Lama’s life was forever changed by the war; she was held captive for four harrowing months by the armed groups while trying to flee their home village Al- Qaryatayn, she and her family endured unimaginable suffering. 

When they finally escaped, they arrived in Homs city with nothing but their clothes. Determined to move on, they rented a house in Al-Arman neighborhood and started over from scratch. 

When Nizar’s income couldn’t meet their growing needs, the selfless mother, undeterred, turned to her culinary skills, making delicious homemade sweets and pastries back in 2018. 

But without proper equipment, her small business struggled, especially that the demand was increasing. Her resilience led her to the Micro Projects Program, where she received vital support. With newfound resources, she transformed her micro project into a lifeline for her family, proving that even amidst adversity, hope can flourish. 

Hala, married to Maher, a school principal in Homs, has always been determined to secure a stable future for their three children, especially Milad, who is blind and a student of English literature. Living in a rented house, Maher's modest salary is insufficient, particularly with John and Joelle in university. The family's main source of extra income, their apple land in Al-Marana village, was tragically destroyed by fire.

Hala knew they needed a reliable and sustainable solution to support the family and ensure Milad's future; she envisioned a project that met a constant demand, ice production. Recognizing the potential, she applied to the Micro Projects Program. With the support, she acquired an ice making machine, water filter, ice containers, an electric generator, and other essential tools.

Now, the family operates their ice-making business from home, leveraging their local connections. This project not only provides immediate financial relief but also promises long-term stability. It's a beacon of hope for Milad, guaranteeing him a secure living despite his special need. Hala's micro project has transformed their lives, proving that with determination and innovative thinking, they can overcome any obstacle. 

Firyal lives in Qattinah village with her husband Maher and their two sons, both university students. Before the war, their family owned a successful chicken farm, providing a stable income. However, in 2012, their farm was completely destroyed, leaving them with nothing.

In 2021, Firyal and Maher decided to find a new, sustainable source of income. They rented a small shop and purchased an ice-making machine hoping to enhance their livelihood. Despite their efforts, the machine's limited capabilities have hindered their production, especially with the high demand for ice in their village.

This small shop is their only source of income, crucial for supporting their sons' education and meeting daily needs. To improve their family's lifeline, Firyal applied to the Micro Projects Program for support to replace their old machine with a more efficient one. A new machine would enable them to increase production, meet demand, and secure a more stable income.

Her determination to provide for her family drives her every day. With the support from the Micro Projects Program, she hopes to turn their small shop into a thriving business, ensuring a stable living for her family. 

Once thriving in a small village, Lody's family faced adversity when their modest grocery shop became unsustainable due to rising prices and harsh living conditions. Forced to close their business, they relocated to her mother's house in Fairouza village, where they rented a small vegetable shop. But this venture alone couldn’t meet their needs.

Her husband, weakened after a kidney surgery, couldn’t work. Their son and daughter, both students, depended on their parents’ resilience. The shop was their lifeline, a beacon of hope. She dreamed of transforming it into a mini-market, a place where they could provide for their family and regain their dignity.

With faith, Lody and her family took the first step by opening the shop and sought support to turn their humble shop into a thriving mini-market. Currently, the shelves are filled with a variety of goods and food commodities. The shop has been upgraded with a refrigerator and battery, essential for storing dairy products. This mini-market provides the family now with a lifeline and a hopeful outlook for a brighter future.

Sabah, a 52-year-old woman from the village of Qattinah, faced numerous challenges. Married with two sons who are baccalaureate students, she lived with her in-laws. Before the war, she prepared and sold food preserves from home. However, a spinal disc issue forced her to stop working. Her husband, despite vision problems, repaired agricultural sprayers as the sole breadwinner, earning a modest income.

The war brought further hardship, they suffered theft and losses as the equipment her husband used for work stolen and money owed by clients never returned. Yet, Sabah's spirit remained unbroken. 

She had an empty shop and envisioned opening a housewares shop, a venture that would be manageable for her and her husband and could become a family project.

Hearing about the Micro Projects Program, which supports families in need, she applied and her application was approved. Today, the couple both work in the shop, and their lives have transformed. The family enjoys a steady income, and their living situation has significantly improved, launching a new chapter of hope and stability.

Youssef Rezq Allah, 38, has been burdened with the weight of responsibility from a young age; as he shouldered the care of his ailing parents and siblings until his life was marked with great losses with their passing, one by one leaving him to face life adversities alone and adrift in a sea of grief.

It was in his thirties when Youssef discovered that he spent his youth caring for his family without having any chance to work or gain any experience except ten years ago when he worked with a friend of his in mobile phone maintenance.

However, his financial situation was dire leaving him with no chance but to take any job available to survive so he sought a source of income in the halls of the Kyrillos church as a receptionist and waiter with a simple salary, but it saved him from poverty.

Youssef yearned to start a new chapter in his life and overcome the adversities he went through so he turned to the Micro Project Center seeking support to establish his mobile phone maintenance shop.

Now, Youssef is working tirelessly feeling that he moved a huge step closer to finding peace and stability in his life.

Bassam Zaitoun 38, a man of humble beginnings, is married to Sulaf Taweel and has a 4-year-old cute girl called Tatiana who was the source of hope and happiness in their lives despite the challenges they faced.

Bassam was a skilled barber, a craft he had learned in his village where he established his own barbershop and worked tirelessly for 23 years. However, the crisis has weighed heavily on the overall situation especially in Bassam's village as many have moved to search for better circumstances which left Bassam with no customers to cover his basic needs.

With sorrow in his heart, he decided to close his barbershop, leave his hometown, move to Damascus, and live at his family house in Kashkoul along with his mother and brother's family. 

Bassam transitioned among various jobs until he found himself working at a barbershop, barely making ends meet.

Moreover, Bassam's mother was suffering from a heart condition and his brother was a soldier, adding to the weight on his shoulders as he became the provider of two families.

Bassam's longing for independence and stability led him to seek support from the Micro Projects Center.

With their assistance, he secured funding for his own barbershop equipped with new tools and furnishings.

As he stood behind his barber's chair, surrounded by the familiar hum of clippers and the laughter of his customers, he knew that he had finally found his place in the world and through his hard work and determination, Bassam would secure a decent living for himself and his loved ones.

Cozet Al-Ashhab is 40 years old and married to Louay Alomar, a loving and supportive husband. Her love for confectionery started at an early age, a passion nurtured over the years as her journey began in 2005 when she found her peace and joy in her kitchen creations, and despite hurdles, her resolve remained unyielding.

However, life was not easy for Cozet and through the years of war she had to work and provide for herself and her family so she worked at a nursery and then as a government employee, but it was cooking that truly ignited her spirit so she sought a job at Olga's sweets shop for 18 months which provided invaluable experience but because of the low salary she was taking, she had to quit and look for a chance to establish her own project.

Cozet envisioned a charming bakery, painted in hues of pink, adorned with ornate chairs—a haven where she could achieve her confectionery passion. The support she got from Hope Center transformed her dreams into reality as she was supported with all the equipment and tools necessary to establish a home-based confectionery kitchen forming the first step toward achieving her dreams.

Today, Cozet embarked on a new chapter of her life as the aroma of freshly baked delights permeated the air offering the most delicious dishes with a sweet smile on her face and great hope in her heart.

Margaret is still in her twenties, yet she carries burdens far beyond her years. She grew up in a modest family with poor financial conditions, which forced her to take on responsibilities at a young age; she started working as a saleswoman in a clothing store to cover her expenses and help her parents as much as she could. She later got married and moved to her husband's village, where she worked in a sewing workshop, hoping that her marriage would add something beautiful to her life but unfortunately, it was fraught with daily problems that ended in divorce after one year. 

Margret returned to Damascus to live with her parents and found herself alone, in poor financial condition, and responsible for her parents' expenses, especially since her father, who had undergone open-heart surgery with the help of charities, was prohibited from doing any physical effort making Margaret the breadwinner for her family.

Undeterred, Margaret worked long hours in a sewing workshop, trying to provide for her family, but despite all her efforts, her income was insufficient to meet the high cost of living. She endured all hardships in silence, hoping that one day her life would change.

It was when Margaret received support from the Hope Center in Damascus to start her own sewing workshop, complete with all the necessary machines and equipment.

She saw this as a major turning point in her life, feeling lucky for the first time and realizing that she now had a stable source of income as this newfound project allowed her to improve her living conditions and make up for the stormy days of the past.

Abeer, the affectionate wife, and devoted mother, always placed her family first, even before herself, and although her life was filled with challenges and hardships, she never lost hope.

She is 51, married, and was living with her husband in Aleppo where she commenced her professional life as an employee in a private company in 2000, but left her job ten years later to dedicate herself to raising her two sons Marcel and Daniel.

In 2012, her husband's silver workshop was hit by shells, making him lose his workplace and machines, so the family was forced to move from Aleppo to Damascus searching for security and better living circumstances.

starting from scratch, Abeer sought a new opportunity to support her husband in securing a decent living for their kids so she attended several training courses in the field of beauty and decided to open her own beauty salon resulting in the start of "Abeer Salon"  in the city of Jaramana.

However, with the frequent power outages and her inability to operate the equipment, she faced significant challenges that led to a decrease in her income and affected her financial conditions.

Abeer was in desperate need of a power generator to facilitate workflow and increase her income.

Thanks to Hope Center, she was supported to purchase a new power generator which enabled her to operate her equipment continuously, increased the demand for her salon, and enhanced her financial situation.

This support filled Abeer with optimism and confidence forming the first step towards improving her living conditions and providing a better life for her family.