Bassil Mssedy, a dedicated father in his 50s, worked as a blacksmith for 15 years in the industrial city of Aleppo. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the war made him jobless. The industrial area, once thriving, now lay in ruins.

Bassil and his wife used to reside in a rented house in Al Midan, an area that was heavily bombarded during the war. Tragedy struck one fateful day when a missile destroyed their home. Miraculously, they had left the house just an hour prior, escaping unharmed. Although relieved that their lives were spared, their house suffered significant damage, so they had to move in with their parents in 2014.

Despite their challenging circumstance and unemployment, Bassil managed to secure a position as a church keeper, working part-time. However, his income was barely sufficient to support his family. His wife worked at the airport to help her husband. Unfortunately, she also battled diabetes, adding further strain to their finances due to medical expenses.

Ensuring their basic needs became a daily challenge, as putting food on the table proved to be a constant struggle. They heavily relied on food baskets and cash aids to make ends meet. 

In the depths of despair, Bassil was filled with hope when he received assistance from the Hope Center. With the new taxi he received, he was able to increase his resilience and income, which brought stability to his life.

Aziz is a determined young man, recently married to Rasha and waiting for their first born child.

He worked as a driver since 2009 and continued working in this job during his ten-years military service in Damascus, Rasha works as a nurse in a hospital and they live in a modest rented house. 

During his service aziz was injured in the leg then he was discharged and he started looking for a job to secure his life and future. His parents decided to travel and leave the country but Aziz decided to stay and he started looking for a job to secure his life; he started working night shifts at a beverage shop in a local neighborhood but the salary was low and the job included many troubles so he kept his faith and determined to search for a solution to enhance his situation. 

After getting married, Aziz responsibilities got bigger and he found the micro program as the best opportunity to get back to his original career as a driver, with the support he got the taxi and he can now improve his income and provide a good life for his wife and awaited child. 

Antoine had a good life before the war working as a hairdresser with great skill and many customers, in 2013 he was called for military service and had to serve for nine long years in Aleppo's suburbs which affected his health greatly as he was subject to many injuries from explosions.

Antoine suffered from a neurological condition that caused trembling in his hands and he no longer was able to continue in his original career of hairstyling, even grabbing the scissors became the most difficult task for him.

However, he didn't surrender and was determined to find a way to secure his livelihood especially that he is the breadwinner of the household that he shares with his parents and he looks after them; the family had to sell their house in Midan area after the brother was called to service so they can afford the increasing livelihood expenses.

He started working in a blacksmithing workshop but the income was insufficient and it demanded a lot of physical effort. With the support of the Micro Projects program, Antoine got a taxi that would help him make a better living and at the same time it is the most suitable job for his health condition, hopefully it will be the start of a better days to come for him and his loved ones. 

Antoine is 28 years old, married and a father of a 1 year old lovely boy, he has served in the military for almost the last ten years of his life which has robbed him of any opportunity to pursue a career and build a future for his family.

with no experience and a very harsh economic situation of the country, Antoine put a lot of thinking of his next step in life, he looked for any job that would help him provide a decent life for his wife and newborn son, he started working in a soap factory but the salary is very low and not sufficient to make ends meet. 

The earthquake had a huge impact on this family, they lived in fear and were affected by the damages, the church helped them and continues to deliver a small monthly aid, unfortunately the situation is deteriorating with the inflation and the increasing living costs. 

Antoine found hope in the Micro Projects program when he applied for a taxi as it doesn't require a former experience and at the same time he can work long hours and make a better income to improve the livelihood of his loved ones. 

Elias Akhras lives with his parents in a modest house, his father is retired, making him the only one working and providing an income for his family’s expenses.

He used to work in sculpting statues and decorating with his father at a young age, then switched job to rubber molding in their shop near Al-kindi hospital. Things were working great in his life until the war occurred, making him lose all his possessions from work equipment to properties. 

Elias was devastated and decided to emigrate to start over in a new place, but he eventually came back to look over his elderly parents. He bought the basic equipment to get back on track but couldn’t afford much as the molds price were too expensive for his budget. That’s what made him stop working for a while.

Elias thought that his dream to improve his work and grow bigger in his project was nearly impossible until he heard about the Micro-projects. Now, with the help of Hope center, his dream came true and can finally achieve his goals.

Abd ALmasih lives in a rented house with his wife and three kids in Telephone Hawaii area, working as a minibus driver at Al-Farah school with the help of his wife. His elder son works as a salesman in a clothing shop to provide his educational expenses. In addition to that, Abd Almasih helps out some elderly people by delivering things to them in order to keep up with his family’s expenses in the middle of this economic crises.

He used to work as a Jeweler, but during war, life took another turn as he got injured by many shrapnel due to an explosion of a nearby bombing and had to take time to heal and rest to get better. That’s when he got frustrated and it made him lose hope. He tried working on a rented taxi afterwards but couldn’t carry on as the car’s rent price got increased.

When all the doors were closed and it felt like there was nothing he could’ve done, a glimpse of hope appeared as he heard about the micro projects. Now thanks to Hope center Abd Almasih has the Taxi and he can work in the afternoons and increase his income, providing a better life for his family.

Art has always played a huge role in Rakel’s life who is a gifted young lady that took her talent further by pursuing her passion and studying fine arts.

Rakel lives with her parents, sister and nephew, the father is a blacksmith, the mother is a housewife, her sister is a widow working as a hairdresser in a borrowed shop. The main source of income for the house is from the work of the father and sister.

She used to work in teaching drawing and psychological support fields. Currently, she is a trainee in the field of design and decoration at a contracting company. 

The concept of ​​her project is to make gifts by drawing on objects (plates - cups - cups...)Recently, she experimented with the mechanism of work by manufacturing and selling some product which resulted her understanding the market’s need and she identified the targeted group, in addition to creating a page on social media to display her products and there was a good demand for them; She will work at home and distribute items to gift shops.

With the help of the hope center the talented Rakel has become stronger, more confident and more capable of receiving big orders and help her family with taking care of the living expenses.

For Youssef, being a good provider is one of his goals, and he considers it a big achievement.

Living in a small house which consists of two rooms with 6 people is not easy specially with the increasing expenses.

His two brothers are both still students, his sister works in a clothes shop and his mother newly started working and his father was his supporter, but because of his illness he couldn’t work anymore.

"During my seven years in the work of sand blasting, I decided to travel to Lebanon in 2018 to work, using all my experience that I gained from my relative in Safita, then I served to the military for more than three years."

After being discharged from the military service, he started working on his career but with a low income, so he wanted to start his own business because his salary was barely enough for basic livelihood demands.

Now that Youssef bought the essential equipment thanks to this initiative, he will be able to improve his income and secure a better life for his lovely family.

 Shkri lives with his wife, two sons and his daughter. His wife works as a cook at Olacc, his daughter is a part-time teacher at the same place and his two sons are high school students.

During the war the family house got damaged, but the poor financial situation didn’t allow him to restore it so Olacc gave him a hand with restoring part of the damage.

Shkri has been a taxi driver since 1998. In 2018 he became an employee at the Karen Jeppe Armenian Collage and on Sundays he works as a driver for Yarmouk Club.

Finally, Shkri’s dream came true and he is now over the moon however, he will remain in his morning job and in the evening he will work on the taxi. Besides the fact that the taxi was his dream, his income became so much better and he can provide a good livelihood for his lovely family.

The skills and experience you gain from traveling abroad can give you life-long personal benefits as well as an advantage in the professional world.

Garabet,68-year-old man, father of two daughters, traveled to Canada in 1986 for more than 7 years where he worked in the same field on the brake lathing machine and then returned to Aleppo after gaining great experience.

He said: “travelling abroad is an amazing way to learn a lot of new things”. Before the war, he had his own rented factory with his partner in addition to owning all the necessary machines. Everything was going well before the war started, and he was the main provider for his family.

After losing all his machines, Garabet did not give up despite his 40 years of experience in his career. Day after day, the financial burdens were getting heavier and he did his best to guarantee his family a good life.

Now, Garabet is working in his workshop but still needs the lathing machine. This new machine will greatly develop his work and encourage him to accept bigger opportunities and, thus, increase his income.

Ghassan 55 years old has been working as a carpenter for more than 40 years, he learned this profession and worked in many workshops for more than twenty years, then he decided to become independent and work separately between homes and workshops upon request.

Today, Ghassan is the father of two sons who live in his grandmother’s house, after the loss of their own home, which he bought in 2012. As a result, the family moved to the city of Homs for 4 years to start over. He worked there again with his profession, and he was able to buy new equipment after his old equipment were stolen. 

Currently, his wife helps him with the daily expenses through her work as a teacher in a private school, and he works between homes and workshops, where his specialty is detailing bedrooms and upholstering chairs with primitive carpentry tools.

Ghassan now has a chance of a new start with the new equipment that helps him save time, effort, and expenses.

Katia is married with two kids; she loves to take care of her family and pamper them along with prioritizing time for her hobbies and her work.

Katia discovered her passion which was making pastries and sweets, she took a course from a professional chef to gain more knowledge in her specialization.

She started evolving slowly, and her first few orders were from her close friends and her relatives, everyone who tried her sweets and pastries encouraged her to keep up her good work and take it a step forward, Katia chose to work at home just so she’ll be next to her family and take care of them.

Later on, She got well-known and decided to participate in exhibitions to increase her income along with marketing purposes. Katia had some primitive tools that helped her so far but now that she has many more clients it requires her to renew and expand the equipment.

Hope Center’s fund helped to turn her dreams into a reality, and now that she has all the essential tools, she’ll be able to gain more orders confidently and help her husband with their family’s livelihood expenses.

Micheline Halal, 44 years old, is married to Fadi Francis, and they have two sons and a daughter.

Micheline and her family are from a small village called Maaloula in the countryside of Damascus where they used to live and work in their grocery store. Her husband worked as a mural artist, and they were living in stability and safety until the fierce war began and its impact reached the village of Maaloula, which forced the family to close the grocery store, leave their home, and flee out.

Micheline and her children moved to live in her sister's house in Damascus, and her husband traveled to Lebanon to work and secure an income for his family hoping that the war would end quickly so that they could return to their hometown. Two years later, Micheline decided to rent a house in Jaramana and move to live there with her family, especially after she knew that her house in Maaloula was completely damaged and all the furniture was stolen.

During that period, her husband returned from Lebanon, and the whole family participated to secure the living costs, even though their children were working part-time jobs after school to help with the household expenses but their conditions were still deteriorating.

With the help of Hope center, Micheline had the chance to have a mini-market with all the needed equipment and goods, and she is now able to work and support her family to improve their situation and have a decent life.

Maria Al-Samaan is the eldest daughter in a family of five, her father has retired due to a disability and his pension was their only income for many years in addition to the help of relatives.

however, their circumstances were never easy, and during the years of war, they suffered precarious conditions and financial hardships, in addition to her mother's illness with breast cancer.

All this did not weaken Maria's determination to complete her education, as she was able to enter the Faculty of Architectural Engineering, and since her first year at the university, she started working in the profession of nail beauty with the help of her aunt so that she could afford her university expenses.

After graduating from the university, she was employed at Syriatel telecommunication company as an engineer, and at the same time, she continued working in nail beauty because her salary was very low and was barely sufficient to cover the house demands.

Over time, Maria found that her work in Syriatel was draining her time and energy, and her salary was very low compared to the house obligations, so she decided to resign and work full-time in the profession of nail beauty.

unfortunately, this work also has disadvantages, as she was diagnosed of having sciatic nerve inflammation and neck beaks, and she was no longer able to keep working and needed an income-generation project to cover the livelihood demands.

Maria was concerned because she is the eldest daughter and she is responsible for the house and her siblings, but with the help of the Micro-project program, she was able to start her own cosmetic store to sell nail beauty and cosmetic materials, which will relieve her of the hard work and provide her with sustainable income to live in dignity.

Rafy is 45 and married to Rania Al-Asaad and they have two sons Fady born in 2005 and Hady born in 2009.

Before the war, the family lived in Maaloula village and they were in a good financial situation as they had a mini-market on the main street where Rafy and his wife used to work and at the weekends Rafy used to work at wall-painting workshops to increase their income.

However, after 2011, their life changed completely as the armed groups attacked Maaloula, entered the city, and began spreading the killing and violent acts everywhere. In 2013, the family was forced to flee to Damascus and live at the wife’s family house in Al-Dwallaa area, as their house in Maaloula was hit by a shell which caused its destruction, and the shop was looted and burned.

However, Rafy didn't let desperation sneak into his heart, so he decided to overcome all the incidents they have been through and start a new mini-market in Kashkoul and named it "Al-Maalouly" but soon after he was called for the reserve military service and for the next six years he was serving in Alqtaifa and his wife was running the mini market until his discharge in 2019.

He was very concerned about the fate of his sons and he decided to travel to Erbil with his family to seek better living conditions but that decision coincided with the Corona pandemic and he lost all of his savings in Erbil and went back to Syria despaired. 

upon his return, Rafy started to work as a driver but of his bad luck he had a car accident and was hurt but several injuries that caused him a 60% deficit and a long period of treatment.

he was devastated and lost so he decided to hold his last hope and apply to the Micro-project program for the mini-market project.

After the fund, Rafy is so grateful and feels blessed that God has made up for all the calamities he went through and he is determent to restore his life balance and work to improve his living conditions.

Elias Faddoul, 56, is married to Carmen Jarrous and they share living with his siblings at the family's old house in Bab Touma.

Before the war, Elias had a small store for selling holy icons and rosaries, he loved his work a lot and was always creating new designs, but with the beginning of the war, the difficult economic conditions affected his job as the demand for icons was no longer required because people were barely able to afford the basic demands so his business deteriorated and ended with closing the store in 2015.

However, Elias didn't despair and was ready to start over; he took many courses at the church including project management, design, and many others then volunteered to work with special-needs people and trained them to do wax modeling and handicrafts. He also started a workshop affiliated with the Greek Catholic Church in 2018 to recycle and sell candles, and all the profit went to charity work.

Elias was very passionate about his profession and wanted to start his own workshop especially since his wife had experience in the field of crochet and handicraft work, but the tools they owned were old and worn out, and their financial conditions hindered them from achieving this dream.

With great faith, Elias applied to the Micro-project program to start his workshop and he was funded with equipment, machines, and materials that will revive his work and secure better and more sustainable income for the future.

Sami Hartak is a determined and hardworking young man, he is 31 and lives with his old parents and sisters in a modest house in Al-Dwallaa neighborhood.

He graduated from the faculty of agricultural engineering during wartime which made it so difficult for him especially since his parents are old and retired so he was responsible for his expenses and the house obligations at the same time under some very harsh circumstances.

Sami wasn’t lucky to find a suitable job that meets the high costs of living but he got employed in the morning as an agricultural engineer and took a part-time job as a photographer assistant in the afternoon. He soon became passionate about this profession and took many courses to enhance his skills then he volunteered to do all the media work for the Maronite church and the hope charity related to sisters Jesus and Mary and gained practical experience.

Although Sami loved working with the church, his financial condition was falling apart and he needed to have an income to afford the living demands so he applied to the micro-project program and took a project management course to improve his management skills so he could be able to run his own project.

Now after the fund, Sami started to see life through his camera’s lenses, and he is not only doing the work he loves but also benefiting and securing his future.

George Dahdal, 31 years old, lives along with his father, brother, grandma, and aunt in a small house in Al- Dwalaa area.

Before the war, George was working with his father at the family mini-market until the beginning of the crisis in Syria which affected their work so his father decided to close the mini-market and started to work as a pick-up driver.

During that period, their village became invaded by the armed groups, and George’s grandmother and aunt were displaced and came to live with George’s family in Al-Dwalaa which increased the responsibilities since they are both disabled and needed a lot of care and medication.

In 2014, George was feeling hopeless and decided to go to Lebanon to work and he stayed there for six years working at a restaurant and sending money to his family until 2020 when he got the news about his mother’s disease as she was diagnosed with cancer. George decided to quit his job and return to Syria to stay beside his mother during her treatment journey that took two difficult and painful years and ended up with her death in 2022 which was a great shock for the entire family.

During those two years, George tried to find a proper job to support his family with the house expenses but most jobs' income wasn’t matching the high costs of living so he decided to apply for the mini-market project since he has an experience in that field.

He also took a project management course and did everything he could to improve his chances and in return, his project was funded with all the needed tools, goods, and products.

George now is looking forward to improving his business and planning to expand his project for the future.

Fady Ibrahim is 30 years old, married to Mariam Altheib and they have three cute little girls, Georgette born in 2017, Cathren 2019, and Yara 2021. They live in a rented flat in Kashkoul, Damascus suburbs.

With the first sparks of war, Fady was still at the beginning of his life journey, full of youthful enthusiasm, but he didn’t have the time or choice to start a new chapter of his life because in 2011 he was called for military service until 2021.

Ten harsh years drained his dreams and energy, as he was serving during the toughest circumstances especially since his concerns and responsibilities increased after getting married and having his three daughters.

However, after his discharge in 2021, he found himself in the prime of his life without any profession or experience so he worked many jobs such as a taxi driver, a worker at an aluminum workshop, and a pickup car driver. Fady was a hardworking man and his employers were very pleased with his work and tried to support him.

He didn’t mind working three jobs a day so he could live in dignity and afford all his obligations and living expenses but the post-war years were very tough, and being a family provider wasn’t an easy job because no matter how hard he worked the income was still not enough to match the living demands. Fady wanted a chance to have his own project.

Having a taxi made him feel independent and responsible for his own income and gave him the power to work even harder trying to change his family’s livelihood for the better.

Although the war is over, but its calamities has remained in the heart of each one of us, as a painful reminder of what we have been through especially since many are still suffering from its effects such as Emad Dawood and others from the war-wounded individuals.

Emad is 31 years old, married to Nour Sbaih and they have three adorable kids, Rosseil born in 2017, and the twins Roy and Junior born in 2022.

Before the war, he worked as a tiler and was dreaming of improving himself and have an independent business but unfortunately, the war came to rob all his dreams as he was called for military service and he had to serve in the most dangerous places in the countryside of Damascus until 2014 when he was injured by more than one shot.

His injury was severe as he had to undergo many surgeries that led to a complete removal of the spleen, part of the colon, and part of the stomach, leading to a 40 percent of disability as a result, so he was discharged from the military service. However, Because of his disability, Emad was unable to return to his old profession so he started working at Bab sharqi cemetery in 2017 then he worked as a salesperson in a dairy shop until its closure in 2019 when he took a job as a delivery-man for a restaurant.

Emad was fighting for the sake of his family and didn’t hesitate to work more than 16 hours a day, yet he wasn’t able to provide even the milk for his newborn twins or the livelihood demands of his family. he was looking for a chance so he applied for the mini-market project.

Now, After being funded, Emad finally feels that God is leading him to the best and he is willing to work hard to improve the family's life.

Wasim Abou Saab is 33 years old, married to Majdoleen Albahry with two kids Lamitta born in 2017, and Elia born in 2019, and the couple are waiting to welcome their twins after a few months.

Before the war, Wasim graduated from the faculty of economics and trade, then worked at a company for three years until 2011, as he was called for military service and wasn’t discharged until 9 years later.

During that period Wasim got married and started a family with the help of his parents and his in-laws, then after his discharge, he started working during the anise season as he used to transport the anise crops from Hieneh village to Damascus but his income was very little and exclusively during the harvest seasons so his friend loaned him a taxi to work on as a part-time job so he could be able to meet his obligations and expenses especially since his wife is suffering from back disc pain and Periphera neuropathy and she needs medicines on daily basis.

Wasim was struggling; working many jobs to provide his family with a decent living but during the previous years the situation deteriorated quickly and he was seeking a project of his own to secure his livelihood.

He applied for the pick-up truck because it will help in his seasonal work and also for transporting goods which will increase his income and provide him and his family with better living conditions.

For many years of his life, Shar Alabdoun, worked hard taking every possible opportunity to have an income and live in dignity.

He graduated from a tourism institute and started to work as a cook, and when he had a job vacancy in the Caribbean islands he didn’t hesitate to travel and work there, then when he saved some money he decided to return to Syria and have his own project.

For his bad luck, he returned in 2011 and started his restaurant in the countryside of Damascus unknowing that the timing was terrible because that very year, the war broke out and all the suburbs were attacked which led to the destruction of his restaurant and losing all the money he saved in the past years.

However, Shar decided to start over from scratch and returned to work as a chef at different restaurants trying to have a proper income to afford his living and save for the future, he even traveled to Lebanon seeking better job opportunities but the high costs of living there were unbearable.

In 2019, Shar got married to Majd Alnehmeh, and they had their son Sharbel who brightened their life.

Shar was always searching for a chance to be independent and has his own income so he sold the wedding rings and started a mini-market but the heart problems he suffered from after that and the surgery he went through affected his financial situation and made him unable to make any improvement at his project.

With the help of Hope center, Shar didn’t lose his mini-market because he was funded with the necessary goods and products that will give him a strong push to expand his mini-market and work for improving his conditions and provide his family with a decent living. 

It is never easy to hold responsibility of a family at a very young age, especially during war times, but Maroun Fares proved that strong faith and hard work always overcome obstacles.

Maroun is 24 years old, he lives with his mother and three younger sisters in a 50-meters, unfurnished and modest flat in Jaramana. They used to live in Bloudan, Damascus suburbs and during the wartime, they suffered a lot from many dangers in addition to the lack of all life necessities which forced him at a very young age to work and help his family with the livelihood demands.

Unfortunately, his father’s health deteriorated as he was diagnosed with cancer which was a shock for the family, Maroun had to face this reality and accompany his father during his long treatment journey until he passed away in 2018. Maroon was still eighteen at that time but he became the man of the house and decided to bury his grief deep in his heart and take responsibility for the sake of his mom and sisters.

He started to work at many workshops and continued his study at the same time so he was able to support his sisters to continue their education and also afford the house expenses. 

He worked hard at a detergent manufacturing workshop and learned everything about the detergents industry then took a course about this profession at Damascus university; because he was dreaming to have his own workshop and he was able to achieve that dream with the help of Hope center as he was funded by the manufacturing machines and the materials needed which will provide him with sustainable income and help improve his living conditions.

No matter how harsh and difficult the conditions are, there is nothing more difficult than the bitterness of death.

This is what the twenty-three-year-old Naya Al-Freijat believes, who experienced death in its worst forms; in 2016, during the brutal wartime, her older brother Yazan was working at Al-Badia Cement Factory in Dumayr, when the armed groups attacked the area, and when they knew that Yazan was Christian, they executed him.

The impact of this tragedy was devastating for Naya and her family, especially her father, who could not handle the loss of his son in such a horrible way and was subjected to a severe shock that led to his death.

Naya's mother also suffered from severe psychological trauma after losing her son and husband and her health started to deteriorate as she had diabetes and high blood pressure.

In the face of all these tragedies, Naya and her sisters suddenly found themselves heartbroken and lonely without a supporter. They had to take care of their sick mother and younger sister Hanin who was still in school so they decided to study and work, Marwa graduated from the faculty of pharmacy and started working as a trainer and Naya graduated from the technical arts institute with a specialization in photography and started working as a photographer.

She had practical experience for two years that enhanced her skills in taking photos in addition to learning the Photoshop program, and when she started to have external photography requests, she would borrow a camera from her friend or from the center in which she works.

Naya has always wished to have her own camera so that she could have more work and increase her income, but the harsh circumstances she has been through made that dream impossible.

" Nothing is impossible with God " Luke 1;37

through the Micro-project initiative, Naya was funded to have her own camera and equipment that will allow her to receive more customers requests which will improve the conditions of the family and now she dreams that this camera will be the first step to success in her life and to have her own business "Naya Photography”.