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.

Life is tough, but so are we... we were given this life because we are strong enough to live it.

Rita is 46 years old, married to Saher Wakim, with a son (Eyad) who studies civil engineering and a daughter (Maya) who studies commerce and economics.

The family lived in Al-Qusayr in the countryside of Homs where they had their own house and a three-floors clothing store full of merchandise. Their business was very prosperous which enabled them to have a good living, little did they know that they were on the cusp of a drastic change in their lives.

Unfortunately, the town of Al-Qusayr was one of the first places that the war struck and affected; the losses were horrible and many innocents have died during the clashes, the residents cared only about survival without taking any of their belongings or even clothes.

Rita and her husband were one those people who wanted to save their children and flee to a safe place. In 2011, they fled their hometown and settled in Jaramana, the countryside of Damascus where they were informed that their house was destroyed and turned into rubbles, their store was looted and all the goods were stolen. They were depressed but thankful for their lives at the same time, after all of those violent incidents.

Despite all they went through, Rita's faith was strong and she encouraged her husband and children to start from scratch in a new house, a new city.

With some savings, they rented a small shop in Jaramana for kids’ clothes. the income was enough to cover the basic daily needs and their children’s education, but not enough to improve the work or buy more goods so Rita shifted into undergarments which were more demanded. After the corona pandemic, prices increased rapidly and her project was about to collapse.

However, giving up was not an option, as soon as she heard about our Micro Projects, Rita applied and was supported with the necessary goods to ensure the stability of income for the whole family. 

"Nine bitter years were taken from my life for no good reason, I did not want anything to do with this brutal war, my brothers and I went to serve in the army while my elderly parents stayed alone in the village praying day and night for our survival."

Gabi's service was in the most ferocious locations, but the great mercy of God made the in-charge officer, assign him as a driver since he had previously worked in driving which kept him away from direct horrors of fighting and battles.

He was discharged in 2020 thinking that he is still a young man, full of strength and energy, but unfortunately, these nine years have taken a lot from him and burdened him with hardships of life.

Gabi had no choice but to work as a driver because the years of service prevented him from learning any other profession, but it was no longer that easy; the car rent was very high and the costs of living were even higher. He could hardly provide for daily food, not able to save any money to support his parents.

"My days were passing by without value or purpose, working day and night to pay two-thirds of my income to the owner of the car at the end of each day, and with what left I could hardly live by. I was literally at the edge of despair when I heard about the micro-project program in Damascus."

After about a month of applying, Gabi got the approval to have a taxi which changed his life completely, as he became independent, with a better and more sustainable income that will definitely help him restore hope into his life.

"Whatever happens in your life and no matter how troubling things might seem... do not enter the path of desperation, God’s hand is always there to save you." That’s what Majd Maalouf said with great faith. 

Majd is 39, married with three sons: George, Jamil, and Jad.

Since his childhood, Majd had to work hard to afford his livelihood; he started as a tile polishing worker in 2006 and then was able to have his private tiling equipment which improved his income and made him able to provide for his family.

However, after two years of the Syrian crisis, his business declined so he had to sell the tiling equipment in order to afford the basic living needs for his children. After a period of being jobless, Majd joined the Civil Defense in Aldwalaa area trying to support them in keeping the area’s security.

After he was discharged in 2020, Majd started to work as a taxi driver but no matter how hard he worked his income was barely meeting the increasing living expenses. He became unable to pay the house rent so he took his family and belongings to live at his parents’ house. His determination didn't weaken, Majd was always ready to challenge all the difficulties in order to secure the best life for his children.

After applying to the Micro-projects program, he was supported to purchase a pickup truck which made him independent financially, and able to improve his family’s livelihood hoping for better days to come. 

George Shehadeh is one of the people who were forced to spend all their life savings during the years of war and ended up on the verge of financial collapse.

George is married and a father of two beautiful sons, Salim (born in 2009), and Lynn (born in 2013), living along with his family in his parents' modest house in Al-Dwalaa neighborhood.

Since the year 2000, he worked as a taxi driver, but the explosions and heavy shelling after the war started caused great damage to his cab, so he sold it for a cheap price which wasn’t enough to buy another one or start a new project, thus his wife decided to sell her wedding ring to support her husband to buy a Pick-up truck.

George started to work in everything he could find to improve his income, he used to deliver goods, furniture, and even vegetables and fruits just to meet his family’s living expenses and provide his children with good education.

Unfortunately, the past two years were very tough for George as his Pickup broke down; the repairs cost a lot of money, which made him work as a taxi driver during the day. Both incomes weren’t enough to even afford the basic daily needs. George was frustrated with no savings in the middle of the worst economic circumstances. 

“I am no longer able to see my children disadvantaged, I am willing to do anything in life, just to provide them with their simplest living rights”

George applied for a taxi hoping that all those years of struggles will end with a new opportunity, and indeed he got a taxi which will enable him to be work-independent with a good and stable income to secure his children with the decent life they deserve.

Elia Al Bahrie, is a happily married man and a proud father for Cathrin, Sharbel, and Sophia, in addition to being a successful beekeeper.

Eight years ago in Heineh village, Elia had his own beehives and a very successful honey business. It was his passion and source of income. With the annual revenues, Elia was able to provide his children with good schools, decent life, and everything they asked for. But during the years of war the situation changed drastically, all the areas that surround their village became fighting zones, and Elia was no longer able to protect his bees farm or transfer the honey apiaries to a safe place until sadly he lost them all.

"These bees were like family, losing them was the disappointment of my life," Elia said, explaining how happy he was in his village with his beekeeping business, between his family and friends and how devastating it was to lose everything.

However, there was no time to grieve, Elia started a clothes shop in Al Jdeideh town but another hardship faced him when his shop was damaged by the armed groups and all the goods were stolen. These continuous losses, in addition to being trapped in the same place unable to work or study, forced the family to take the decision of leaving everything behind and start from scratch in a new place with a new career.

The whole family stood together, and after they settled in Al Dwalaa, Elia rented a small shop in Bab Toma where he and his wife started to sell homemade food and viands. They were managing things with great hope that every new day is a gift from God.

Supporting Elia with the refrigerators and the battery will help in preserving their food and dairy products from spoiling, and ensure the quality and sustainability of their new business. 

Anton did not choose to spend his youthful years in military service, but it was something imposed on him by the brutality of war and the bitterness of the crisis.

At the end of 2011, Anton was called for military service, which extended for a whole decade, during which he had to work day and night as a driver. During those years, his family was exposed to many dangers and migrated to Lebanon, while he remained in Syria. Even when his father was diagnosed with cancer and was forced to return to Syria with his mother to have treatment, Anton could not do anything to support them financially or incorporeally.

Anton was finally discharged in 2021, he found himself in his thirties, lost and confused without any savings or a profession, in addition to being responsible for his ill father and his exhausted mother in the most difficult living circumstances. He had to overcome the hardships and start working, as his family was living in extreme poverty and needed his support.

Based on his driving experience, Anton started working as a taxi driver, but the profits were much less than the living expenses especially since two-thirds of his income was going straight to the taxi owner which made him quit and start to work as a private driver for a family, but his salary was also very low and didn’t meet the costs of his basic needs or his father treatment.

Anton was in a very bad psychological state especially after one of his friends committed suicide, he felt as if God has abandoned him and that he was left alone to face life’s misfortunes. However, God has a purpose behind every difficulty we face. Indeed, the wisdom of the Lord intervened in time to lead Anton to the Micro-projects Office in Damascus, where he applied for the taxi, and his request was approved.

“The date of receiving the approval of having my own taxi was the date of starting my new life, for the first time, I will be able to secure enough income to support my family and secure a decent living for them”.

In Anton’s case, out of desperation.....a new hope was born.

We can’t run away from pain, we can just pray for God's help to give us the strength to overcome it.

Since his childhood, Abd Almasih faced the reality of being the older and supporter of the house. His sister Cathrin was born with Cerebral Palsy which affected the psychological state of the whole family; they all took part in taking care of her and giving her the love and care she needs to survive.

As time passed, the family’s financial situation was getting worse, which forced Abd Almasih and his brother to quit their school and start working at a young age in electrical workshops to help with the house expenses and their sister’s medication costs.

The year 2011 was a critical turning point in their lives, as they began to go through harsh conditions as the war escalated, which they had to face with patience because their sisters and parents were counting on their financial and emotional support. 

Despite the dangerous situation they were going through, Abd Almasih and his brother overcame the difficulties one after another, trying their best to keep their family from poverty. Unfortunately, living in Syria wasn’t getting any easier; no matter how hard he worked, Abd Amasih was unable to meet the increasing living costs.

With the help of the micro-project program, Abd Almasih is now able to have his own electrical supplies store where he and his brother can work and support each other, with great hope for the upcoming days.

Ammar Asaad is married with two lovely boys; Evan and Ricardo, he lived in Harasta city where he worked at his Aluminum workshop. The family had peace and security until the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011.

Soon after, the situation in Harasta became extremely dangerous and the family had to flee under bombing and shooting without being able to take any of their possessions, then they were informed that all their belongings were damaged and Ammar's workshop was attacked and all the equipment and tools were looted.

Without any notice, they lost everything they worked for their entire life and had to start over from scratch, Ammar rented a small flat in Jaramana, and with the help of his family, he opened a workshop and began to slowly reestablish his business.

Due to his great experience in this field, Ammar became well-known rapidly, as most of the customers appreciated his good work. He once again became able to support his family and was seeking to provide his boys with a decent life and proper education, which was difficult to afford during the previous years as the economic situation was harsh.

Through the equipment and supplies that Ammar applied for, he will be able to support his workshop and provide a better living for his family.

Samer Al Boutros spent his entire life defying all the obstacles and difficult circumstances to provide his family with the best possible living conditions. 

He used to work as a cobbler for about 20 years in "Sehnaya" the countryside of Damascus, but during the wartime, reaching his workplace became very hard and dangerous, especially after his health condition deteriorated and he needed to undergo heart surgery, but Samer couldn’t afford its costs and became unable to do any effort or be exposed to stress or shocks.

Samer had no choice but to quit his job in Sehnaya and try to find another one closer to his house in Jaramana. Unfortunately, his old profession was no longer profitable during the crisis, but he didn’t despair and searched for another career that would secure his living expenses.

In 2017, Samer started an optical shop in Kashkoul, with the help of his son, and due to his good reputation and quality work, he gained regular customers from different places. By the end of 2019, the economic situation began to worsen, accompanied by the Corona pandemic, which greatly affected many jobs including Samer’s business; as he became unable to purchase new goods or tools for his shop and his income started to decrease day after day until it no longer met the basic needs.

Samer was looking for support to save his work and he found it through the micro-project program, as he got the necessary supplies that will make a great difference in his workflow and provide the family with a decent income. 

The brutal war that started in 2011 was a crucial turning period in the lives of many people whose lives were drastically flipped without a fault of their own. 

Fady Raffoul life turned upside down after the outbreak of the Syrian crisis. he used to work as a freight car driver for foreign Oil companies since 2006 and his financial situation was good. However, after 2011, the Oil companies canceled their contracts in Syria and discharged all the employees including Fady who found himself unemployed in a middle of a critical situation. 

He worked as a microbus driver for a while but the income was very low and the situation was getting worse, so he moved to his village for two years but life there was no better. For over four years, Fady moved between several countries, from Turkey to Greece, and ended up in Lebanon, seeking safety and security for his family, but all his efforts and money went in vain, he then returned to Syria frustrated and hopeless. 

Fady’s faith was stronger than his difficult reality, and he was ready for an opportunity that could help improve his financial and livelihood situation. Supporting Fady with the taxi will make a positive impact on his life after fighting so many obstacles and hardships. 

“Don’t let life bring you down. Remember that God tests your faith through struggles.”

For more than 20 years old the 50 years old Aziz Shakur would wake up every day put on his uniform, kiss his wife and three children goodbye, and head to his job as a traffic officer in the streets of the Syrian capital.

His long hours of work under the glaring sun and frosty wind would end only to jump into the other side of the road and pick up on his second job this time as a driver on Damascus' busiest routes called "Al Dwalaa".

During the war in Syria, "Al Dwalaa" became under constant danger as many killing and kidnapping incidents were occurring, and being on the streets made him more exposed to many dangers and threats, that he didn't even have the luxury to comprehend and be scared of in comparison with his main concern; to secure all the household supplies and life basics for his beloved family. In fact, his family was what made him strong to endure all the hardest years of war until they all reached the shores of safety.

While war couldn't shake the ground under this strong man's feet, his daughters recently diagnosed tumor surely did.

inheriting her father's resilience Joelle went through two major surgeries and a long journey of treatments and tests ahead. Her medical condition cost a lot of money and Aziz had to spend all his pension to afford it.

Despite Aziz having reached the age of fifty, he is still in the same spirit and same determination to wake up in the early morning doing his work for the sake of his family.

His hope is renewed with every shining sun and with every rising opportunity that hope of owning a livelihood and providing a better future for his family would be renewed. And even after he retired and reached the traffic department, he wanted to become a self self-employed that roams the street of Damascus looking forward to living with dignity and make his best to support the family that counts on him.

"It takes a lot of courage to push through hard times, a lot of love to care for others, and a lot of faith to go on in Life", those words are a good description of Elias Najjar as a person. 

Elias grew up in a modest house, between loving parents. After attaining his baccalaureate, he didn’t have the chance to continue his studies because he had to work and support his parents and siblings with basic living needs. Although their financial situation wasn’t good, they were glad to have each other.

However, things got harder during the years of war, the father went back to the village and worked as a farmer while Elias kept working in a restaurant for three years but the income was very low despite the long working hours, so he quit and decided to travel abroad hoping to improve his situation. He traveled to Lebanon where he stayed for another hardworking two years until the Lebanese security situation deteriorated rapidly by the end of 2019 whin in turn reflected badly on the economic situation that resulted in Elias losing his job.

He returned to Syria hoping to have a better chance and started to work with his cousin in electrical maintenance workshops. His cousin was an expert in this field and Elias began to learn until they decided to start a workshop together. Sadly his cousin was infected with Coronavirus and passed away, leaving Elias heartbroken in great shock.

Elias had no time to grief because, at the same period, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo serious surgery and radiology sessions (that she is still continuing).

Despite all the hardships he has been through, Elias never gave up and kept believing that good things are coming his way. He wanted to work but he had to stay beside his mother to look after her, that's why he had the idea of turning a room from the house into a mini-market.

Supporting Elias with the goods and equipment to start his mini-market will make a positive impact on the family’s life, and at the same time allow him to take care of his mother during this difficult period.