Although young George lives a quiet life with his mother in their family house in Al-Midan, but the long years of war were anything but quiet; their neighborhood had suffered from the shelling for many years and George and his mom were alone in those hard times, since his father had passed away when he was a kid and his older sisters are married abroad. Going through war and being responsible for his mother, made George mature early in life. 

Despite the fact that George did not give up on his studies, he has always been interested in crafts, since he was young, he worked in a gold crafting workshop and discovered his skills. Slowly this Summer job became a career field which George got involved in. During his ten years of working in this field, George worked on his skills and started building his own name in the market, hoping that one day he can become independent and start his own silver crafting workshop.

His dream came true when he got the funds from the Micro Project that allowed him to purchase all the tools and equipment to establish his first independent workshop. 

From an early age, George and his brother Fadi had to face the hardships of life instead of having a normal childhood, first they were separated from their parents at the age of five, then, life became even harder. 

The brothers who were living with their aunt and uncle, were shocked when they both were called to serve in the army at the same time. During his service, George was injured; a sniper's shot hit him just under his heart, and he went through four surgeries to remove the shrapnel. In 2019, the five years of agony ended when George was discharged unlike his brother who is still serving till this day.

However, with his multiple injuries George could not go back to his original profession which was in car mechanics, instead he was hired in a medical company with a very modest salary. 

George, was very enthusiastic when he knew that his Taxi project got accepted. For the first time he became self-employed and independent, a young man full of hope and determination to move on in life and build a better future.

Maher’s life was turned upside down when he and his younger brother were both called to serve in the army’s mandatory service in 2018. When the two brothers were away on fire lines, their mother Soaad could not bear the thoughts that her sons are in danger everyday, the fear for their lives and the difficulties of living alone as her husband passed away since the boys were small children, all this affected her health and caused her a heart attack. she survived the incident to be reunited with her son Maher when he got discharged after two years of service. 

When he came home, he immediately looked for a job, and he found one in a local bakery with a very modest salary. Maher had no choice but to accept in order to make a living. 

Today Maher takes care of his mother and support her financially with the limited resources he has. 

The Taxi car was a turning point for Maher, since it will make him more independent and able to make a better income. This way he and his mom can live more comfortable and financially secure life. 

After the death of their father, Fadi and his brother George lived with their mother and became responsible of the household. 

Although the war years were not easy on Fadi, but he considers himself lucky that during those difficult times he and his loved ones stayed safe and he managed to keep his job and make a decent living to survive. 

Young Fadi has a long experience working in the embroidery field; he has been in this domain since 2001, when he was a teenager and ever since then he has been working (in his employer’s workshop) with many producers, building a good reputation and increasing his customers in this field.

Fadi had to make a bold decision, when his boss informed him that he was going to sell the workshop and leave the country. Fadi didn’t want to waste his long experience in this field, so he decided to purchase an embroidery machine and open his own workshop. Of course, this step was not possible without the funding Fadi got which allowed him to buy a computerized embroidery machine and fully equip his workspace and resume his career with great hope of a successful business in the future. 

Hrant, his wife Rita and their six-years-old daughter Nathalia are one of many young families who had to tackle on hardships of war from their early start. Soon after getting married Hrant and his wife escaped Aleppo city seeking safety in Mashta Al-Helou in Homs’ countryside and remained there for more than four years. It was during that time their house in Aleppo was hit by a shell, luckily they were out of the city when the incident happened.

Hrant wanted to go back to his original career as a car tuning technician, but due to the economic difficulties he was lacking the needed equipment to be independent with his work. He now had the chance to start over his business with this support after moving back with his family to Aleppo, full of hope that the future will bring him prosperity and a better life.

Tony Saeed, the father of two is an example of resilience in times of war. On both safety and financial aspects Tony and his family have suffered for long time. Their house in Al Midan was extremely dangerous, the falling shells had their toll on the family specially the children, it got to a point where they were forced to leave their home (and ever since they have been living in rented apartments). 

Before the war, Tony’s job was going good, he used to work partially in different clothes’ manufacturing workshops but with the increasing expensiveness and the economic depression Tony’s income became insufficient, not only that but he also stayed unemployed for a long period of time.

Tony refused to give up on the future, with the sewing machines he purchased with the support of Micro Projects initiative, he is going to establish his own workshop hoping that the odds be in his favor and this new step bring him more stability and success.

In order to financially support his family of four and take care of his mother, George had to work many jobs from sales to metal spraying to even working in a gas station. George has always been a hard-working resilient man who always managed to be good at whatever he does.

Now that the war is over, the hope of going back to his old house in AL-Sheikh Maksoud was revived. George and the family had suffered a lot, Michelin, his wife, was about to give birth to their daughter Miriam, when they had to flee from their house leaving behind all their belongings. The church helped them restore their house by cleaning the rubble and installing doors, windows and basic furniture, so that George and the family can finally move back to their home. 

This comeback revived George's hopes and made him determined to build his own business path. That’s why he chose to open a sandwich shop in the same area which is witnessing the return of many families each day. George purchased all the equipment needed to launch his shop and deliver the best food to his new customers.

Besides being brothers, Bassam and Fares Moshati have a lot of things in common.

Both men are in their forties, married and have beautiful daughters Bassam is a father of two girls; Remonda (8 years old) and Myriam (6 years old), while Fares has Eva (12 years old).

The list of similarities continues as the two brothers live in the same area (Al-Suleymanieh) only streets away from each other, and the most important that they are business partners. Since it was their father’s field of work, Bassam and Fares got familiar with the blacksmith craft very early on.

Before the war, the brothers used to own a workshop in Bustan Al-Basha area, they were specialized in manufacturing metal home-ware pieces and were running their family business smoothly. 

During the crisis of war when things became more dangerous and riskier, they managed to transfer a good part of their equipment to a safer place, this step was crucial; specially that many other craftsmen in their area didn’t get a chance to save their equipment before the area went out of control.

Bassam’s father-in-law offered them a workshop to store their equipment in until things get better, which was very kind act of him. Unfortunately, war prolonged more than expected, Bassam and Fares started working in this workshop so they can be able to provide for their families.

When Bustan Al-Basha opened again, the brothers rushed to see their workshop, the good news was that it did not undergo huge ruining, only some minor damages and some stolen items. They managed to restore the storefront and rehabilitate the place as much possible, but with this hard economic status they don’t have enough resources to renew their old machinery or to compensate the shortage in tools and supplies, that’s why this fund will be extremely helpful to them to get back to work as they used to before, and not only for the Moshati family’s business, but it will also encourage their adjoining shops to reopen and start working again. 

Dalal is a single lady who lives with her older sister Bahija. Dalal entered the tailoring field back in 1984 when she started working in a sewing workshop. Days passed by and Dalal improved her skills and became a supervisor of over than 30 workers. Sadly, during the first couple of years of war the workshop closed as it was located in an area under the fire and shells, she lost her job and the only source of income. However, Dalal could not stay without a job, that’s why she managed to borrow an old, manual sewing machine from her relative and became self-employed working from her home.

Working from home has its pros and cons, one of the pros is that it allows Dalal to look after her sister and at the same time make a living, but the cons were that she doesn't have the needed equipment to complete the pieces that she is requested from the customers. being a very social person, Dalal had a very big number of acquaintances whom trust her to make many pieces for them for all occaisons, even costumes for theatre plays and engagement gowns.

With the funds Dalal was able to overcome all the challenges, by purchasing a more modern sewing and stitching machines, scissors and a table. Now the quality of her work will satisfy all her clients and reflects her excellent skills. 

Elias’s memories of war may be more tragic than the rest of Syrian families because of all the things the family of four had to go through from the falling shells, to the fear and horror to the tragic drowning of Elias’s father in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to escape war back in 2014.

The death of the father put all the responsibilities on Elias and his sister shoulder. They were both young students. The siblings were forced to drop out of collage for two and half years in order to work and provide for their family. sometimes they even had to take turns where one of them would work and the other would go back to university and then after a period of time they switch again so that the other would be able to study.

For Elias, choosing a taxi driver career had many advantages; it was the profession of his father, it is something he enjoyed doing for two years (as he was a preschool bus driver) and it has flexible work hours that will allow him to continue and obtain his BA in Chemistry. 

Antoine’s family went through horrendous events during the war. The family used to live in an extremely dangerous neighborhood and Antoine used to work in Al-Sheikh Maksoud as a blacksmith. One of the first losses was Antoine’s livelihood income. Then in 2014 Antoine’s son was kidnapped, it was a devastating and frightening experience that forced Antoine to sell his house just to pay the ransom money. 

Luckily the young man was released soon after, but Antoine was left unemployed and homeless. The church helped Antoine when they heard his story, they gave him a place to live and offered him a driver job at the church. Since then, Antoine was trying to improve his income, as his modest salary couldn’t support him, his wife and his 90-years-old mother who lives with them.

The taxi Antoine got had a great impact on his life, it upgraded his lifestyle and made him feel more secure and content.

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.