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.

With great determination and faith, Odet Ibrahim 34, insisted on continuing her life and moving forward, challenging the failed marriage experience that ended in separation without allowing despair and sadness to creep into her heart. She became responsible for her daughter Joelle and wanted to provide her with the best means of life, so she returned to live in her parent's house trying to secure a safe environment for her daughter.

Odet began her professional life in 2008 when she and her mother had a beauty salon where she worked and gained experience but with the beginning of the war, they closed the salon due to the dangerous security conditions, in addition to her father's death in a car accident during his work, his death was very harsh on the family, especially on Odet, who considered him her only support and it led to the deterioration of their financial situation as he was the breadwinner of the family.

In 2018, Odet started working at a school as an art teacher and then worked at a company as a designer and at the same time, she has been working in tattooing from home, as she was talented in drawing. Odet was trying her best to attract more customers, but the tools she had were simple and old and did not help her develop her work or increase her income. She was in desperate need of support to improve her work.

Odet was supported by Hope Center to purchase a nail care kit including all the tools that will help her improve her work which is a new beginning in the path to secure a dignified life for her loved ones. 

Abeer, the affectionate wife, and devoted mother, always placed her family first, even before herself, and although her life was filled with challenges and hardships, she never lost hope.

She is 51, married, and was living with her husband in Aleppo where she commenced her professional life as an employee in a private company in 2000, but left her job ten years later to dedicate herself to raising her two sons Marcel and Daniel.

In 2012, her husband's silver workshop was hit by shells, making him lose his workplace and machines, so the family was forced to move from Aleppo to Damascus searching for security and better living circumstances.

starting from scratch, Abeer sought a new opportunity to support her husband in securing a decent living for their kids so she attended several training courses in the field of beauty and decided to open her own beauty salon resulting in the start of "Abeer Salon"  in the city of Jaramana.

However, with the frequent power outages and her inability to operate the equipment, she faced significant challenges that led to a decrease in her income and affected her financial conditions.

Abeer was in desperate need of a power generator to facilitate workflow and increase her income.

Thanks to Hope Center, she was supported to purchase a new power generator which enabled her to operate her equipment continuously, increased the demand for her salon, and enhanced her financial situation.

This support filled Abeer with optimism and confidence forming the first step towards improving her living conditions and providing a better life for her family.

Samar Haddad, 49, is married with two sons, Amer born in 1995, balanced freelance work with studies at the Trade and Economic University,  and Wadei, born in 1999, juggled employment with his education at Damascus University's media faculty.

Samar started her working life in 2008, as a home-based cook until 2018 when she decided to go further in this career and gained a chef certification in both Eastern and Western cuisines determined to enhance her work.

However, as a result of their displacement from their place of living during wartime and the loss of all their belongings, her husband's health deteriorated as he started to suffer heart issues, hypertension, and recurrent strokes which weighed heavily on their financial conditions forcing Samar and her sons to work and afford the living expenses but despite setbacks, Samar worked on improving her skills, catering for multiple restaurants and events but with the lack of electricity, her income was still less than the increasing costs of living.

Determined to expand her project, Samar turned to the Hope Center asking for assistance. With their support, she was able to purchase new equipment and tools that will help to improve her work especially since she decided to go further and started a Facebook page, "Family Kitchen," that became a platform for bringing customers and sharing her creations. 

This project was more than a source for having sustainable income and financial stability, it was a dream come true and a promising future for Samar and her family.

With a passion for capturing sweet moments and telling stories through his lens, Majd Deeb 34, had always dreamed of turning his love for photography and videography into a full-fledged career. 

He is newly married to Rita Aleid, who is a dedicated doctor specializing in hematology and oncology, and supported Majd's ambitions wholeheartedly.

Majd's journey in the world of visual arts began after graduating from the College of Applied Arts as he started his professional career at Sama TV in 2014, working primarily in video editing. However, the low pay forced him to seek additional employment, leading him to teach at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts for two years, followed by two more years at the Institute of Applied Arts.

Despite his teaching commitments, Majd continued to hone his skills in photography and videography. In 2023, he took a job at Air Fly company, where he currently works, but his heart still longed for the creative freedom that running his own photography and videography business would provide but he was unable to purchase the right equipment that he could take his work to new heights, producing high-quality videos that would attract clients and elevate his career.

Determined to pursue his dream and improve his living conditions, Majd applied for support from Hope Center to purchase the necessary photography and editing equipment—a professional camera and a professional laptop.

As he received the required equipment to set up his studio, Majd felt a profound sense of gratitude as he became ready to forge his path, confident that this project would guide him toward a brighter future.

During the past decade, Attallah had a tumultuous journey marked by displacement, loss, and insecurity. He is 39, married, and has a five-year-old son called Hanna.

As a result of the war in Syria, his life was turned upside down especially since he was living in Al-Zababdani area which witnessed severe conflicts at the beginning of the crisis causing losses and displacement to many of its residents including Attallah whose house was destroyed completely and all his furniture and work equipment was looted.

Attallah fled out of Al-Zabadani to a nearby village then he decided to relocate to Lebanon in 2012, searching for security and better living circumstances.

He found a job there in an electrical installation company for installing solar systems and electrical maintenance, and despite the challenging situation there, he remained in Lebanon, got married there, and tried to have a normal life far from war and its calamities.

However, in 2020, the security and economic conditions in Lebanon deteriorated rapidly and he started to face financial strain, so he went back to Syria along with his family. 

Attallah rented a small flat in Jaramana and resorted to rent tools and equipment to work and sustain his livelihood but the costs of living were way more than the income he was gaining which put him in critical financial condition.

Desperate for stability and independence, Attallah sought support from the Hope Center, and with the assistance he got, he was able to purchase the equipment required for solar power installation and other electrical work which helped to expand his work and provided him with a decent source of income. This opportunity represented a turning point for Attallah, compensating for the losses endured during the war and offering a pathway to a dignified life for his loved ones.