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

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

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

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

As a devoted school teacher from Qattinah village, Wafaa has always believed in the power of education to transform lives. But beyond the classroom, she faced financial challenges; with limited resources and a retired husband, making ends meet was a constant struggle.

In 2013, Wafaa’s life took an unexpected turn. Her mother introduced her to the world of oyster mushroom cultivation. It was a small-scale project, but it thrived. Unfortunately, her mother’s health declined, and she had to step back from the venture. Wafaa saw an opportunity, a chance to create something special for her family.

She decided to start her own micro project, growing oyster mushrooms on her rooftop, she applied to the Micro Projects Program without hesitation. The program recognized the uniqueness of her endeavor, the way it will bring sustenance and stability to her household. With the support, her project blossomed into a main source of income.

The project became her passion, a way to supplement their income and her determination paid off. Her mushrooms flourished, filling their roof with earthy aromas and hope for better days to come.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Abdo was still in school when the war started, which affected his educational progress leading him to leave school and work at his uncle's goldsmith workshop until 2015, then when the work decreased, he moved between several jobs trying to handle his expenses and support his parents, but in 2017 he was called for military service so he decided to travel to Lebanon to continue working there because his family was depending on his support to survive.

In Lebanon, Abdo worked in the morning as a salesman and in the afternoon as an Auto mechanic and soon he learned this profession and became very skilled in it.

However, during the coronavirus epidemic, the situation in Lebanon deteriorated so he went back to Syria and started working as a mechanic using simple tools, and depending on his circle of friends and relatives to get work requests.

Abdo wanted to start his own Auto mechanic workshop but the high costs of equipment stood against this endeavor so he sought support from Hope Center.

Now, after having his own workshop, Abdo is so optimistic about the future, because he has become independent and able to improve his work and have a better income which will have a positive impact on his living situation.

For more than nine years, Andrea Khoury worked in gold carving workshops, carrying out his work with precision and perfection for long hours daily trying his best to afford the basic demands of living.

Andrea lives with his parents and siblings in a rented house in Jaramana while he and his brother and sister are working and supporting each other to pass through the current circumstances especially since their father suffered from some health issues and had to undergo heart surgery while Andrea himself was also suffering from tendons cut of the hand that affected his ability to do hard work.

Andrea wanted to be independent and establish his own workshop so he applied to the Micro Project program with the idea of starting a small workshop in which he does engraving work, the last stage of goldsmiths’ manual engraving process, benefiting from his acquaintances in the market.

Considering his long experience in the field and commitment to his work and family, Andrea was supported with the necessary equipment and tools to start his own engraving workshop hoping that this project would enhance his living conditions.

Milia Daowd's story is one of love and determination. Despite facing adversity, she embodies strength and compassion, caring for her elderly mother and sick brother while navigating life's challenges as a divorced woman.

Born in 1968, Milia's journey took unexpected turns. she got divorced after a short period of her marriage to find herself as the sole provider for her family. With her father passing away and her mother dependent on her care, Milia's responsibilities grew heavier.

Her brothers, Maher and Hussam are abroad, though physically distant, remained pillars of support. Meanwhile, Samer, amidst his own struggles with schizophrenia, provided emotional support from afar.

Milia's passion for sewing became her lifeline. For 29 years, she honed her craft, working as both a seamstress and an art teacher until her retirement in 2022. Now, facing financial strain and her own physical limitations due to a hand injury, Milia decided to embark on a new journey – opening her own sewing workshop.

With unwavering determination, Milia sought to turn her skills into a sustainable business. Her dream was to not only provide for her family but also to create a safe space where her brother could find purpose and solace amid his illness.

She applied to the micro project for support to purchase two sewing machines aiming to specialize in crafting blankets and linens, a modest yet meaningful endeavor

Today after the fund, Milia stands strong, determined to weave a brighter future for her loved ones, one stitch at a time.

Being a chef’ specializing in sweets and special dishes is all that Colette desires as a career. She is 31, married and has a three-year-old son. She lives with her family in a small rented flat in Jaramana, where she also started her project.

In the beginning, Colette worked as a sales representative in a cosmetic company but in 2017 she decided to follow her passion for cooking so she started to make food and sweets at home using her small circle of relatives and friends to sell her dishes. Her work was so good that she became famous in the neighborhood and started to receive many orders.

Colette wanted to expand her project and receive more orders and had several ideas to add such as events planning and decorating in addition to making wedding cakes and party meals but the equipment she was using was old and not proper to handle such work especially that her oven wasn't working and she had no electricity.

at the same time, her husband's work wasn't good and their financial condition was deteriorating which made Colette project the only mean to overcome the financial difficulties. 

With the help of Hope Center, Colette was supported to renew her cooking equipment and have the necessary materials to expand her project, hoping that this skilled woman would be able to improve her job and have proper income to support her family.

A talented and determined man is the least that can be said to describe Samwel Skeif. He is in his fifties yet, he still has the will and strength to keep learning and investing in himself. He started at a very young age to support his parents with living demands and so he worked as a tailor assistant, but he was clever and skilled enough to learn the profession and start his own sewing workshop which he ran for years until the conditions worsened; his job was affected badly forcing him to sell the machines in order to afford his family’s living expenses then he started to work in drawing and manufacturing sewing templates for different factories. 

Learning has always been a passion for Samwel, and even though he couldn’t finish his schooling education, he didn’t hesitate to enroll in several life skills courses such as fashion design training - TOT courses - speed reading courses - body language courses - and neuro programming.

Samwel got hired as a trainer at a development institution for design and sewing courses and he was so excited to transfer his knowledge and talents to others.

However, with the increasing costs of living, he wasn't able to provide his family with a decent living and he was thriving to have his own sewing workshop with the idea of turning part of it into a training center for sewing and designing courses.

Today, after being supported to start his own project, Samwel is so grateful to have this opportunity that will enable him to fulfill his passion for work and teaching and at the same time increase his income and improve his living conditions.