“The more you work hard, the more opportunities you will get, nothing comes easily” 

Naeem is a photographer who lives with his parents and brother in Al-Hamidia neighborhood. He chose this career when he was 18 and worked for two well-known photographic laboratories where he gained many special skills. 

On the 1st of May 2011, he was called for military service, and his family faced the same fate as many Syrian families who were displaced from their homes. Once their neighborhood was no longer safe, they escaped to a village near Homs after their house was severely damaged, and took them 5 years to repair it. 

The ambitious young man didn’t give up on his passion and kept thinking about his dream project during his service, he always imagined the day he would finally be able to open his own photography shop. 
Naeem finished his nine-year service, which he spent suffering from the terrors of war. In June 2020, he picked up his camera again and started working depending on private photo sessions, because he was unable to rent a shop. 

One year was enough for Naeem to prove himself among the other photographers in the city; his creativity was clear in all of his work until he managed to rent a shop in 2021 and work using the same old camera. Sometimes he had to rent a camera in order to ensure the desired quality, but on the other hand, there were some times when he couldn’t afford the rent costs and had to edit his photos to get a better result.

Having a new camera will help him save his project and have the chance to continue doing what he loves. Naeem is doing his best to compensate for all the years he lost due to the brutal war, and it’s time for him to settle down and establish his future life.

Faraj had to leave school and seek a source of livelihood at a very young age in order to help provide for his parents and siblings. After finishing his military service in 1996, he worked as a driver on different vehicles, and throughout his long career he dealt with many companies.

Faraj got married in 2002 and had two sons. In 2011, the family of four escaped their home city Homs, to a village called "Kafroun" where he had to work 2 jobs being the family's only breadwinner, he always did his best to cover their growing needs.

During the displacement period, one of his sons Fadi was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that affected his optical nerves; he went through five surgeries, but unfortunately, all the efforts didn't improve his situation. It was a rough time for the whole family and Faraj's wife Radah, got a neurological disease as a result of her deep sadness. 

In 2020, the family returned to the city of Homs and settled down in a rented apartment. Faraj's attempts to find suitable work weren't successful, the family's savings were all spent on Fadi's treatment costs and Faraj couldn't afford to buy a vehicle to work on, which put him in a serious financial crisis. 

Having a mini pick-up truck was a ray of hope in Faraj's life and a new chance to work and compensate for the tough circumstances he experienced with his lovely family.

When Bassel's salary as a government employee became hardly enough for the family's essential needs, he had to find an additional source of income to guarantee his wife and two sons a decent living.

He used to rent a taxi since 2004 and drive it around the city seeking his livelihood; he managed to create great relations with many clients and this job ensured him good profits. Unfortunately, the effects of the cruel war started to reflect on all aspects of life, and living under the economic crisis has become a real challenge. 

Bassel and his family live in a rented apartment and at the same time, his work on a rented car burdened him even more! It became difficult to find a suitable car and keep it for a long period of time. His work was disrupted every now and then and he lost many clients as a result. 

Having a taxi of his own will help Bassel to maintain a sustainable income and establish a better life for the upcoming years. 

Isber's small family escaped the terrors of war after what they witnessed in their neighborhood Al-Hamidia to a new beginning in Fairouza village away from the shells and bombs.

Isber is the only provider for his wife and their two daughters, he learned the floor tiling profession and polished his skills through working with his father-in-law, who is a well-known craftsman, and then he started to work on his own in 2005.

In 2012, all of his tiling equipment was stolen from his house in Al-Hamidia. Starting from scratch wasn't easy; he had no other choice but to work again with his father-in-law, by splitting their profits.

In an attempt to improve his family's situation, Isber worked for a year and a half in Lebanon but unfortunately, things didn't go very well so he had to return. The burdens of life were getting heavier by each passing day, especially since the family lives in a rented apartment.

Isber's main concern became to find a way to work independently, but his wage wasn't enough to buy the tools he needs. This initiative helped him to acquire the equipment that he has been seeking and thus enhanced his income. 

Fadi's family is originally from Aleppo city, they moved to Homs a long time ago and established a new life there. His career as a carpenter started in 1995, the first workshop that he opened was in Ashira neighborhood, which had witnessed the horrors of war; In 2012, Fadi couldn't reach the workshop and unfortunately, the majority of his equipment was stolen.

After this great loss, he took his wife, their three children, and his mother and escaped to Fairouza village where he had to find a way to provide for his beloved ones being the only breadwinner, so he traveled to Lebanon and worked there until COVID-19 spread and forced him to return. 

Not having a source of livelihood was overwhelming and Fadi almost lost hope; staying jobless increased the burdens on the family, he sold their home in Homs to get them out of this financial hardship, and with the money, he managed to buy a small basement for the family in Fairouza in addition to some used equipment and reopen a workshop there.

During the last three months, Fadi suffered from insufficient power and lacked a lot of important equipment, which he used to borrow in order to finish his work. The hardworking man had the courage to stand on his feet again despite all the tough circumstances he went through, this support will push his project into a sustainable condition and will ensure him and his family a better income. 

Firas is a skilled floor tiler; he lived and started his lovely family in Homs city until they were unfortunately forced by the cruel war to leave their home.

In 2012, the family rented an apartment in Fairouza village and settled down after losing their house in addition to Firas's tiling equipment, which was stolen from a construction site in "Baba Amer" neighborhood. 

Being the sole breadwinner for his wife and three daughters, Firas managed to buy an angle grinder with some simple tools and rented the other equipment just to be able to work and provide for his family's daily needs. 

Firas needs to put the life of his family back on track, supporting him with the essential tools will help him improve his income and have a new beginning for his business which he loves. 

Midhat is a barber from the city of Hama, he started to learn about this profession in his home city back in 1993. A few years later, his family decided to move and settle down in Homs; in the year 2000, he opened his first salon in Al-Hamidia neighborhood and built up a great reputation among the other barbers in the area drawing on his notable skills. 

During the severe war, Midhat and his parents were displaced for 2 years to Al-Mouzeina village, after their house was damaged, while his salon in Al-Hamidia was stolen. When they returned, the family repaired their house and Midhat bought some equipment to start all over again. He got married in 2017, and now he lives with his wife Milak and their two beautiful daughters; Elena (5 years old) and Joyce (1 year old).

The hard situation in the country, especially the lack of electricity affected his work, and he found out that the good experience is not enough by itself to maintain a successful business in the country's current condition without having all the important logistics like a generator and some essential materials that he daily needs in the salon and couldn't afford to secure due to the high prices.

Midhat aspired to improve his project and ensure its sustainability. Today, his salon is well-equipped, and he expanded his work by adding a new shaving chair and hiring an employee to help him offer the best services to his clients. 

Tarek's future was changed forever when he was called to serve in the army for 10 years of his life. He lives with his wife Nour, who works as an employee, and their 3-year-old daughter Catalia in a rented apartment and he is also the sole provider for his widowed mother. 

After his long service finished, his journey to find a source of livelihood began; having no former experience in any profession was a huge barrier in his way, he thought about buying a mini pick-up truck because of his driving experience but it was very expensive. 

He traveled to Lebanon seeking better opportunities and worked there in a spices shop, but unfortunately, he couldn't stay there for more than 4 months due to the economic crisis. The family lived off on Nour's salary until Tarek managed to find a job as a worker in a factory with a very modest income, hardly covering the increasing daily needs.

Having a mini pickup truck is new hope in Tarek's life, it will help him to improve his family's life after suffering for years from the brutal war. 

In 2012, Ali lost all he had and was displaced from his home village Al-Qusayr to start a whole different chapter of his life. He is a married man and a father of a beautiful girl, his wife works as an employee, and the small family lives in a rented apartment.

His first destination was Damascus, where he worked in a printing workshop for a full year, then moved to the city of Homs in hopes to find better opportunities, he worked as a waiter for 2 years, then as a laborer in an industrial area, but unfortunately, he lost this job because the factory he was working for closed its doors. Since that day, Ali has been going through a permanent state of job-seeking without finding suitable work, while his wife's salary is barely enough for their essential needs.

At the depth of his despair, Ali found the Micro Projects Program as a light at the end of the tunnel. Now after having his own mini pick-up truck, he is ready to do all he can to provide the best life for his beloved family.

Shadi's ambition has no limits and when his work as an employee was no longer enough to cover his family's needs, he decided to follow a new path. In 2007, he studied interior design online and started working as a freelancer by connecting and dealing with engineering firms.

The single man lives with his mother and two sisters in their house in Al-Hamidia neighborhood. In 2012 the family escaped their city when it became very dangerous; they traveled to a village in rural Homs called "Marmarita" where they stayed for five years; Shadi continued his work there as a designer and managed to save some money to repair the family's house and moved back with his mother and sisters.

During the rapid technological development, using a laptop with simple features became impractical and slowed down the work pace, which deprived him of taking new job offers, while buying a new computer was impossible as it has become a dream for many people due to its high price. Completing the simplest tasks took a lot of time on this worn-out device and 6 months ago, Shadi had to stop working.

This self-made man deserves a chance to improve his small business, having the needed laptop will open up wider opportunities and change his situation for the better. 

"With the absence of electricity, the productivity of my workshop had been reduced to half and I had to stay in the workshop for 24 hours a day, in an effort to finish my work," Remon said, describing his work situation. 

This single man lives with his nephew in a rented apartment and works as a tailor for a living. 

Remon opened his first workshop in 2011, and always did his best to guarantee a successful business. He works with his friend Danny who's responsible for the marketing, this workshop produces women's clothes providing a source of livelihood for nine workers. 

During the last period, the sound of sewing machines became rarely heard, and Remon's project was under the threat of closing, he started to lose many clients as a consequence of the delayed delivery and faced many problems; he couldn't use the electric generator after his neighbors complained about its loud noises, while at the same time, he couldn't afford to buy battery-operated machines due to the huge inflation in the country. 

Equipping the workshop with the needed machines will push it towards a stable and prosperous future, and will give Remon the chance to put his life back together.

Ziad has been working in the field of wall painting and wood spraying since he was 20 years old. He is the only provider for his wife Rana and their 3 children; Catherina (16 years old), Toulay (13 years old), and Tarek (1 year old).

He worked in many different construction sites around Homs; in 2011, he was working in a village called "Kafr Aya" when armed groups attacked the area, Ziad and the workers who were with him thankfully managed to escape but they couldn’t salvage the equipment, unfortunately, he lost all of the main tools of his work and had to start all over again.

Compensating for this loss was impossible due to the hard economic circumstances, but Ziad continued working by using some modest tools in addition to renting essential equipment like the electric generator and air compressor.

For a well-experienced man like Ziad, having the needed equipment will make a big difference in his income and will help him to recover the work opportunities which he lost due to not having the needed tools.