come and benefit from this sport. This project will give me the chance to have the business that I have always dreamt of, and the independence at work which will result in an increase in my income. This will be great as I am the sole provider for my daughter.

In his early thirties, Yacoub Baddosh shares his story with us and his future plans, this young man who lives with his parents had originally studied in the institute of tourism in Aleppo university, and worked in lots of hotels after finishing school. He was making his way in that domain steadily and everything was going smoothly for him until the war started. 

The impact of war in Syria reflected greatly on the tourism industry, the losses were massive, Yacoub found himself out of work and had to find a new job. After a while he started working for the ‘MJO’ in one of their warehouses for the morning shift and in the afternoon, he helped a friend in his espresso coffee shop.

Yacoub and his family are very thankful that throughout the war, they didn’t have any major losses. However, living in a neighborhood like Telefon-Hawaee, where they are an easy target for bomb attacks wasn’t easy at all, neither was the deteriorating economic circumstances; Yacoub’s father retirement salary plus his simple salary combined are barely enough to survive the daily needs. 

Today, Yacoub is planning to open a small shop of his own, in his busy neighborhood to sell espresso coffee and some cold beverages, since he has done this job for many years in his friend’s shop and gained some experience in managing such projects. The income will give him the first push towards improving his financial situation.

After his graduation from electrical institute in 2002, Bashar Boulos who’s 31 years old today, started building his career on his own, until he could upgrade his business and rent a shop in 2010. Not much time passed before difficulties found their way to him, soon after the war started in 2013, the industrial factories shut down and since he was specialized in Industrial machinery, he had to switch his job to something more profitable. Thereafter, He worked on a taxi for 7 months, but the shortage of fuel and the high cost of this substance made the earnings barely enough to cover the costs, so he started searching for something else. 

This time he traveled to Lebanon, got a job as a Maintenance manager in a hotel, and worked there for the following two years. In 2015 tragedy struck again, Bashar heard the devastating news of the death of his father, his widowed 68-year-old mother was left alone and he had to come back to Aleppo to take care of her. New hopes are starting to blossom in Bashar’s life, he is engaged now and planning for his wedding in September, and not just only on a personal level but also because the closed factories are re-opening once again even if it is in a slow pace, and customers are coming back to him to repair their machinery parts. That helps a lot but it’s not enough to start a new family while taking care of his mother since his father’s retirement salary is her only modest income.

Bashar applied for an electrical maintenance equipment, which is his field of experience, so he wishes to get back to this job and that would give him the boost he needs to create a better living, and become financially more stable for the new chapter of his life.

Milad Khshefi and his mother suffered immensely from war ramifications. 

In 2012, the 38 years-old single man and his 71 years -old mother had to flee from their home in AL-Ghassanieh when armed groups entered the village, only with the clothes they had on, they couldn’t take anything with them, they didn’t have anywhere to go except Milad’s rented house in AL-Midan in Aleppo city, where he used to stay while working in the packaging workshop. They came to Aleppo, but one of his brothers refuged to Germany while the other stayed behind to protect their house in AL-Ghassanieh and prevent the armed groups from taking it, not knowing that it would be the last time they get to see each other.

Shortly after, in 2013 the tragedy hit, Milad’s Brother was kidnapped by the armed groups and a ransom was demanded in exchange of his life, the family did their best to gather the money but that exchange never happened, the kidnappers took the money without giving any proof that he is alive... years went by and till this day they don’t know what happened to him.

Here in Aleppo, Milad is taking care of his heartbroken mother, he is working with his relatives in a packaging workshop but his salary isn’t enough to cover their monthly rent, medicines for his mother, and their daily living. His mother’s retirement salary helps a little but it is very low.

It’s time for Milad to work independently and open his own packaging workshop and get the needed equipment, since he has the experience needed to do the handwork (he works in the same field since 2004), and the acquaintances to ensure reasonable workflow to start a stable and sustainable business.

My name is Ohanis Torous, a 29 years old single man. I live with my mother Louseen who is 49 years old, she is currently looking after a sick person as a job, my father has psychological problems, so he is not living with us. We used to live in my uncle’s house in Sulaymaniah, because we did not have a house. it was burnt by my father as he was out of control once on one of his rage tantrums. We lost all the furniture and the machines that we had. Later my uncle offered us a house in Al-Midan area to live in that had some old furniture, so my mother and I moved to it and we are currently still living in it. I used to work in a fast food shop in Sulaymaniah. I worked there for 2 years, but when the owner of the shop decided to close it, I had to find another job. I spent more than 2 months searching for a stable job. However; when I could not find one, I started working in selling sandwiches in the street. unfortunately, the government banned this kind of work, so I was without a job again. I am currently working in a sandwich shop in Sulaymaniah. The work is good, but my salary is not enough to provide the needs for my mother and me. I want to open my own fast food shop, because it is the only job that I know how to do, and it will give me the independency that I am looking for.

After more than 20 years of a stable career and secure living conditions, Anwar Hanna, the 63-year-old man was a victim of displacement and losses.

Anwar was living with his family in Erbin area, in the countryside of Damascus, he was working as a blacksmith at his private carpentry workshop and their life was full of peace and security which all was ruined after 2011 as the terrorist groups broke into the area and spread their violence and horror at over. Anwar was very concerned about his family’s life and took them out of the city under shelling and bombing without being able to take any of their belongings, all that he cared about was to keep them far from being hurt.

They moved for a period to Sednaya then to Jaramana where they rented a small and modest flat to shelter themselves after losing everything they worked for in their entire life, their house, furniture in addition to the workshop tools, and equipment.

Anwar had to start from scratch so he got employed at a factory in the industrial Adraa where he worked for more than 10 hours a day so he could be able to put food on the table at the end of the day, his work was hard and the income was very low but Anwar was trying his best until his health condition started to deteriorate and he became unable to continue the hard work.

His son’s income was barely covering the house rent and expenses so Anwar had to keep working in order to secure the basic living needs.

He started to work as a taxi driver with 25% percent of the taxi wages a day and spent many days touring the streets trying to improve his financial situation but couldn't meet the high costs of living.

Anwar decided to apply for the taxi project because it will provide him with a sustainable and good source of income which will be enough for the house expenses and to improve their living circumstances.

George is a married man and the father of three daughters Dina, Rita, and Rima.

George suffers from speech disorder but that didn’t prevent him from working or having a normal lifestyle as for the last 30 years, he has been working at the Ministry of Health as a physical therapist.

He handled his tough work schedule for many years to ensure a dignified life for his family, because all he cared about was raising his daughters to become successful individuals in their lives, and that is what he gained as Dina is studying at the Faculty of Media, Rita is at the Faculty of Humanity science and Rima is at the Faculty of Law.

Although George's financial situation wasn’t going good, George tried to protect his family and provide them with all their living demands, but after being at the edge of his sixties and about to be retired he became unable to continue the same effort in his profession, and started to worry about how he will secure his daughters future, especially that they were living in bad condition and barely able to afford their expenses by the end of the month.

Now thanks to the micro-project program, George was supported to have his own mini-market that he will run with the help of his wife and daughters, so they get back on their feet again with a steady source of livelihood.

We are all aware of the violent acts of war during the last decade which affected the lives of many innocent people.

Edwar was one of those people who was exposed to a kidnapping incident that turned his life upside down.

Edwar Darwish was born in 1972, married and has a son ‘Gassan” born in 2014. He lives with his family in Kashkoul, a Damascus suburb and for more than 10 years, he worked as a bus driver on Damascus-Aleppo international road.

His tragic story began in 2012, a few months after he bought a taxi in installments. he was looking to be self-employed with a better and more sustainable income after completing the car's price but unfortunately, while he was working in the taxi, some masked men blocked his way with their guns and kidnapped him, and took his taxi.

He was captive for several days under severe torture until he was able to escape during the night and kept running till he reached Damascus suburb road as he headed to a police station and reported for his kidnap and the stolen car.

Edwar was in a pathetic situation as he stayed for more than a year recovering from the incident’s physical and psychological effects, his financial situation has also deteriorated as he had to pay back all the remained installments in addition to his treatment costs.

Edwar returned to his previous work and although the income was a lot less than the living expenses, he kept working hard trying his best to secure the basic demands for his family but with the increasing costs of living, his situation became worse than before and they were barely able to afford for their daily food.

Through the Micro project programs, Edwar was financed to have his own Taxi, which will provide him with a second chance to make up for his losses and restore his life by having a decent income.

The cruel war forced many people to live far away from their families and children, seeking better income to afford decent living conditions.

Dekran Kendmian worked in maintenance and his salary was good enough to meet his daily expenses, but with the beginning of the war, his profession was affected badly and he became unable to afford the basic needs.

Dekran couldn’t stand watching his children deprived of having a good life or proper education, so he decided to travel to Lebanon where he started to work there in his profession and send whatever he earned to his family back in Damascus hoping that someday he would bring them to live with him. Unfortunately, the high living costs in Lebanon prevented this dream and he spent 9 bitter years waiting for the day of their reunion.

However, with the beginning of the Lebanese revolution in 2019, the security and economic situation in Lebanon worsened, and he decided to return to Syria.  But the Corona pandemic, and the quarantine that happened after, reflected negatively on his financial situation as he started to spend his savings with no income.

Dekran was a hardworking man who couldn’t stand letting his family live in need and poverty, he said:

“I am willing to tear down the walls with my bare hands to secure my family with a better life”

Through the Micro-project program, Dekran got a pick-up truck so he could be able to make a sustainable income that will improve the family's living circumstances.

Abdo had a peaceful and stable life with his family living in Sednaya town, Damascus countryside.

During the first years of the war, the situation began to worsen gradually, until it became very dangerous to stay in the area, as his house was severely damaged by the shelling which forced the family to leave their home without being able to take any belongings.

Abdo and his family moved to Damascus where his friend helped him rent a small apartment in one of Bab Touma's old neighborhoods to shelter there, as his children were still at a very young age.

Abdo worked in a small shop in Kashkool area, and he tried hard during those difficult years to secure the basic living necessities for his family, but his income was barely matching the high living expenses which prevented him from moving to a better house or buying new furniture and his financial condition was getting critical.

Unfortunately, by the end of the war, the economic crisis exploded, then the Corona pandemic started, which affected the business situation severely and Abdo had to close the shop in 2020, he began to look for any source of income to secure the rent and his children basic requirements.

He started working on his old car making deliveries or special requests with the help of his friends and relatives, but the car was worn-out and its malfunctions cost a lot of money which banned him from improving his work or his income.

Now after getting the approval, Abdo is touring the streets day and night with his new taxi, seeking to get as much work as he could in order to enhance his income and his family’s living conditions.

There will always be difficult challenges to face every day, but with great faith, one will be strong enough to defeat those challenges as Jamil Bshara did his entire life.

Jamil is 49, married to Silva Hamwi and together they have amazing three children; Eleanor and Alber born in 2003, and Enji born in 2005. Jamil and his family live in a small rented flat in Jaramana where he works in packaging at the Syrian Trade Corporation.

Before the crisis, Jamil used to have his own shop that sells toys and other stuff, his income was enough to secure a good living. After about 7 years of working in the shop and with the outbreaking of the Syrian war, Jamil had to close it due to the increasing prices.

However, he didn’t hesitate to do any job available because he had a family to feed and kids to educate, so he worked as a cleaner in Saint Mansour Monastery in Sednaya until 2013 because the situation there became very dangerous. After that, he started working in a local food restaurant in Jaramana and for many years he worked more than 12 hours a day and did his best to provide the best life possible for his kids, and he succeeded in his endeavor as his son Alber is at the informatic engineering college and his daughter Eleanor is at the architecture engineering college while his third daughter is from the top students on in her class.

“what you give out, will always return to you”

Jamil spent his whole life giving his family all the love, attention, and care, and it was time to reap the results as his request for the mini-market project was approved, and now Jamil is hoping that after all those tough years, he will finally have a thriving job that will enable him to be independent with a sustainable income.

For more than 27 years of experience as a shoemaker, Elias Alhelo has devoted all his life to the sake of his family and his three daughters Maha, Ayda, and Hanin.

They lived in Aldekhanyeh area in peace where Elias had his workshop and the profit was sufficient to secure a decent life for them.

Unfortunately, after the beginning of the crisis, things started to worsen gradually until the year 2014, when armed groups entered Aldekhanieh and started to shoot at the houses spreading violence and horror and terrifying the citizens including Elias and his wife who were in great fear for their daughters’ lives, especially that their daughter Hanin was still a newborn. Elias was forced to take his family and flee immediately without taking any of their belongings.

They became homeless, with no money or shelter so they stayed for two months in an unfinished flat until Elias managed to get some money to rent a small apartment in Kashkoul. He found himself forced to start everything from scratch; so he doubled his working hours just to afford the household necessities.

Although Elias was a skilled craftsman, being an employee at a workshop didn’t provide him with enough income to meet the living costs or secure his daughters' education costs, he was looking for a chance to improve his living circumstances.

Giving Elias the opportunity to have his own shoemaking workshop will make him independent with a sustainable income, in addition to restoring hope to his heart that life can still be kind to the ones who believe. 

"Being responsible for a lovely family with two little girls under current circumstances in Syria is something very difficult, it breaks your heart not to be able to secure the simplest needs of life and see your daughters growing in deprivation."

All that George was seeking for, is to secure a decent living for his family. Unfortunately, within the economic crisis in the country, no matter how hard he worked he couldn’t afford even the daily food.

In the previous years of war, George moved between several jobs as he worked at a coffee store for a year but his salary wasn’t good so he quit and started a Shawarma restaurant in partnership with his friend, but after one year his friend traveled abroad and George couldn’t handle all the expenses alone so he had to close it and worked as a waiter in a hotel. Since 2019, George has been working for more than 12 hours a day trying to afford his family's livelihood, but the situation is getting worse year after year and his income isn't enough to meet his monthly obligation.

He takes courage and determination from his daughters' innocent eyes to keep working and trying every day, because his main concern is providing them with a decent life.

Through the Micro-project program, George was supported to open his Coffee shop, so he could be independent and able to improve the living circumstances of his family. 

For 23 years, Nawal worked as a teacher to many generations who learned from this wise woman, she didn’t just teach them the typical curriculum but also planted true values of life in their mind and you can see that from her sons whom, despite the difficult financial and living condition of the country, were supported by their mother to become successful in their education. Hani is now in the third year of Agriculture Engineering, Fady is in the first year of Informatics Engineering and the youngest, Dani is in the eighth grade.

Unfortunately, the last decade was very hard for the whole family, as her husband’s job was affected badly by the war in addition to losing their house and land in the village of Rakham, Daraa governorate, with 125 olive trees that were cut and burned.

However, despite the losses, Nawal and her husband kept their faith as they started to work together to raise those young boys and provide them with basic needs and proper education, and even after her retirement in 2016, Nawal insisted on playing a major part in her family’s life; she tried to find a job but with the deteriorating condition and the increasing prices, nothing was suitable to secure the income she needed.

This hardworking woman kept searching for a chance and didn’t hesitate when she heard about our initiative to apply for a stationery shop which was approved. Nawal received the necessary equipment and materials to start her stationery shop where she could work along with her sons to get a sustainable income that will improve their current situation and hopefully their upcoming future.

Wissam Wakim is married to Rasha Mousa, together they have a cute little kid called Marcus.

Wissam has worked as a goldsmith since 1996, but after the beginning of the war in Syria this profession became unprofitable so he traveled to Lebanon in 2011 and started to work as a private driver for a Lebanese family. 

Unfortunately, after about four years, the family traveled abroad and Wissam became jobless, so he returned to Syria where he got employed as a driver between Syria and Lebanon. His income was enough to meet his household but a few months after his son’s birth in 2019, the corona pandemic started and because of the long quarantine period and the borders restrictions, the travel movement between Syria and Lebanon shut down, and once again Wissam found himself under the toughest conditions.

Wissam started working as a taxi driver for very long hours, but despite how hard he worked, two-thirds of his income was going straight to the taxi owner which made it very difficult to afford the increasing expenses, especially with a little kid, house rent, and daily living needs.

“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have”

Wissam was in very bad circumstances but his will never weakened, and when he heard about the Micro-Project program he didn’t hesitate to apply for the taxi hoping to improve his reality. Indeed, Wissam’s request was approved and he got his own taxi. Now he can be independent and secure a sustainable source of living for his family.

Life is about moving on, accepting changes, and looking forward to what makes you stronger and more complete.

That’s what could be concluded from the life journey of Wassim Nanaa, a 37-year-old man who was struggling for the last decade to survive. Wassim was living along with his mother and two brothers in Al-Dwalaa area, working as a hairstylist with his brother and their work was good enough to secure them a decent life.

Wassim was like any young man of his age, dreaming about having a home and starting a family without knowing he was about to face many dark days that will change his life completely with the first months of the war outbreak, he got called to serve the military in the city of Aleppo, the center of the darkest battles in the country.

Soon after, his brother had to close the Salon and travel to Erbil, while the third one stayed with their mother whose health deteriorated from fear for her sons' future. During the first years of his service, Wassim went through very hard circumstances and escaped death many times.

In 2016, Wassim was transferred to serve in the city of Damascus, where he became close to his family and neighborhood so he began to do any work available to secure his income and improve his family's living conditions, then he started working as an English tutor at home in addition to some freelance-translation work.

Wassim was finally discharged from the military service last year, so he volunteered at St. Elias Church in Al-Dwalaa teaching English to needy students who couldn't afford private lessons, but despite his long working hours, his income wasn’t meeting the increasing living expenses.

Through the Micro-project program, Wassim was able to transform a room in his house into a teaching class and prepare it with the tools and equipment to give lessons and secure a sustainable income. 

Firas Haddad, 46, lives with his mother in a modest house in Jaramana, Damascus countryside.

as a child, Firas went through very difficult circumstances as he was exposed to a fire accident in his childhood that caused severe burns on his hands and face. He has undergone many surgeries since then and still suffers from deformities, but it didn't prevent him from working or having a normal life.

In 2010, Firas started working as a salesperson using his small car, and even during the period of war, he continued to tour on the roads, trying his best to afford his living expenses and take care of his sick mother; secure her medicines as she suffers from severe back pains and osteoporosis which needs lots of attention and permanent treatment.

This situation continued until the year 2020, when Firas had a health problem, as a result of which he had to go through a stents placement operation, then he had to stay at home to rest. During that period, his financial situation was affected greatly, especially after the high treatment costs and the increasing living expenses, after his recovery, he wanted to start working again, but the prices had risen dramatically, and that prevented him from buying any new goods.

Firas and his mother became reliant on the church’s relief support, he kept looking with all hope for a way to restore his old life. It was when the church's priest told him about the Micro-project program, so he applied to be financed with the goods and materials to get his job back, secure a decent income for him and his mother, and become an independent and productive person once again.