Mikhaiel served in military for 10 years and now he thrives to start his life from scratch; despite all the difficulties that he has been facing, decided to focus on the opportunities and not the obstacles.

He had started working in the rubber molding domain with his father since he was young, gained experience and even worked during the vacations of his military service.

Moreover, they've lost all of their equipment during the war due to the fact that their workshop’s region was under the control of armed groups for a long period of time. 

Now that he’s a father of two and also takes care of his parents accordingly his responsibility became bigger than ever, but that’s not a hindrance for him, cause he finds all the courage he needs every time he looks at his beautiful family.

So, he applied for Hope Center, hoping to use his great experience to commence his own business and provide a better life for his children. 

"I love my country Syria and I'll keep up working at my shop no matter what" 

Salem who is 66 years old, lives in one of the parish's houses with his wife and three children, during the war they were forced to leave their home for a short period of time and sadly his daughter got injured by a stray bullet and she is still carrying a piece of it in her hand, moreover his stationery shop was damaged by the missiles that were falling around it like rain.

Despite this all, he didn't lose hope and persisted to open his shop and tried to continue his regular life, because he is a strong-willed, hardworking person, who looks at life from a positive perspective, with considering the fact that he is the only breadwinner in his family, whose only wish is to secure the basics for his family.

The equipment that he has are from the day he opened the shop back to 1987, which became outdated and not useful anymore, that's why upgrading his shop became essential for him so that he won't lose more costumers.

With the help of Hope Center, Salem now has all the tools he needs that will increase his income and provide a decent life for his family.

Salim is a hardworking and strong-willed man, who lives with his three siblings along with being the main breadwinner in his family. 

Salim laid the foundation of his sewing experience back when he was young by helping his father in his free time and during his summer vacations.

In 1986, he opened his own workshop and everything was great, the business was profitable, which made him enlarge the project and specialize in sewing uniforms.

The story of his big success was torn apart after the war that hit Syria, which left him with a mounting burden of debt, later on he sold off most of his machinery and his workshop to pay them back.

But he didn’t give up and turned back to his business with the simple machinery that he has kept; day after day he realized, that what he makes is not enough comparing with the market demand.

Now, that he got the opportunity to open a new workshop and turn it step by step to what it was before, he is so thankful to Hope Center for giving him the chance to fulfill his family’s needs and livelihood expenses.

Everyone appreciates his valuable possessions and it is difficult to sell a property in order to face the difficulty of life and the difficult living conditions.

Ohaness faced this problem when he had to sell their house because of the lack of work at that time after he was discharged from the military.

He is 31 years old, served the military for more than nine years, now he lives with his brother, who serves in the military, and his mother in their small house.

He returned to his previous profession in rubber molding after completing his service. But his savings were not enough to open a business, he decided to apply to the Hope Center to get help with a purchase of a press machine.

This initiative helped him have the essential machine to continue and save the family's only source of livelihood. 

Nidal’s military service lasted nearly nine years, then after being discharged from military, he faced the harshness of life as well as the vague future.

Immediately after his service, he worked in his brother’s sewing workshop, but being new in this domain made his journey harder.

All of Nidal’s family members work in their own specialization, which motivates him to have his own business and to care of his family’s livelihood expenses.

The opportunity of having his own taxi planted a seed of hope in his soul, he applied and got accepted which made him extremely happy.

After the long years of sacrifice he made, Nidal now is thankful for the chance that he got from Hope Center, which made him the boss of himself, and the idea of ensuring a better income for him and his family made him more confident than ever. 

Melkon started working when he was in his early twenties with plans in his head to create a secure future for him and his mother.

From a young age he worked in two different domains to learn more skills and gain experience; his first job was in a mechanic workshop and in a short notice he started working on a lathing machine to increase his income, by time he became gifted in both jobs.

When the war hit the city of Aleppo, Melkon thought about a plan to save his career and he decided on traveling, in 2011 he left Syria looking for a better opportunities to make money and help his family.

Melkon worked in Lebanon nearly 11 years in both of the domains, in 2022 he decided to come back, start a family and settle in Aleppo now, he is a newly-married young man and they live together with his mother hoping that someday they will be able to buy their own house.

Supporting Melkon with the important equipment will have a positive effect on his work and he’ll be able to create a secure future for his child and provide his family’s needs and livelihood expenses.

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

After that he thought of working in the aluminum manufacturing domain, but the lack of experience and costumers together with his financial circumstances weren’t encouraging for him.

Fredy is a newly married man and they are blessed with a daughter, but due to the economic crises they are living with his wife’s family. He is currently spending from his savings plus he is the only one responsible for all of his family’s expenses.

Fredy is aiming to work and be able to move out to their own apartment, provide a happy and secure future for his family.

After he heard about Hope Center, he was grateful for the opportunity to start working independently on his taxi and improve his income. 

Archelous lives with her husband and son in their modest house located in Al-Midan area; they were able to buy it many years before the war through the help of her family and a small loan from the bank that was repaid, in addition to selling the gold that she owned.

She used to work as a teacher in the Faculty of Science at the University of Aleppo, in addition to working as a nurse in hospitals and between houses, but because of her advanced age and the decline in her health status, she resigned and worked in selling Homemade food supplies, which she had been practicing since 1989.

Being the only breadwinner for the house, as her husband suffers from hearing and sight impairment, and he cannot work well in any profession. Her son works in a warehouse selling car parts, with a small salary that is not enough to cover his own expenses. 

The family used to own a house and agricultural land in Al-Yaqoubia village, but they were displaced from it and it was no longer possible to benefit from the agricultural lands that they had there.

Today, with the help of donors, Archelous was able to purchase the equipment that help her in her work and facilitates the preparation process in order to sell Homemade food supplies quickly and with higher efficiency, in addition to the ability to introduce new items that provide her with additional money to meet the difficulties of daily life.

"Holding a great responsibility at a young age is a huge challenge” .

in 2014 Hovsep’s family fled to Lebanon after selling their house and all their possessions to escape the harshness of the war and search for a better life.

When Hovsep was young, he loved all professions related to car repairing, especially since his father was a famous mechanic, so he benefited from this passion in Lebanon and learned a new profession, which is car spraying.

He worked there for 6 years until he gained a lot of experience, However, when the war hit Lebanon in 2020, it led directly to the deterioration of the economic situation in the country. Therefore, they decided to return to Aleppo.. Shortly after their return, Hovsep rented a small shop with a partner.

Unfortunately, the father suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed, and he became in need of special care, which forced the mother to work in a sewing workshop to help with the household expenses. After two years of working in Aleppo, Hovsep’s partner traveled abroad after selling the shop’s equipment, which was a shock for Hovsep, who did not give up and began borrowing the required equipment from his neighbors.

Today, thanks to the micro projects program, he owns the entire shop’s equipment and he became independent at work.

Hagob lived with his mother and his sister until the war came and took everything from him; their lives turned upside down like many Syrian families.

“We had tools and equipment in our workshop in Bustan Al Basha that were stolen during war. The workshop was also damaged and has recently been restored.”

Rehabilitating the workshop consumed all of their savings, and they were left with no source of income. Although their workplace is renovated, they still needed to buy the essential machinery to start the work.

Hagob started this career back in 2008 and now he does not own any tools, but rather works in another car body shop with a low salary, he decided to reopen his father's workshop.

He said: “My father taught me his profession in auto body repair workshop and everything related to this field that can help me in the future.”

All he needs is the support to get the equipment to start working again, with the help provided by Hope Center, he will be able to achieve a better income and then hopefully things will turn out for the better.

Like many other professions, sellers are going through some changes nowadays. Karahkin is the father of two kids Carine and Hagob,41 years old, and lives with his family. His wife works but with a low salary.

He said: “I’ve been in the selling business for 14 years. I'm driving my friend's pickup truck. I've always dreamed of having my own pickup truck, it’s so much easier when I drive to the shops and load goods”.

Karahkin and his family were safe throughout the war and were not injured, so they were grateful. Due to the high cost of living and the pick-up truck's high rents, he suffers from many financial obligations. One of the most important things that help him in his work and increase his income is buying a car, and thus he can save his money and his work will be easier.

His job requires transportation for the shipping and services and this car will allow karahkin to make a good living on his own.

One of the most difficult decisions taken by the Rezkallah's family was when they decided to sell their house to face the difficult living and economic conditions.

Although all family members work, all their salaries combined are no longer enough to cover the rising livelihood costs.

His father works as an employee in a mall, his mother is a clothing saleswoman, and his little sister is still studying. This young man is trying to help his family with expenses, and his work in Mobile software requires more development which is necessary because technology is constantly changing.

This ambitious young man, 22 years old, started working as a salesman in a mobile store in 2018. After two months, he decided to learn a new interest and enter computer and software maintenance to increase his income.

What distinguishes Rezkallah is the pursuit of self-development, and through his work for four years in this domain, Rezkallah became known for his skills, and the mobile shops near him began to provide him with work as well, despite his young age.

Now, Rezkallah has all he needs to run a successful business and secure a decent income 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.

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. 

Tony Al Khouly, is a 61-years-old man, married and a father of two girls; Carol and Elissar.

For all his life, Tony’s main concern was to secure his daughters with a good living and proper education, he didn’t mind working hard for their happiness and comfort. Before the crisis, he used to work along with his brother in a cigarettes store in Al Zabadani area, the countryside of Damascus, but after 2011, Al Zabadani was one of the first areas to be affected by the war; their workplace was greatly damaged and they lost their living source.

Tony found himself jobless in the middle of the most difficult circumstances, when he was supposed to be a strong father and provider. Those heavy burdens didn’t weaken his will to work; he started to take any available job, then he started working as a real estate agent, in addition to helping his brother in his mini-market in Jaramana trying to secure as much income as possible. 

Despite his age, Tony was willing to do anything for the sake of his family, but the harsh living conditions made his long working hours worthless because he was unable to meet the high livelihood expenses which frustrated him.  

Nonetheless, Tony had great hope in God’s mercy which will lead him to a better path.

The support from the Micro-project program, will not just provide him with the needed goods for a better and more sustainable income, but will also secure this family some safety and comfort.

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.”

The war may have stolen many people's lives, homes, health, but it didn't take away their will to live and win their life battles. Josephine’s life was always burdened with hardships, especially after the death of her husband as she found herself lonely with no supporter, solely responsible for her children and their living.

For more than 12 years, Josephine worked at Al Asieh school in Jaramana as a buffet lady. Although her body was getting weaker, she kept working trying to afford the basic living needs, especially after her son Essa was called for mandatory service in 2012. Josephine prayed every day for the safety of her son, especially since he was located in the most dangerous areas, indeed, God responded to her prayers when her son survived death after an explosion, but sadly he lost both of his legs. 

Despite this terrible incident, Josephine’s faith was strong. She quit her job to be close to her son and support him physically and emotionally after what he had been through. The family needed to trust in God’s great mercy which was not strange from a mother like Josephine who was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of her son.

With the support of the wounded of homeland project, they rented a small shop in Jaramana in 2020, Josephine didn’t hesitate to work with her son in this shop trying to support him as much as possible but they couldn't afford to fill the shop with goods because the financial situation was very bad which threatened to shut down their small business.

Yet, Josephine didn’t give up; as soon as she heard about the Micro project program, she asked for help to get all the needed goods for her mini market, which we provided with pleasure as this iron lady deserves to get all the possible support because she had already given so much love and sacrifice to her family. 

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.

Given the reality we're living in, one has to work day and night just so he can manage to secure the simplest life expenses, especially if he is the sole breadwinner of the family and has young children like the case of Sarkis Al Haddad (42 years old), husband and father for Serjios, Pamela and Paula.

Before 2011, Sarkis worked as a restaurant manager in Jaramana, he was happily planning for his wedding, renovating his house, and having his furniture custom-made. Unfortunately, those plans were postponed for several years because of the war outbreak, as the security situation worsened a lot and Sarkis' job at a restaurant deteriorated rapidly until he became unemployed. He also couldn’t finish his house renovation, the family house in Maaloula was hit by a mortar shell and severely damaged, all the furniture was lost after the carpentry workshop was looted then destroyed in the countryside of Damascus.

Sarkis suddenly found himself starting over from scratch; struggling to find a job and establish a family, but he had to find a solution and start a new career, so he took a bold step outside his comfort zone and applied at the television and radio administration, and through the new job he learned about photography and became a channel photographer. Sarkis loved his new profession and got skillful, he even collaborated with other photographers for covering private celebrations. 

Despite the long working hours and having two jobs, Sarkis’s financial situation was still weak, half of his income was going straight to his employers and he was hardly able to afford the basics for his family.

Sarkis needed a strong push to improve his situation, by applying to the Micro-project program he was supported with the necessary equipment that would allow him to be self-independent and achieve better livelihood circumstances. 

"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. 

Despite all the ugliness in the world, one can still be inspired by how much love and care the human relationships hide, that’s the moral message we took from Ibrahim and Bashar’s partnership.

Ibrahim Alkhouli was born in 1967 in Al Zabadani town. When he was only 14, he started to work as a blacksmith then when he got older he opened his own workshop, where he shared work with his childhood friend Bashar, even after Bashar got married, he kept working with Ibrahim and they shared good days as well as their life and work challenges. 

However, When the war broke out in Al Zabadani, the town was daily hit by dozens of mortar shells in addition to the armed conflict. Ibrahim and Bashar witnessed the brutality of war and were forced to flee out of the area under bombing and shooting to save their lives leaving everything behind. They went to Bloudan where they stayed for two years, where they spent all the savings just to afford their basic living needs. They were informed that their houses and workshop were destroyed completely with all the possessions and equipment. 

As a result, Ibrahim decided to move to Damascus and start working in any field so he could support himself, he stayed at his nephew’s house in Jaramana and worked as a blacksmith in different workshops then Bashar followed him and they once again spent countless hours working together and shared living expenses; especially that Bashar’s daughter Dalaa was suffering from diabetes and needed high-cost treatment every month.

“We suffered a lot, lost everything we worked for, started from scratch to fight for our daily food, but God manage our life with his great mercy every day” Those were Ibrahim’s words. 

Indeed, God’s hand reached out to the two friends, and through the Micro-project, they were supported with machines, equipment, tools, and electric generator so they could start over their blacksmithing workshop and have a second chance in life.

Nothing can describe the experience of having a disabled child, surviving a deadly war, living in a deteriorating economic situation while being responsible for your family. 

This is the case of Hani Fares, 57 years, married with two sons (Jean 1999, Dani 2001) and a daughter (Rama 2002), Dani suffers from cerebral palsy and requires a lot of love and extra care.

Before the crisis, Hani worked as a warehouse guard at Al Abbaseein Mall and his salary was enough to afford the basic living expenses, but with the outbreak of the war in Syria, Al Abbaseein area was exposed to shelling and sniping, thus the mall closed and all the employees were discharged including Hani who found himself all of a sudden unemployed facing huge responsibilities.

However, one must do what he has to do, so he started a new job and had to juggle all his life hardships. Especially with his son Dani who needs his attention more than anything else. Hani worked for ten years as a salesperson in a supermarket, gaining a big experience in this field, and although the salary was at the minimum, he was grateful for having a job under such difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately, the supermarket owner decided to sell it putting Hani once again at the edge of unemployment, but he did not surrender to despair, he borrowed some money from a relative to start his own mini market and the whole family started to work together for late hours to keep a steady income. Unfortunately, the current economic situation and price instability affected the work very negatively.

Supporting Hani with goods will secure the sustainability of their mini-market, and ensure that this close-knit family has a better livelihood in the future.

"When you have faith in God, you don’t have to worry too much about your daily bread, you just do what you can and let him manage your life” Those were the wise words of Khaled Al-Hreira.

Khaled is 58 years old, married with three sons (Oday born in1998, Qusay and Loay born in 1999).

He is a mechanical engineer and for the last 30 years, he has been working as an employee at the Drinking-Water Corporation in Damascus. During the years of war and under the most dangerous circumstances, Khaled kept going to his work every day because his main concern was to provide his kids with a decent life and proper education despite all difficulties.

khaled's children became the first in their classes, and they are now studying informatics engineering and helping their father as much as possible considering that they are in the age of military service which limits their work opportunities.

However, Khaled didn’t mind to start over, he transformed a room from his house into a small shop where he started to sell bread and some food materials. His good reputation made him very popular in the area, despite the shortage of goods in the shop, people became familiar with it. Khaled was so excited about his new project but the income was very low in comparison with the family's needs, which made him struggle to keep it open.

In the most challenging days, Khaled’s great faith in God didn't weaken, and through the Micro Project program, he was supported with the essential equipment and goods to save his shop and improve his income.

Samira Ayoub, 54 years old, is a single woman living with her sister in a very small and old house in Aldwalaa area in Damascus. Her sister Nawal suffers from some health issues and has no one else to look after her but her loving sister.

Samira worked as a seamstress in sewing factories since 1984, through the years she became highly experienced in the sewing process with all its details, she even made time for fixing clothes at her house in the afternoon after she was given a sewing machine from the ‘holy cross’ church.

Samira spent many years of hard work without hesitation or complaint, despite the significant hardships and the fact that she has no supporters, Samira still sought a better life. She is not able to achieve much in her current job because her salary is very low, but as soon as she became familiar with the micro projects concept, she decided to apply for a sewing workshop in which she can be independent and get a better income at the same time. 

Neither Samira’s age nor her life challenges have hindered her from taking this opportunity to fight for her success, and our role is to empower this strong woman to live the rest of her life in dignity without the need of anyone’s help.

Jamil Demmar is an efficient, hard-working man who spent the past thirty years of his life working as an employee in a goldsmithing workshop. Despite his great experience and professionality of work, he could not save enough money to get his own workshop because of the high costs. 

Jamil lives with his elderly parents and two brothers in a modest house in Bab Touma, the three siblings all work just to afford the house needs and the medical expenses for their parents.

However, within the difficult past years of the crisis, the economic situation became very tough, and his brothers’ income failed to meet all the financial obligations, which forced Jamil to work extra hours to be able to secure all the necessary needs. Unfortunately, his long hours behind the table and the nature of his difficult work led to the deterioration of his health, until he was forced in 2020 to go through three surgeries, after his recovery, the doctors warned him from going back to his old profession and he suddenly found himself unemployed. 

Jamil had no choice but to start searching for another source of living that doesn't require a previous experience, and through the Micro project Program, he was supported by a mini pick-up truck so that he could work and secure a good life for his family.