Zeina's life took a heart-wrenching turn when her husband went missing in 2015, only to be discovered as a martyr in 2018. Suddenly, she found herself the sole provider for their two young sons. The weight of grief and responsibility pressed down on her shoulders, leaving her no choice but to move in with her mother.

During those difficult years, Zeina turned to baking homemade communion bread for churches. It was a way to sustain her family, even if it couldn't heal the void left by her husband's absence. But when she received the devastating news of his fate, she put her work on hold.

In 2019, she secured a job at the cultural center, and another occupation in church drawing on her close ties to assist during funerals. Yet economic hardships persisted, so she yearned to resume baking communion bread, but her household kitchen tools were inadequate.

Zeina applied to the Micro Projects Program and this support provided her with the necessary equipment, allowing her to revive her project.

Through her unwavering determination and the provided support, Zeina found hope amidst tragedy, turning flour and yeast into sustenance for her family.

Ramia, a married woman and mother of two daughters and a son, faced adversity when her shop for perfumes and cosmetics struggled due to inflation and economic hardships. 

In 2019, she and her husband, Nazik, opened the shop, hoping it would sustain their family. However, the tough times threatened their livelihood and economic storms threatened to destroy their dreams.

Determined to save their small business, Ramia turned to the Micro Projects Program for help; The program provided essential goods, allowing their shop to remain sustainable despite the challenges. The shop’s shelves filled once more, and the couple watched happily as customers return. Their little shop wasn’t just about cosmetics; it was a representation of their dreams, and a hope for their children. 

For over 20 years, Samih dedicated himself to floor grinding and polishing, supporting his wife and two daughters as the sole provider. Living in a rented house, he worked hard to ensure his family’s needs were met. However, two years ago, their financial situation took a severe downturn, forcing him to sell his primary tool of business; his floor grinding and polishing machine, just to pay the rent.

Without his equipment, he had to rely on renting tools and an electric generator, which consumed half of his income whenever he found work. This left his family struggling to make ends meet, especially with his daughters still in school, needing support for their education and daily needs.

While searching for a solution, Samih learned about the Micro Project Program through a friend and quickly applied for support. The program provided him with a new floor grinding and polishing machine and an electric generator, lifting a huge burden off his shoulders.

Now, with his own equipment, he can maximize his earnings and offer his family a better quality of life. His daughters can continue their education without the fear of financial instability, and Samih feels hopeful for the future once again.

As a mother of two university students and the manager of her brother-in-law's pastry shop since 2006, Ghada's life took a drastic turn with the onset of the war. Their family's sweet shop, once a source of income, was entirely stolen due to its dangerous location, making them lose their equipment and livelihood.

Her husband, earning a modest salary, could not help with the financial burden. The family's dreams seemed distant as they struggled to make ends meet. The situation worsened when her brother-in-law decided to move his business to another village, leaving Ghada without a job and with a heavy heart.

Determined to overcome these hardships, she applied to the Micro Projects Program, seeking a way to utilize her skills and support her family. With the program's support, she received all the necessary equipment to open her own bakery. Now, Ghada manages her own shop, selling unique communion bread alongside pastries in the same location her brother-in-law once rented providing a stable income for her family and a beacon of hope for a better future.

After her divorce, Sawsan, a single mother in the village of Fairouza, encountered profound challenges raising her only son, who has hearing loss. Driven by a deep love and commitment to his well-being, she dedicated herself to taking special courses, learning everything she could to support and care for him in the best way possible.

In 2012, Sawsan's life took a heartbreaking turn. She lost her job, saw her family home in Al-Sabeel destroyed, and faced the devastating loss of her father, who had been her pillar of support.

Undeterred by these setbacks, her resilience shone brightly. She poured her heart into founding a center for children with special needs drawing on her experience, aiming at making a difference in children's lives despite the limited resources. 

To support her noble endeavor, she sought help from The Micro Projects Program, which provided the assistance she needed to turn her vision into reality.

Today, her modest center flourishes, bringing hope and care to many children. It fulfills a crucial community need while also providing a stable income for Sawsan and her son. This success is a testament to her unwavering strength and dedication.

Thaer’s work life began in his village of Basir, where he worked the land and drove trucks for various employers, doing his best to provide for his family. This was not an easy task, as his life was marked by numerous challenges related to his children's health.  

His eldest son, Wajed, had to undergo surgery for varicose veins. The middle son, Zein, had a malignant tumor removed from his eye and requires annual check-ups. The youngest, Majed, has undergone multiple surgeries and needs ongoing special care.  

As a result, Thaer had to move with his family to Damascus to better address his children's health needs, especially Majed, whose condition required him to attend a special school.

Since moving to Damascus, Thaer has worked as a taxi driver, earning only a quarter of the daily profits while the rest went to the taxi owner. He also worked on a pick-up truck and took on electrical work, despite not being well-versed in the field, simply to make ends meet. His wife, Yara, also started working, and together they strive to provide for their children and cover the high medical expenses.

Thaer's financial and emotional burden was immense, and he often felt helpless. Determined to improve his situation, he applied for support from the Micro Projects Center, aiming to obtain his own taxi for a steady income and more stability.  

Fortunately, Thaer's request was approved, and he received support to purchase a taxi. This development has significantly improved his financial and mental state, giving him hope and a sense of relief. With this newfound stability, Thaer can now better support his family's needs and look forward to a more secure future.

Eleia Al-Khouri, 38, is married to Tareiz Zakhem, and they live with their newborn daughter, his mother, and sister in a small modest house in Jaramana. 

During wartime, Elias volunteered at the Social Defense from 2011 to 2016 in order to protect his neighborhood and worked as a driver for several employers in addition to working as a taxi driver from 2018 to 2021.

However, in 2012, his brother was serving military service in Homs when he was injured badly and suffered from paralysis in his leg as a result, making him unable to do any physical effort including work, due to this incident and after the decease of his father, Eleia became the primary provider for his mother, sister, and his family so he was doing his best to make ends meet. 

In 2021, he was employed at a detergent company as a driver alongside his war-injured brother, and both worked together in distributing products to markets but the meager salary they were taking affected their financial conditions so he started taking additional work, such as moving furniture, to provide for his family but the burden of debt and the reliance on assistance from relatives weigh heavily on him, making it difficult to secure even the basic necessities for his family. 

Despite the hardships, Eleia’s prayers were answered when the Hope Center provided him with the support needed to purchase a vehicle for distributing goods. This assistance marked a turning point in his life. For the first time, Eleia felt a sense of ownership and dignity. With renewed enthusiasm and commitment, he embarked on this new chapter, determined to improve his conditions and secure a better living for his family.

Raghad Makhoul's life had been a series of challenges, his father's absence loomed large over their modest household, while Raghad's mother, burdened by ailments, lived in the village and relied on medications to ease her pains.

Raghad has also gotten his share of war as during his military service that started in 2011, he found himself serving in the heart of chaos as Aleppo became under siege for many months. 

However, despite he survived that adversity, a fateful injury in 2014 caused his cornea irreparable damage and surgeons worked tirelessly to graft a new cornea onto his eye. It was a long and painful road to recovery, one that stretched until 2016, leaving Raghad physically and emotionally drained.

After his discharge, Raghad returned to Tartous and worked with his father in seaside restaurants but fate shocked him with another loss when his father succumbed to illness in 2022. With responsibilities weighing heavy on his shoulders, Raghad returned to Damascus, taking up any job available and trying his best to make ends meet.

Raghad found himself behind the wheel of a taxi, touring streets day and night to provide for himself and send whatever little he could spare to his mother and brother in the village, but he ended up working just to cover the high rent cost of the taxi.

With the help of Micro Project program, Raghad was supported to purchase a taxi and have stability in his income with all hope that this project will secure a decent living for himself and his family.

Amer's life took unexpected turns as he grew older and struggled to make ends meet for a family of nine; with seven children ranging from the oldest born in 2012 to the youngest born in 2021, the household expenses were solely dependent on Amer's income.

Before the war, Amer worked as a driver at a local factory, but as the conflict escalated and job opportunities dwindled, he was forced to explore alternative means of earning a livelihood. In 2012, he opened a grocery shop which became his source of income until 2021 when he was compelled to shut it down due to soaring rent prices, plunging the family into further financial distress.

Amer's wife, Georget, used to work as a cleaner at a Monastery but had to leave the job because of the responsibilities of caring for their growing family. 

Unfortunately, their situation became dire, with the family barely managing to afford one meal a day, supplemented by food donations from the local church three times a week.

Feeling the weight of his responsibilities as a husband and father, Amer sought a solution to lift his family out of poverty so he applied for the pick-up project at the Micro project center with the idea of transporting groceries and goods in addition to fulfilling delivery orders which was his only hope to provide a stable income for his family.

The approval of his project marked a turning point in Amer's life. For the first time, he felt a sense of independence and empowerment, knowing that he could now work to secure the needs of his family and was determined to improve his family's living conditions.

Rezq Allah Al-Hareth is part of a close-knit family, living in an old, modest house in Al-Dwalaa neighborhood. His family consists of his elderly mother and his sisters, Georgette and Maha. He also has a brother residing in their village and another working in Lebanon, while his father is deceased.

In 2009, Rezq Allah traveled to Lebanon to work in furniture making, splitting his time between Syria and Lebanon until 2011 when the economic situation in Lebanon forced him to return to Syria. Upon his return, the Syrian crisis began, and Rezq Allah's family suffered significant losses, including their house in the village, which was destroyed during the war forcing them all to relocate to Damascus.

In 2013, Rezq Allah began working at a second-hand furniture store, a job he held until 2016 when he was called to serve in the military. After his discharge in 2023, he had to start over from scratch, freelancing and taking any available job to support his family. The combined income of Rezq Allah and his siblings barely covered their daily expenses, making it difficult for him to achieve his dream of starting his own family.

Determined to secure a better future, Rezq Allah applied for support from the Micro Projects Center, hoping to get assistance for a taxi project. The support he received from the Hope Center provided him with the opportunity to purchase a taxi, promising a steadier and more substantial income. This new project has given Rezq Allah great hope for a stable future, allowing him to better provide for his family.