Youssef served in the army for two years, and after his discharge he was recalled for reserve service, which lasted nearly nine years.

After returning he tried to work on a lathing machine then he began to work intermittently as a painter.

Youssef spent most of his savings due to the high cost of livelihood. His older brother works on a lathing machine, and he is the only one responsible for the household expenses.

His father does not work, but he has a shop in Bustan al-Basha that needs renovation; he was shot in the back by a sniper at the beginning of the crisis and could no longer work because of the chronic injury, so he began to rely on his children in terms of income.

When he heard about the Micro Projects Program, Youssef found a glimmer of hope, and after having his own taxi, Youssef is now working hard to improve his income and secure a decent living.

“We left our home dreaming of getting to Canada, where I was told that I would find a job to be able to take care of my family, but then we went back to Aleppo because we couldn't adapt.” Joseph told us his story when he took his family to flee from the shells that fell on their home, in search of safety.

During war the family house was hit by heavy shelling in Al-Suleimanie incident, which led to the wife's mental illness. so they moved to live in Tartous for two years, and then returned to Aleppo again.

Joseph old workshop for cars electrical maintenance was located in a dangerous area, that's why he decided to sell it before traveling to Canada. Upon his return, he tried to work with some simple tools that he was able to buy in his rented workshop.

Adding a lathing machine will increase his income and today, Joseph is trying to overcome his loss with a little help and a big hope.

Bassem 51 years old lives with his wife and daughter in a rented house in Aleppo, after they have lost all their property in the village of Al-Jdayda at the beginning of the war. 

Before the war, he had a large agricultural land he relied on as a main source of income in addition to his work as a policeman. 

When the fighting reached the village, Bassem fled with his family to their relatives' house in Aleppo.

He started a new life in a new city to provide his family with their daily needs and to help his children finish their studies, especially after they suffered a lot from fear and anxiety, but it was not easy at all where they did not have any friends, and they were also subjected to internal displacement several times due to the many bombings.

After the end of the armed conflict in Aleppo, Bassem decided to retire from his work as a policeman and wait until things calm down in the village, but unfortunately, he had no idea about what happened to his lands and his house in there. He decided to take new job to improve the family's income, especially in light of the difficult conditions the city was going through, so he learnt how to mold rubber from his friend and worked together for five years.

Today after Bassem gained a lot of experience, he decided to open his own workshop and thanks to the donors, he has an independent business with good returns to face daily life, waiting for a better tomorrow, hoping to return someday to his beloved village.

Khalil 47 years old, lives with his old parents and two brothers. the youngest one has a disability and his parents have a lot of health issues due to their old age.Therefore, Khalil and his big brother are the main providers for the family; they have been working on Pickup-trucks since 2009. but life wasn't easy for them, last year, Khalil's vehicle was stolen in front of his house during the night and he lost his main source of income.

Khalil didn't surrender, his brother shared his vehicle and they took turns in shifts each with their acquaintances.

During the war, their home was damaged as a result of a shell falling on the building next to them. The financial situation of the family is very weak, especially after their house was damaged, his mini pick-up truck was stolen, and everything they owned was sold to cover livelihood costs.

The mini pickup truck will secure a good income especially with all the work opportunities he will get from his many acquaintances and this project will allow him to secure a decent life for his family, hoping to overcome all past hardships.

Sarkis,20 years old, was born to a modest family consists of four people, his parents work in the same school, his father is a bus driver, his mother is a cleaner and his sister woks and studies at the same time.

“My parents did their best, but they never encouraged me to continue my education”, Sarkis decided to quit school and learn hair styling to gain enough experience and become a well-known barber.

He worked in a barbershop since 2014, but due to the travel of the employer, the shop was closed, then he worked in many other barbershops to provide a better income for his family.

During the war, Sarkis was displaced with his family several times to rented houses after shells fell near them and their home was damaged.

"My parents were very worried about the future, especially under these hard circumstances and now, because of Micro-Projects I was able to purchase all the necessary equipment for my new barbershop and be able to open my own business”.

The will to survive cannot be stopped, no matter how difficult the circumstances are"

With this sentence, Mr. Shukri opened his speech, defying all difficulties and struggling in the face of the daily life. 

Shukri did not complete his studies, but had to leave the school early when he was just 12 years old to help his family to provide the income; he worked for one of the best mechanics in the area and learned to disassemble and assemble the car engine on his own without any help.

In 2004, he opened his own workshop in Bustan Al-Basha area, he was just 30 years old at that time, and became famous in the area, as he reached a stage where he had more than 150 types of car engines, which he repairs and sells at the same time.

But the war knows no mercy, as with the entrance of armed groups into his area, they robbed the shop, including the tools and materials it contained, and Shukri became without work, in the hope that the war in the city would end. 

During that period, he was forced to sell his car, for the sake of his family's livelihood, especially since he adopted the daughter of his relative, whose family was martyred as a result of the war, which increased his responsibilities.

He did not give up but returned forcefully to search for a new job and worked in a shop for 10 years, until the employer sold the shop and traveled abroad.

Now after being funded by the Hope Center, Shukri returned to work, but this time in his own shop to support his family.

Life takes a heavy toll during war times. people start to lose hope.

Hagob is 57 years old and lives with his wife in their modest house. He has been working in satellite dish repair for 25 years. He had a kit but in the war, his house was damaged by a shell, and all the furniture was stolen, including his tools that he used to use for work.

Although he was able to repair his house, he could not make up for the loss of the tool which was his source of livelihood. Currently, he is borrowing equipment from his friends, but he wants his own equipment to be independent in his business. His wife works as a goldsmith in her cousin's gold workshop to help her husband.

Hagob was funded with the necessary tools to start his work, in the hope that his project would develop and become able to obtain a greater income that would provide him with a decent life.

"Due to the displacement, the illness of my son, and the loss of all my savings and my home in Raqqa, I am no longer able to bear these difficult living conditions all by myself." Kamel said.

Kamel is 61 years old man, worked in several fields, such as blacksmith for a period of time when he was in Raqqa, a valet parking for about 3 years in Lebanon, and when he settled in Aleppo, he resorted to the state function and worked there for 20 years, then retired and no longer had a job to support his family.

His 23-year-old son, Majd, was suffering from a spinal problem. He left his university after the third year of mechanic engineering when he underwent an operation because of the pain he suffered, and he could no longer stay standing for a long time; he then changed his university to a trade and economy university because it does not require a lot attendance.

Unfortunately, all of the family's savings were spent on treatment costs. Kamel had a blacksmith shop in Raqqa but he had to sell it. He is now dependent on his second son, who is studying abroad, in order to pay the rent for the house.

This project will change his life because it will reduce the burden of expenses on his son, and will finally be able to secure a sustainable income by working on the taxi.

The biggest loss for me was being forced to leave my workshop and sell all the machines I had. With these words, Vahe described his loss during the war.

Vahe is 47 years old, lives alone after his mother passed away 7 years ago, and the effects of war and shrapnel are still in his house until now.

He used to work in his own workshop before the war, and he had all the necessary sewing machines. After that, he sold them to secure his needs. He first started working on sewing machines in 1987 and worked for a long period of time in Lebanon.

Due to the current situation and the lack of demand in distributing clothes between workshops, Vahe took a job with his neighbor in the shop, helping him repair the clothes with a low salary.

Vahe will not give up despite all the tough circumstances, with the help of the micro initiative he will resume his work on the new machines with hope of regaining his business and securing better life.

Khajadour, 55 years old, lives with his wife and two sons, and tries hard to secure a decent life for them. since he was young, he suffered from the harshness of life, as he left school early and started to work in a lathing workshop, where he learned this profession.

when he was just 22 years old. He was able to open his own shop and became very famous and developed himself through several professional courses within the country and even abroad in Italy and obtained international certificates.

But the war was difficult on his family; his shop was completely robbed with all the equipment, so he remained for a short period without work until he volunteered in the church committees, and he was one of the people who helped the displaced families and provided them with support and assistance. 

He suffered a lot of material and emotional losses, but his greatest loss was when a shell landed on his house, which led to the injury of his pregnant wife, and consequently to a miscarriage. After the end of the hostilities, the church helped him restore his shop and bought him a small machine. He returned and opened his shop and set out to work again with great hope to improve their living situation. 

Today, thanks to the donors, Khajadour was able to buy a large machine for his shop and provide him and his family with more work to increase his income and secure a better future for his children.

In this fast-moving age, with the development of education and modern technologies, people strive to secure jobs after graduating from colleges and universities. Despite their efforts, many young adults in different parts of the world have a frustrating experience of finding a long-term job.

Shagik Kevork, 24 years old, is a recent graduate of the Faculty of Dentistry, coming from a family with a small income consisting of four people. She graduated in 2022 and worked in laboratories and clinics to increase her experience and enrich the training she followed during her studies.

Her father had previously worked as a blacksmith for agricultural machinery at the area of ​​Marea in his rented workshop during the war period. He lost his work there and the family's dependence became on the mother salary.

Shaghik's mother was fully prepared to sell the house and buy the equipment she needed to fulfill her daughter's dream. Her financial obligations and the high cost of living prevented her from opening her own clinic, so she started working within the clinics to gain a good reputation and increase her experience.

Now, after she has been funded by the micro program, the lovely family no longer has to sell the house, in addition, Shaghik can finally fulfill the dream that she long waited to achieve and secure a source of income for her family.

Abdul Masih Shammo 72 years old, is from a simple family of three; they are originally from  Al-Hasaka City in northeast Syria.

He works as a blacksmith specializing in manufacturing all kinds of agricultural vehicle's accessories, such as harvesters, water tanks, and trucks, he learned this profession when he was only 20 years old.

In 1995 he moved from Al-Hasaka toward Homs city looking to start his own project in a new city, he worked there for 6 years but unfortunately, the job didn’t reach his expectations so, he decided to move again but this time to Aleppo which is considered the major industrial city in Syria. 

In Aleppo, he rented a shop in the Bustan al-Basha area and launched his work there until the war started in 2011, the armed groups took over the area and all his equipment was stolen... he lost everything he had.

His loss was huge, but he didn’t surrender and he insisted to continue, so he rented a small shop in Deir Hafer village next to Aleppo to sell agricultural equipment and reentered the labor market again, but the spread of the Corona virus made him suffer a lot, his works stopped again and he was fell ill so he had to spend all of his savings for treatment. After he recovered, he went to his shop and found out that it had been completely robbed.

once again his determination pushed him to reopen his workshop through the support provided by the donors, and thanks to this initiative, Abdul Masih will now return to work to provide a better future for his family.

Since he was young, Nader tried all the fields of construction work but the main profession that he loved and mastered was renovating old houses, in addition to his special skills in decorating and stone carving. 

In 2011, he had to leave his house in Homs due to the vicious war and moved to "Mashta Al Hilu" town where he continued working with other craftsmen despite all the difficulties, 2014 was the year when he managed to return home; unfortunately, his house was damaged and he didn’t find most of his equipment, which forced him to work for others. 

Nader lost his chance of working independently after losing his equipment and being the sole provider for his wife and their two lovely daughters, he was in real need to improve his work conditions and income, especially since he has all the required experience to achieve complicated work. 

With more than 20 years of hard work, Nader deserves all the support to go forward and develop his work.

When things got tougher, Mounzer, who is the only provider for his wife and their three children, had to find additional sources of income to guarantee that all of their needs would be met and that his kids would have a proper education.

The hardworking man works as a government employee besides working in the field of floor grinding and polishing, which has been his main occupation since 1991. 

Before the disastrous war began and had a negative impact on everything, Mounzer's work was thriving and everything was going well. He lost all of his equipment in 2013, and in order to support his family, he worked as a wall painter until he was able to save up enough money to purchase a new grinding and polishing machine, which allowed him to restart his business. 

Yet, the majority of the craftsmen who largely rely on the availability of electricity have found it to be a tremendous challenge. 

Equipping Mounzer with an electric generator will improve his income and alleviate the financial burdens of renting one, resulting in a better  livelihood conditions for him and his lovely family.

Sami has been working in the construction field for 25 years and this is his source to provide for his wife and their three children. His older son Jalal went for his mandatory military service, his daughter Jackie repairs dresses to cover her own expenses, while Elie, the youngest is a school student in the 7th grade.

During the chaotic situation of the war, Sami lost his equipment that was stolen twice and suffered a lot to compensate for a part of his loss. As the provider for a family of five, he thought of increasing his income, which became hardly enough for the essential needs and since his main work is building concrete blocks, he wanted to add the service of lifting blocks at the construction site, but securing the requirements for this process, especially the mini-winch was difficult due to the severe inflation, and in order to buy the equipment, Sami would have to borrow money and fall into debts.

The Micro Projects Program was his last hope to develop his work and ensure a decent living. Today, Sami's work opportunities will be doubled after having the needed equipment, and he will be able to guarantee a dignified life for his family. 

Kamel is the head of a big family of five that lives in Homs city, which includes his wife, two boys (Maher and George), and their daughter (Yara). 

He spent 23 years as an employee at Al-Forat Dam before retiring and returning to his family in Homs. Considering the economic crisis and the free time he had, Kamel made the decision to transform the hobby he has in the field of carpentry into a source of income. He began with basic tools at home, and with the help of his three children, he was able to open a modest workshop in 2018.

Maher, his eldest son, took on the role of marketing, while George and Yara joined their skills in painting with their father's artwork to produce beautiful handmade pieces. 

The acute lack of energy and the absence of key crucial machines that Kamel needs to ensure the quality of work were the main problems this hardworking family had to deal with. 

The viability of this workshop will be guaranteed through the efforts of the entire family, who are working hard every day to ensure a successful business.

Elias built a peaceful life in his small village Al-Dwair, without realizing that he would lose it all in a blink of an eye. 

The sole provider for his wife and their three children is a carpenter who opened his first workshop with his brother back in 1985. 

Elias's family lost everything they had and was displaced to the city of Homs, just like all the other families in this village who witnessed the horrors of the war, but, the skilled carpenter didn't let the difficulties get in the way of his work for the sake of the people he loves. 

Every now and then, Elias was able to buy a new machine; however, starting from scratch was not easy in a country that was just coming out of a war, and despite the fact that he worked nonstop, he was unable to afford the missing equipment, particularly the electric generator, that would have increased the productivity of his work.

Elias wants to develop his workshop and guarantee that it is equipped with everything needed to maintain his project successfully.

At the age of 16, Ayman decided to take responsibility and learn a profession; he worked for a hair salon in Al-Arman neighborhood where his family used to live before the war.

Unfortunately, their house was hit by a shell and it was severely damaged, which forced them to move and settle down in Fairouza village. Today, Ayman lives with his parents and only brother, and the two sons are providing for the family after their father had critical health condition that prevented him from working.

The young man worked in Lebanon for one year then when he returned, he continued working at home because he couldn’t afford to open his own salon.

Ayman applied to the Micro Projects Program aspiring to make his first step towards a better future, helping the enthusiastic hairstylist was the beginning of achieving his dream and he is ready to continue by himself depending on his talent and the skills he gained while working in several salons.

Milad's love for his family was his only source of inspiration when things got difficult.

He is a dentist from Homs, lives with his wife Julie, their two sons, Boulos and Nour, and their daughter, Angela, along with his elderly mother. He converted a room in his home into a dental clinic and began offering his services to the residents of the area.

His daughter Angela (24 years old) was born with Dandy-Walker Syndrome, which affected her mental abilities and she requires special care and when his life partner was tragically diagnosed with colon cancer, Milad had to work alone to support the family who relies on him.

The growing responsibilities stopped him from enhancing his work, and all of his income was hardly enough for basic needs and the monthly cost of his wife and daughter's treatment. 

Milad applied to the Micro Projects Program in the hopes that he would be able to renovate the old dental chair that he had been using since 2000. Now that his clinic is fully equipped, he has everything he needs to raise the quality of his work and increase his income. 

A few years ago, some friends asked Reem to help them with their nails designs and that's how she discovered her special talents and gained the needed skills and her family encouraged her to follow her passion. 

At first, she offered her services at minimal prices and worked at home just to acquire experience and create relations with the ladies in her neighborhood. 

She is a married woman and a mother of three beautiful daughters; her husband Firas works as a government employee and when his salary became barely enough for their needs and the financial burdens increased day after day, Reem decided to open a shop and work to help her family.

She applied to The Micro Projects Program where she found support to continue and improve her project, and now, the hard-working woman has all she needs to run her small business and guarantee its success. 

Hassan chose to stay in the country where he grew up and lived, while his wife and children traveled abroad seeking a better future.

Hassan is a barber who started his career as a barber back in 1990 and he managed to ensure his wife and their three children a dignified life through it until the cruel war started. He went to Lebanon and worked there for ten years then returned when the deteriorating economic situation affected all aspects of life. 

His house was severely damaged and he spent all the money he saved during years of hard work in order to repair it and settle down. Hassan's shop lacked some new tools and a battery to improve the lighting condition, which is essential in such a profession.

Supporting his shop with all the requirements made a positive change and lit a new hope inside the darkness that the war has left behind. 

"I have lost nine years and a half of my life in the army!" Bassam said, sharing his experience during the cruel war.

He was called for mandatory service back in 2011 and when he was discharged, he found himself responsible for a family of four, since his father passed away while Bassam was absent, and his only brother had an accident that affected his ability to walk, and he is now working in a vegetable shop. 

Today, Bassam lives with his mother, sister, and brother in Fairouza village and he works in construction because he didn’t have the chance to have a former job before the military service. 

This work didn’t ensure a sufficient income and Bassam started to think of another source of livelihood, which is suitable for his condition and enough to cover his family's essential needs. The mini-winch was his choice due to his work in the construction field and the good relations he created with many craftsmen. 

This support will guarantee an independent business and better income for this family. 

The economic situation in the country imposed a new reality where the family's main provider has to find more than a source of income to secure a decent living.

Fadi has been working as an employee for an oil factory since 2002, he lives with his wife and their two children in addition to his mother and sister and he is the sole breadwinner for the big family. 

While the financial burdens were increasing, Fadi's salary wasn’t sufficient at all to cover the essential needs, he decided to focus more on agricultural work as a sustainable source of livelihood. He used to work in the family's land in Maskanah village and he made his decision to prepare the land and improve its crops of grapes.

Planting new vines required setting iron stands, which he couldn’t afford due to the high prices. Now, Fadi planted the land and he is working hard to ensure a successful crop, waiting impatiently for his land to start producing and generously provide him and his family with a dignified living.

Milad Dawood is a 36-year-old man, married to Laura Toma, and has a son named Eliea, born in 2011, the family lives in a small two-rooms flat in Kashkoul, Damascus countryside.

He was born into a modest family and since he became an adult he had to work and support his parents with the living expenses. The hardworking man was able to handle the house obligations and save some money to get married and start his own project in selling eggs in 2010.

However, a year after he was exposed to fraud by his worker who stole all the products from the shop which made Milad lose all that he worked for in the previous years. Yet, he didn't hesitate to overcome this incident and returned to work as a pickup driver, delivering products to the shops until the beginning of the war when he was called for military service in 2012.

his service was in the most dangerous places and soon after he was exposed to shooting; the bullet penetrated his body from his stomach to his back. his condition was critical and he had to go under treatment but he was kept in service until his discharge in 2022.

Milad returned to his family in a difficult psychological situation and started to do freelance jobs to secure the livelihood demands but his financial conditions were very bad which forced his wife to take their son and live with her parents until he could manage the living expenses again which was a devastating point in Milad's life because all he was dreaming about in his ten-year service was to go back to his family and make up for his absence years from his son's life.

Milad visited the micro-project office in Damascus and applied for the pickup car looking for any ray of hope to achieve his dream of having his life back.

Indeed, he deserved this chance because he was a self-made man seeking for a chance to work, restore his dignity, and reunite his family.

Anton tried to overcome all obstacles to provide his wife and kids with his care and love and worked hard to secure them a decent living. 

the 43-years-old man is married to Diana Shamoun and they have two kids Elias born in 2005, and Polin born in 2009, the family live in a rented small flat in Jaramana, Damascus suburbs, under very bad circumstances.

Many years ago, Anton started to work as a valet parking at a hotel until the start of the crisis as he had to move to a safer area but with a lower salary because of the security conditions.

In 2013, his wife Diana was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo surgery and long treatment sessions which affected their psychological and financial conditions especially since Anton had to work for more than twelve hours daily far from his house and family. However, Anton was still unable to match his income with the increasing costs of living so he decided to quit his job and with the money he saved, he started his own Mini-market in Jaramana trying his best to secure a better living for his family.

Anton's shop was poor in materials and equipment because he started it with a little amount of money which made its income lower than other shops.

Supporting Anton with the necessary equipment and proper amount of goods and products was a strong push for his project hoping to enable him of having a better and sustainable income to improve his living conditions.

George Shamma is 30 years old, living with his mother in a modest rented flat in Al-Dwalaa area but before the war, he used to live with his parents and seven siblings in Daria town in the countryside of Damascus in peace and security. 

When he was seventeen, he started working with his father at his carpentry workshop in order to support him and learn the profession. George was full of hope and energy, trying to establish a career for his future but unfortunately, with the war outbreak in 2011, he was called for military service, and for the next nine years he had to serve in the most intense conflict areas, Daraa and Alqaboun.

During that period, George has been through many difficult incidents that affected his life, but the most painful one was in 2012 when the family was gathering to celebrate his brother’s wedding in Daria, his father was exposed to sniping that led to his immediate death and the wedding turned into a Funeral.

This devastating incident affected the whole family especially since soon after, the armed groups entered the area forcing George and his family to be displaced from their house and they were informed later that their house and his father’s workshop were completely destroyed.

Those terrible losses led to spreading the family members on many parts of the country and George ended up alone with his old mother putting him under great responsibility since he became the breadwinner of the house.

However, after his discharge in 2019, George started to work as a taxi driver because he couldn’t learn any profession during the years of service but the taxi rent was very expensive and his income was barely matching the high costs of living.

With the help of Hope center, George was able to purchase his own taxi which will enable him to be independent and have a sustainable source of income to secure his future.

life is based on the fight for survival, especially in a country that witnessed ten years of a brutal war that drained every opportunity of decent living. Fadi Albadeen is one of those fighters who went through many hardships in his life and kept his strong faith.

He is 29 years old and lives with his parents and his brother’s family in Kashkoul area in Damascus.

In 2008, Fadi started working at a hairdressing salon at a very young age in order to support himself and help his parents with the living expenses as they were living in poor financial conditions. He learned about this career and became good at it and was dreaming to establish his own salon, but in 2013 after about two years of the war outbreak, he was called to serve in the military service which made him lose his job.

Fadi stayed in the service for nine years, during which his family went through many incidents as his father had a car accident that caused him three fractions and made him disabled from doing any job and his brother was shot in his hand which caused the amputation of his fingers, and Fadi himself was hurt greatly due to his severe service which made him undergo critical back surgery.

Fadi was discharged from military service in 2022 and he didn’t hesitate to start working at a hairdressing salon to handle the living expenses but the salary was very low and didn’t match the increasing costs of living especially since he was responsible for his family and his brother’s family because his brother is at the military service in Edleb city.

Fadi found his way to the micro-project office in Damascus where he applied for a hairdressing salon and was funded with all the equipment and tools needed to start his project hoping that he will be independent and have a proper income to secure a decent living for him and his family.

Like most young men of his age, Murshid did not have the opportunity to complete his education or learn a profession as he was called up for military service in 2012 and stayed there for nine years, after which he was discharged to face the difficult conditions of life without any profession or career, which formed a heavy burden on him, especially since he had to find a proper job with good income quickly because he became the only responsible for his family after his father's death.

The financial situation for Murshid and his family was affected greatly by his father's sickness; they used to have a pick-up car and a piece of land in Hama which they had to sell to afford the costs of treatment and Intensive care.

His mother also went through bad health condition; as she suffered two blood clots, after which she was forced to undergo surgery and permanent treatment and his brother Elias was called for military service, so Murshid was fighting the harsh living situation alone.

He decided to work in a restaurant in Ain Tarma and as a pickup driver so he could be able to secure medicine for his mother and his brother’s expenses in addition to household demands. 

The challenge was very difficult under the harsh economic situation and no matter how hard he worked; his income was barely enough to secure the daily basics.

Through the micro-project program in Damascus, Murshid was funded to buy a pick-up car, which will provide him with a sustainable income suitable to bear the high costs of life and fulfill his family obligations.

During his life journey, Pier Haddad 42, has proven that "Service is what life is all about and great acts could be made from small deeds."

Pier spent his childhood between catechism activities and church service dreaming to grow up and become a part of this great message, which he achieved during the past years as he became a piano teacher and he invested his talent to give free lessons to the children in the neighborhood.

After that, he started cooperating with the Franciscan Music Center, Saint Musa Al-Habashi Monastery, and the Jesus and Mary Sisters Center for Music in giving music lessons to the kids for very low wages because all he cared about was that each child has the right to learn music no matter what his financial situation was.

However, Pier was living in a modest house in Al-Dwalaa area but during the wartime his parents were deceased and his siblings traveled abroad and tried to take him with them but he refused to travel because he was very passionate about his service so after staying alone at the house, he decided to turn it to a music teaching center for the poor kids in the area and with the help of his friends he could teach them Piano, Oud, and violin. 

Although Pier was doing a great service for the area and the church, he wasn't getting any income and in the past couple of years he started to suffer from financial hardships so he decided to start a recording studio to get some income but he didn’t have the needed equipment so he applied at the Micro-project center asking for support.

Pier has surely deserved to be supported by the Micro-project program and he was funded with all the equipment that will allow him to start his own recording studio that will provide him with a reasonable source of income and at the same time continue his message in teaching music for the kids and achieving his dream in recording hymns for churches, assuring again that “Goodness is the only investment that never fails”.

At the age of 17 Elie Hannoun decided to leave school and start working at a hairdressing salon in his hometown Saydnaya to support his family and handle his own expenses.

soon he became very skilled and well-known in the town but he couldn't expand his work because after the war outbreak, the devastating impact spread to Saydnaya region, and all its residents became living under danger and threat, which led to the cessation of work in most professions, including Elie’s work, as he was forced to move with his parents to live in Damascus.

unfortunately, their displacement synchronized with the deterioration of his father's health as he was diagnosed with cancer which forced Elie to stop working and support his father throughout the treatment period, which lasted for four painful and harsh years and ended with his father's death in 2014.

Elie and his mother remained alone living in a small and poor flat in Jaramana and he became the breadwinner of the house, so he started working at a hairdressing salon in Jaramana to cope with the difficult circumstances but with the Corona pandemic and the quarantine started which affected his work and forced him to stay jobless for a period until he was able to continue working trying as much as possible to provide the simplest requirements of life and even his mother started looking for a job to help he son.

Elie was seeking to have his own salon, through which he could be independent and obtain a stable income matching the high cost of living.

Therefore, as soon as his friends told him about the Micro-projects program in Damascus, he immediately applied for the hairdressing salon project in Jaramana, and today, after his project was approved, Elie regained his energy and enthusiasm for work and he is opening his salon from the early morning with all faith that this opportunity he got will change his life for the better and help him secure a decent life for him and his mother.

Being a child in a large family was never easy for Nahi, he was a brother of eight siblings and a child of loving and caring parents who did their best to secure a proper livelihood for their kids which wasn't available for them especially since they were living in a small village that didn't have enough resources or work opportunities so most of its villagers were forced to move to secure their future.

Nahi and his siblings left the village as soon as they turned 18 heading to the city, trying to work and secure their own expenses. In 2008, Nahi started working as a maintenance worker and for the following six years, he was able to send money to his parents and sick sister in the village.

However, during the war, his income started to decrease and he became unable to match his expenses so he quit his job and started working as a pick-up driver delivering goods and products between the city and village, but during the economic collapse and the fuel crisis, his job became unprofitable especially since he had to pay a huge rent to the pick-up owner so he started to learn the sanitary maintenance profession from his cousin and during the year 2022 he was learning and working with his cousin who unfortunately passed away leaving Nahi in sorrow.

He felt that all paths are closing one after another so he turned to God praying for his great mercy.

Through the Micro-project program, Nahi was funded with the Pick-up, hoping that it will form a new start and allow him to work independently with a sustainable source of income.

“This support has renewed hope in my heart and it assured me that true faith means holding nothing back, it means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to his promises”

Raymon Al-Badawi, 30 years old, is married to Yara Haddad, and they have adorable twins, George and Charbel who were born in 2021.

Raymon, his family, and his old parents live in a small rented flat on Al-Qurayyat Street, Jaramana city. his father works as a tailor and his mother is retired so basically Raymon is also the responsible for their expenses.

At the beginning of his twenties, he started working at an aluminum workshop and soon after he was able to learn the profession and became very skilled in it, he wanted to empower himself more so he could have his own workshop in the future because he found that this profession provides stable and sustainable income that will secure his livelihood.

However, during the years of war, life became very difficult and despite all the hard work he was putting in, he was only earning 20% of the workshops income, while the rest was going to the workshop owner which made his wages barely enough to cover the daily food and he started to suffer from financial distress and became unable to meet the household demands.

Raymon was certain that if had the chance to have his own workshop, things will get better especially since he got the experience, acquaintances, and the demanded skills to run the project.

With great faith, Raymon applied at the Micro-project and his request was approved as he was funded with all the machines, tools, and equipment to start his own workshop which he considered the lifetime chance that will give him a strong push to be independent, have a better income and help to secure his family's future.

For the last 15 years, without missing a day, Munir was touring streets from behind his steering wheels, disciplined and determined to secure a decent living for his family.

He is married to Reem Al-labed and they have three adorable daughters Caroleen, Valentina, and Mary rose. Munir worked as a taxi driver, and during the crisis in Syria, he struggled a lot to afford the living obligations and his family's livelihood without needing anyone's help.

Unfortunately, that situation changed in 2019, as his daughter Carolyn started to feel sick, and after undergoing several tests, she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in the brain which was devastating news for Munir and his family.

Since then, Carolyn had to go through two surgeries and a long and painful treatment journey which exhausted her body and her family, especially Munir whose health also deteriorated as a result and had to undergo heart surgery but he was always holding strong faith in his heart that his daughter will overcome this experience and be cured eventually. 

At the same time, Munir was working hard to cope with the increasing costs of living especially in the last couple of years during the terrible economic and fuel crisis, but no matter how hard he worked, his income was still not enough to afford the living expenses, his daughter’s medication, and the taxi rent.

they started to suffer even to afford their daily food and he had to ask for support from charities and churches to help him survive during these critical circumstances.

Munir was in dire need of having an independent project that will preserve his dignity and help him pass through these dark days which he got after applying to the Micro-project program as he was approved to be funded with the taxi project with all hope that this project will form a positive outcome in his life.

For most of his life, Jerious's main concerns were his family's comfort and safety; he never minded working hard for long hours for the past twenty years for this aim.

Jerious is 55, married to Taghreed Alabdoun, and has two sons Fady born in 1997, and Rami born in 2000.

They were living close to Al-dkhanieh area in the countryside of Damascus where he was also working at his carpentry workshop.

This all changed after 2011 as the armed conflict that took place in Al-dkhanieh forced them to be displaced from their house for many months, staying at their relatives' house, with no work or income.

however, when the security situation settled down, they returned to their area but found the house and workshop damaged which affected their living conditions as Jerious's work wasn't as profitable as before and his income was barely meeting the high living expenses.

Jerious tried his best and made an extra effort to improve his work which led to deteriorating his health condition as he had to undergo heart surgery which he couldn't afford so he sold his machines to cover the surgery costs.

After his recovery, he was forbidden to make any physical effort which made him unable to return to work in the carpentry workshop but he didn't accept to stay jobless so he rented a mini pickup and started to work as a driver delivering goods, vegetables, and products trying to secure the basic living needs for his family.

Nevertheless, the high rent of the pickup made all his work seems worthless and the only solution was to have his own pickup car in order to make a difference in his life.

Through the Micro-project initiative in Damascus, Jerious was able to buy the mini pickup that will enable him to work independently and open the way to develop his work and increase his income so that he could improve his living conditions.

Aleen Salhani, 31 years old, lives with her parents and sister in a modest house in the city of Jaramana, Damascus countryside. She graduated from the Agricultural Technical Institute and started working as a seamstress assistant in a workshop, then she worked several jobs, trying as much as possible to earn enough money to afford the house demands because her parents suffered from several health problems and were unable to work which made Aleen and her sister responsible for the household expenses. 

This responsibility became heavier during the difficult years of war, especially after a mortar shell destroyed their car and ruined a part of their house. Even though the family survived but they had to pay a lot of money to repair the house which overwhelmed Aleen with more obligations. 

Aleen has always had a passion and talent for decorations and handicrafts, so she started working with her relatives and friends and tried to grow her talent into a project with the deterioration of the financial conditions in the past years, because her job was no longer providing her with sufficient income to meet the house needs, and wanted to use her talent in handcrafts to start her own project.

Every success in life starts with a small step, and Aleen took that step when she applied to the Micro projects program. Now, after being funded with all the materials and tools, she was able to have her own handicrafts shop, which made her full of determination and hope to enhance her work so she could improve her living conditions.