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The equipment that he has are from the day he opened the shop back to 1987, which became outdated and not useful anymore, that's why upgrading his shop became essential for him so that he won't lose more costumers.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

From behind his old steering wheel and for over 9 years, Aara was fighting all the difficulties of life. The 55-year-old man has experienced many hardships and yet, still has a warm smile and strong will.

Aara Koiskian is married with two children Arda and Kevork. They lived in Al-Dekhanieh area in the countryside of Damascus, but after the beginning of the crisis in Syria their house was destroyed completely and they had to move out. In 2013, a shell exploded near him and his left hand was hit by shrapnel which hindered him from working in his profession as a goldsmith that he practiced for many years. Aara had to sell his car in order to pay for the treatment and he found himself losing everything; his house, his car, and his left’s hand ability to work. 

However, despair wasn’t in his dictionary, soon after his recovery, Aara rented a microbus and started to work as a driver for as much time as he could to support his family. Due to his respectable and honest personality, he was entrusted by a school to transport students to their houses. Unfortunately, half of his income was going straight to the microbus owner which forced him to work extra hours which he did with gratitude. 

He spoke with determination: “I am willing to work until the last breath I have to secure a decent life for my kids and support their future” 

By helping this self-esteemed man with a microbus, he can have a sustainable source of living to keep his dignity and take good care of the family. 

Although Abdullah Ajam is entering his seventies, he still has the strength of a young man ready to defy all life difficulties. He is originally from Aleppo but moved with his family to Jaramana, Damascus 20 years ago. Before the war in Syria, he worked at a goldsmith workshop but his profession deteriorated with the first months of the crisis. Abdullah stayed unemployed for about a year, but he was not willing to stay at home and wait for support from his sons.

He managed to borrow some money and started his own spices store and named it (Aleppo’s Supplies) and got special spices and goods from Aleppo to become the first of its kind in the area, people loved buying from this store. Abdullah became once again a supporter of his family and restored his independence, then he began to help the Latin church with the relief program of supporting other families. 

However, the past three years were very tough on all Syrians; with the worsening of the economic situation, Abdullah became unable to refill all the goods in his shop and was nearly broke.

By helping Abdullah, the store will continue its success, and the whole family will have the stability of livelihood thanks to the determination of this self-made man.

Being a mother of three little girls without a partner or a supporter within the most difficult circumstances is beyond stamina, yet Shadia had always gathered her strength to keep fighting and overcome obstacles for the sake of her daughters who were looking up to her knowing that she will always be there for them.

Shadia Sawaya is 46 years old, with three adorable girls: Sandi (2001), Sidra(2007), and sally(2012). Her husband passed away 8 years ago by a gunshot during the war leaving her heartbroken and alone. She had to get over her grief and depend on herself to support her family and work in the salon for long hours to put the food on the table at the end of the day.

Her mission was very difficult and she had to face many difficulties; from the increasing living expenses to the lack of electricity and water which affected her work directly as her income was not enough for the basic needs. However, the owner of the salon was generous enough to keep the rent low as she wasn’t able to afford a big monthly payment.

Years passed and her daughters grew to support their mother, Sandi started to work while Sidra helps her mother with house chores and in taking care of her sister Sally.

life has been tough on this family but Shadia didn’t lose her faith and through the Micro project program, she applied for an electric generator and other equipment that will give her a push to improve her salon and stand on her feet again.

Spending your life as an employee thinking that you will have a secure future and spend the rest of your days enjoying your time with your family, was the dream of Marwan AL Yousef who retired after 25 years of working at the Rubber Company, but sadly he found himself facing an overwhelming war that changed everything to the worse.

The 57-year-old man is married and has three lovely children; Rita, Maria, and Joseph. His main concern was always to offer them the best living and proper education but unfortunately, he struggled in the last few years just to keep them safe from terrors and violence, especially after his brother was killed in the explosion of Jaramana 2013. This shocking incident had a huge impact on Marwan, but his faith in God was stronger than this disaster, he just kept praying for the safety and security of his family.

After his retirement in 2016, Marwan decided to keep working and fighting all the difficulties. He turned one of the rooms of his house into a small shop to work from so he could afford the living expenses, until 2020 when his small business was affected badly by the coronavirus pandemic and was about to shut down.

However, sometimes life pushes us to the extremes and only our will and hope can allow us to survive. Thus, when Marwan heard about the micro initiative, he applied for supporting his shop with the goods to maintain the sustainability of his work and a stable income for his lovely family. 

In 2011, after turning seventeen, and instead of starting the journey of establishing his future life, Majd Aldhaim found himself facing a devastating war and terrible living conditions.

Majd was born in 1994, he lived along with his family in their old house in Al Dwalaa area. He had to drop out of university because he was called for military service where he faced many dangers and survived several accidents, those tough days affected his health situation and he started to suffer damage in the Sciatic nerve and became unable to walk without crutches, as a result, he was discharged from the military service.

Majd found himself at a young age, disabled, with no university education or a profession, with heavy responsibilities.

However, he did not get frustrated or hopeless, on the contrary, he started to work at his brother’s store for mobiles maintenance and gained good experience in this field. The two brothers worked and shared the house expenses and their parents’ medication costs, but the deteriorated economic situation in the country put big financial pressure on them and hindered any improvement in their business, thus their equipment became outdated and unsuitable for work.

Throughout the Micro project initiative, Majd was supported with the proper tools and materials to strengthen his work and ensure better livelihood for the family.

Within the past ten years, most people have been subjected to great injustice. The life of an entire generation has been stolen. Elias Alshaer is one of those young people whose life was greatly affected by the crisis in Syria; deprived of childhood, proper education and simplest living aspects.

In 2011, Elias and his family were living in the village of al-Qusayr in the countryside of Homs, but with the outbreak of the war in Syria, their house was destroyed and looted, and they had to flee to Jaramana, in the countryside of Damascus. This young man was forced to drop out of university and work in a restaurant to help support the family who lost all their properties and belongings. They all had to start from scratch in a new place and with very tight financial conditions.

These hardships did not weaken Elias' will, he continued to work day and night to make ends meet. However, in the year 2017 he was at a crossroads, obliged to leave Syria for a while. His residence in Lebanon turned to become an advantage when he gained extensive experience in the field of beverages and sweets catering industry. He also attended several courses in the same domain.

When it was time to head back home in 2019, Elias returned to Syria with his mind set on his career of choice and the aspects that he still needs to strengthen in order to become an independent individual. Without any hesitation, once he settled back, he took a job in accounting to make an income and pay for his parents’ medication, and at the same time to learn more about handling the financials of running a business.

Elias is one of the strong-minded young men who, despite the harsh circumstances of war, displacement and losses, did not despair but continued with his great ambition and hope to create his own conditions and make a difference in his life by opening his sweets and beverages shop in his country and stay with his family and loved ones.

George is 49 years old, married and a father of three children.

At the beginning of the crisis, George was living in the city of Jaramana, Damascus countryside. His life was going peacefully until the Syrian war began and the family started to suffer from the terrible situation.

To protect his family, George decided to sell his only house to secure enough money and get away from Jaramana, he went to the countryside of Homs and lived there for a few years. he wasn’t able to work there due to the difficult circumstances and started to spend his savings until the situation in the city of Jaramana settled down, so he returned and started over from scratch.

George went back to work in his profession as a painter and his wife started working in the field of make-up and beauty to support her husband financially, but after about three years, she began to suffer from Neuritis; inflammation of nerves in her hand and neck, pains which stopped her from working anymore.

George was forced to work long hours to take care of all the family expenses and keep them from poverty, but unfortunately, when he was working at the Nuns’ monastery in Bab Toma, he fell off the ladder from a height and lost consciousness so the nuns took him to the hospital. Due to the heavy fall, he had a broken nose in addition to a compound fracture in his wrist. It took him about 6 months to recover, but he was no longer able to work in the same profession.

When asked how he was managing his living since his injury, he said:

“You can manage to eat whether with 4000 SYP or 20,000 SYP, what’s worth the most to me is that we are healthy and together.”

George's story resembles the case of most Syrians affected by the war, yet he did not stop thanking the Lord for all the blessings in his life. By helping him, we are rescuing a family from destitution, and enabling them to have a decent and respected life. 

Our lives are not measured by the number of years, but by the size of our determination, experiences, and compassion. This is what Sandy Suleiman, 21 years old, proves with her story.

Sandy lives with her parents and sister at her aunt’s house in Jaramana because they couldn't afford to rent their own house under the pressure of the financial crisis. They all work and support each other so they can handle the tough livelihood circumstances in the country.

Sandy’s father works in a restaurant and her mother companies the students on the school bus, while her sister is studying Chemistry in the college and working at the same time in designing logos. Sandy also worked after her baccalaureate as an assistant in a dental prosthodontics lab, and in 2021 she graduated from the Dental Prosthodontics Institute after gaining the required experience to follow her dream of establishing her private Lab and being self-employed to support herself and help the family.

When she heard about the Micro project program she didn’t hesitate to apply for her lifetime project. When we asked Sandy whether she wants to travel abroad, she said she would only consider traveling to work, save money and return to open her lab in Syria and stay close to her family.

Sandy was passionately talking about her project, full of enthusiasm and determination in addition to a clear vision and constructive ideas about how to start her business and develop it in the future, this initiative is created to support people such as this young lady and participate in her success.

It is always inspiring to see how much determination and hope a person has to face problems and defy them no matter how difficult they are, like Jalal Ghamika, 35 years old, who despite all the misfortunes in his life, still has a smile on his face against all the hardships.

Jalal was living with his family safely in the city of Homs, but with the outbreak of war in Syria, the city was directly affected, they fled to Damascus, where they settled in Jaramana, and they were informed that their house in Homs had been completely looted. That terrible incident affected his father's health a lot and gradually led to his passing in 2012.

Jalal found himself alone facing big responsibility, he worked day and night to support his family, but the income was very low, so in 2016 he traveled to Lebanon hoping to improve his financial situation. He worked there as a chef in a restaurant until 2019 when he began to suffer from Osteomyelitis, so he had to return and be treated in Syria, and at the same time period, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and needed surgery to remove the tumor then chemotherapy.

Despite his illness, Jalal began working at home with the help of his sisters in making oriental food and delivering orders to houses. He was responsible for his mother, his two sisters, and their children, his recruited brother, and the younger brother who is still a student, and yet he did not surrender or become overwhelmed because he had strong faith that always pushed him to work and hope for a better tomorrow.

Indeed, through the Micro project’s program, Jalal was supported to start his small shop, in which he and his sisters will work and support each other through life challenges.

Being brave enough to overcome domestic violence, emotional and physical abuse, losing a husband and a son savagely, and spend 24 hours living and working in a 10-meters rented shop, and yet still be sane, ready to start over and fight all life obstacles is something heartbreaking and inspirational at the same time.

This is a brief description of Rania's life, the 43-years-old woman who despite all the tragic incidents that she went through in her life which ended with her husband and her son being murdered, still has the will to survive and continue the journey of life, working in her small shop in Jaramana in the day time and sleep on an old bed at night praying to God to have the peace in her heart and soul.

Rania works in repairing people’s used clothes and at the same time, helps anyone in need by selling their clothes without any return. Behind her appearing smile, you can see the deep sadness from the tears hidden in her eyes which she always tries to hide.

she is still striving to work and secure her own expenses so she doesn’t need anyone’s help or sympathy.

Through the micro initiate in Damascus, Rania was supported with the required sewing machines to empower her work, improve her income and maybe in the future restore her life balance.

Within the previous crisis years in Syria, one could hardly handle his life hardships, let alone be responsible for others especially if they are struggling with a disability or sickness.

Nader Assaf is 49 years old, single, and lives with his brother’s family and his sick father in a modest house in al-Dwalaa. He worked as a painter in several workshops since 2003, he spent all those years supporting his parents and providing all their needs and expenses, which hindered him from having his own family. In 2017, his health began to deteriorate, he suffered from high blood pressure and recurrent signs of clots and had to go through surgery, he became unable to make physical efforts or be exposed to the paint odor, so he had to quit his profession and search for a suitable new job.

He worked in a secondhand shop for few months, but the salary was so little it wouldn't even cover the basic needs. Nader was forced many times to skip his medicine to buy food for the house and medicine for his father, since his brother could hardly support his own family expenses, and Nader had to work from home to stay by his father's side as his situation is critical. 

Nader wanted to improve his life and start his own business, but he needed financial support which he deserves for being such a caring and responsible person. Through the Micro Projects program, he started his small grocery store near his house so that he could work and take care of his father at the same time. 

Millions of Syrians have fled their country to seek a better life due to the war conflict that started in 2011, seeking safety and better living. 

Tamara Gergos and her family were one of those families who suffered a lot during the crisis in Syria, they traveled to Lebanon dreaming of a safe and secure life and to try to find a way to live abroad, but that was very difficult to achieve especially due to the high living cost in Lebanon and the expensive school tuition which forced Tamara to come back with her children to Syria while her husband Hisham stayed in Lebanon and worked sometimes three jobs a day just to send money back for his family.

However, after the huge explosion in Lebanon, the economic situation there deteriorated and Hisham became unable to afford his living and no longer was able to save any money for the family. 

Despite the hard situation, Tamara didn’t feel sad or despair, on the contrary, she got some help and started a mini-market in Jaramana to support her family. Indeed, her small project succeeded in taking care of their expenses and her husband got the courage to leave Lebanon and go back to work with his wife and be close to his children who were growing up fast.

Through Micro Projects, Tamara's market was supported with all the required goods to improve her business and helped to get this loving family back together.