Youssef lives with his wife, parents and sister in his family's house. After marriage he was planning to live in a borrowed house and he had started to renovate, but during the war the house was damaged. Then they traveled to Lebanon for three years but he didn’t succeed there so he came back to his country.

During his time in Lebanon, he worked as a blacksmith in a company, after which he worked for two years in maintaining air conditioners, but his income from this work was less than that of blacksmithing. For this reason, he started working in his father's workshop and using old tools and machines.

Unfortunately, after the earthquake that hit Syria, because of their fear they traveled to Hama for a short period of time.

As a young married man, he wants to be the boss of his own business & tools, this way he’d be able to secure his family’s needs and live in a separate house. Now all of these dreams are possible after he got funded.

Harout is 41 years old and a father of two daughters and a son, living in a rented house, his first job was in his father's shoe workshop, then they sold it to cover living expenses. Afterwards he started working as a plumber in a monastery and learned the profession there. 

In 2010 he traveled to Lebanon and continued in the same profession.
At the end of 2011 the family returned to Aleppo and bought a house, unfortunately after nearly just one month, they had to sell the house due to their financial instability; they moved between several provinces in search for a better life and during their absence, the plumbing kit that he has bought was stolen, after which they returned to Aleppo and settled here. 

Harout now works as a plumber in the Salesian monastery along with some other clients but his only problem is that he has a primitive kit so he rents the equipment, which constitutes additional costs.

Harout’s only wish is to raise his children under stable and good conditions, which requires him to search for new ways to increase his income and fulfill his family’s needs. Now with the fund he has all the equipment and he is looking forward to better days to come.

Mikhaiel is a newly married man who recently moved to a rental apartment subsequent to living in his parent’s house since his financial situation was unstable.

Mikhaiel started his career back in his early twenties when he rented his friend’s taxi and worked as an uber driver but this didn’t last long because he got called for military service in 2007 for two years and then he worked in a sewing workshop approximately for 8 years. 

In 2017 he got injured by a shrapnel in his leg and then he got recalled for reserve military service till the end of 2021. after his discharge he couldn’t turn back to the sewing domain because of his injury that made it hard on him to stand for long hours which led him to work as a keeper in a sewing workshop and that is where he currently works, but his income from this job is not enough to cover the livelihood expenses.

The consequences of the earthquake were harsh on his wife, it caused her onset of hemiplegia and her treatment expenses are high so his need to a new and better income became a necessity.

Mikhaiel heard about Hope Center’s Micro projects program and decided to apply for a taxi, because of his health condition this is the most appropriate job for him. Now that he owns the taxi, he is so thankful and full of hope that he will be capable of covering his wife’s medical treatment costs and their livelihood expenses.

Ghassan 55 years old has been working as a carpenter for more than 40 years, he learned this profession and worked in many workshops for more than twenty years, then he decided to become independent and work separately between homes and workshops upon request.

Today, Ghassan is the father of two sons who live in his grandmother’s house, after the loss of their own home, which he bought in 2012. As a result, the family moved to the city of Homs for 4 years to start over. He worked there again with his profession, and he was able to buy new equipment after his old equipment were stolen. 

Currently, his wife helps him with the daily expenses through her work as a teacher in a private school, and he works between homes and workshops, where his specialty is detailing bedrooms and upholstering chairs with primitive carpentry tools.

Ghassan now has a chance of a new start with the new equipment that helps him save time, effort, and expenses.

Pamela lives with her parents and her younger sister in a rented apartment, she has been working since she was 17 and they moved to Tartus to escape from the war and the shells that were falling all over Aleppo.

In Tartus she worked in so many different domains, later, she started taking photographs as a hobby then, that hobby turned to a passion and profession.

In 2017 the family came back to Aleppo and Pamela's friends were the biggest supporters who encouraged her to pursue her passion.

Pamela wanted to take her talent to the next level and upgrade her skills by taking a design and montage course along with continuous self-improving.

She specialized in surgical photography because one of her friends was a dentist who believed in her and they agreed on working together, which enlarged her customers' circle and she became a well-known photographer among doctors who prefer this kind of promotions.

Pamela didn’t have any professional equipment; she used her mobile phone’s camera and when the doctors demanded a professional camera, she had to rent it.

Today after the support of Micro Projects, she has all the equipment and the confident to work independently and increase her income. 

Katia is married with two kids; she loves to take care of her family and pamper them along with prioritizing time for her hobbies and her work.

Katia discovered her passion which was making pastries and sweets, she took a course from a professional chef to gain more knowledge in her specialization.

She started evolving slowly, and her first few orders were from her close friends and her relatives, everyone who tried her sweets and pastries encouraged her to keep up her good work and take it a step forward, Katia chose to work at home just so she’ll be next to her family and take care of them.

Later on, She got well-known and decided to participate in exhibitions to increase her income along with marketing purposes. Katia had some primitive tools that helped her so far but now that she has many more clients it requires her to renew and expand the equipment.

Hope Center’s fund helped to turn her dreams into a reality, and now that she has all the essential tools, she’ll be able to gain more orders confidently and help her husband with their family’s livelihood expenses.

Antoine is married with 2 kids, they live in a modest apartment, his wife and him both work hard for their daughters.

Antoine has made his way in this world by working at air conditioning maintenance since he was a young man, he started as a worker and after taking a course he developed his work range.

First few years of learning the profession were somehow harsh on him, but his aim and hard work paid off and he became skilled and wanted to be more independent; he was planning to open his own workshop, but his financial instability created an obstacle so he ended up as a partner in a workshop with a small share of the profit.

Soon after, the family’s expenses were getting bigger and bigger and his share of the profit was no longer enough as the only income source.

Micro project’s fund planted hope and joy in his soul, now that he is the boss of his own project and has all the machinery he needs, Antoine believes he will conquer most of the financial difficulties he may face in the future.

Antoine is a divorced man living with his daughter who is preparing for the bachelor’s exam and they live a small apartment.

Antoine had a vehicle which he used to drive when he was a round trip driver at a transportation company and he was satisfied with his income but after the war and its consequences the company decided to close and he became unemployed. 

Because he has a daughter to take care of, he needed to quickly search for a new income source so he rented a shop and opened a market from his savings but sadly his market got robbed, to refund his business he sold his car and worked till 2021, then the owner of the shop told him to move out. He started working as a bus driver at the deaf school where he works till now. However the expenses were increasing rapidly and the salary became insufficient. 

Now he got the Taxi, he is happy and thankful for being able to secure his family’s needs and insure a better income.

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. 

Raji left his home village after he graduated from high school and headed to the city of Homs seeking a thriving career. 

In 2018, he moved to Homs and settled down with his friends in a rented apartment and worked in a restaurant for 10 months in order to cover his expenses while he was learning mobile phone maintenance by attending specialized courses and also through the internet. Then, he found an opportunity in a mobile phone store, where he practiced this profession and enhanced his skills until he finally started a new job as maintenance responsible, and was able to do what he loves.

However, the old tools and equipment that Raji has been using limited his ability to finish his work on time and negatively affected his income.

Now, Raji has the professional equipment, which supports his experience and allows him to improve his situation thus, he will have the chance to improve his business and hopefully start his own family.

When his work as an employee was no longer ensuring him a decent income, Wassim decided to utilize his skills in graphic design, which he gained by attending specialized courses with lots of practice and took that field as a source of livelihood.

He lives with his wife Seba who is a school teacher, and their four-year-old son Taim in a rented apartment, and the young couple are working hard to guarantee their boy a good and stable life.

In 2018, Wassim started working in providing advertising services, using his own laptop at home and benefiting from his strong relations with many workshops, but he was still in need of independence to increase his profits, which he couldn't achieve without much important equipment which he couldn't afford to buy. 

However, the real barrier in his way was being called for his mandatory service in March 2021. When he was discharged, the compensation was almost impossible during the current hard economic circumstances in the country and the Micro Projects Program was such a great chance for him to support his life project.

Today, Wassim rented a small place and he has all the essential machines and equipment to offer his client a full advertising service, hoping to settle down with his lovely family, and make an improvement in their living situation. 

Due to the deteriorated economic situation, and the difficulty of providing a sufficient livelihood, Simon had to leave school and start working with an electrician in 2017 and continued working with him for 3 years, until he learned the profession and acquired the needed skills to work on his own.

The cruel war left the young man with a devastating memory when he was kidnapped while escaping his home village Al-Qaryatein, after this incident, Simon suffered from diabetes.

Today, he lives with his wife, and the lovely couple are expecting their first child. 

As the sole breadwinner, Simon had to continue working in his profession by using some simple tools and borrowing the missing equipment from other craftsmen.

The Micro Projects Program will help him in his first step and allow him to guarantee his newborn baby better livelihood conditions. 

Kevork spent more than fifty years practicing his profession of car calibration and until this day, the hard-working man is still giving his family all his love and support.

He is married and a father of three, two sons, and a daughter; this family used to live in Bab Al-Sebaa neighborhood in Homs where the skilled man opened his first workshop back in 1975, in the industrial area and everything was going well.

His eldest son George used to help him; in 2012, while the father and son were working, as usual, an armed group threatened them and forced them to close the workshop, Kevork knew that this would be the last time they would see it.

When the situation in the city became dangerous, the family left their home and escaped to Fairouza village, they had to sell the house, and with the money, they bought furniture for their new house in addition to some important equipment, which allowed Kevork to open a workshop in the village, then the selfless father encouraged his two sons to travel and have a better future and spent the rest of the money on the family's needs because there wasn't enough work at the beginning.

During the last few years, the lack of electricity affected Kevork's work and he lost many clients, he rented an electric generator, but that was an additional financial burden that he couldn’t afford. 

Kevork is doing all he can to always ensure his wife and daughter a dignified life, providing him with the equipment to continue, will be well deserved for such a determined man.

After his 10 years of military service, Toni who is the one responsible for his elderly parents did his best to resume working in floor tiling which is the profession he learned and practiced for 4 years.

Although he didn’t have the main equipment for floor tiling, he worked with other craftsmen to ensure his family a decent income, especially since the head of the family, his father, was no longer able to work due to his health condition as he lost his vision 5 years ago.

Lately, under the hard economic situation, Toni's income was barely enough to cover the rental costs of their house and their daily needs, on the other hand, if he continues working for other people, he won't be able to have his independence and will lose his chance to build up his own future career.

Helping him to buy the needed equipment for floor tiling will change his situation and allow him to provide a life of dignity for his family.

Yasmine's family was living in a warm house that they filled with their happy laughs and shared together a peaceful life. Unfortunately, in 2011 the vicious war started and stole the good days they were used to, turning their house into a sad quiet place.

The tragedy happened when her only brother was kidnapped in 2012, and the elderly father became the sole breadwinner. However, everything was changed in a blink of an eye and the family didn’t expect to experience the loss again within a few years as her father, who was their last support passed away leaving the whole responsibility to Yasmine.

She suddenly found herself responsible for a family; so, she rented a small shop and began selling cosmetics in addition to utilizing her skills in beauty and makeup also, in order to improve her work, she attended a specialized course; Yasmine sold makeup products besides offering beauty services on the attic of her shop using some simple tools and this job has become her way for a living.

Helping her to buy all the essential requirements like a makeup chair, a cart, and other tools, especially the battery will allow her to practice her work professionally, improve her income and guarantee her and her mother a dignified life. 

Nothing can compensate for Moutaz's big losses because of the vicious war; losing 9 years of his life was not a big deal compared to losing his only brother as a martyr. 

Moutaz joined the army back in 2010 and experienced the terrors of war and its battlefields, he was discharged in 2019 with an injury in the knee and an unknown future.

He immediately searched for a job then he was employed in a foodstuff factory, he worked in goods distribution on a mini pick-up truck owned by the factory and built good relations with the traders around Homs. 

He worked for a year and a half until the factory owners decided to sell the vehicle, and Moutaz found himself jobless again with no former experience in any profession or craft.

As he lives with his parents and 2 sisters, he couldn’t stay without supporting his family so he worked as a salesman at someone else's shop. 

Moutaz needs a mini pick-up truck, which will secure him a better income based on his relations with the traders, and this way, he will ensure a sustainable source of livelihood and improve his living situation to preserve his family a dignified life.

Sally couldn't just sit and watch when the economic crisis intensified, she decided to learn a profession that would allow her to help her family and cover her expenses.

In 2021, she attended a nail care course where she obtained the needed skills but unfortunately, her family's financial abilities were limited and she couldn't purchase the kit to start her own project. A few months later, Sally found that even though she didn’t have the main equipment, she would improve her skills if she worked for a specialized salon.

The young lady traveled to Damascus and worked at her cousin's salon there but staying away from her family was very hard and at the same time, life in Damascus is more expensive than in Homs so she returned back without being able to do anything as her father's pension was barely enough and her only brother who used to work in a juice factory was diagnosed with cancer, which increased the family's burdens.

All Sally needs is the essential tools to begin her project at home, and she's enthusiastic to work and support her family hoping to bring some hope to their house.

Fadi is a graphic designer with great skills he acquired through long hours of practicing and hard work. His father, who is 71 years old has become no longer able to provide for their big family leaving this responsibility to his only son.

Today, Fadi lives with his parents and three sisters in a rented apartment and the ambitious young man is doing his best to build up a bright future. 

Since his start in this field, in 2017, he used to design on his own laptop, and then to improve his income, he started to work as a content writer besides designing for many websites.

Over time, the laptop he was using broke down, and he couldn't afford to buy a new one due to its very expensive price under their difficult financial circumstances so in order to resume working and supporting his family, Fadi used his sister's laptop and that reduced his productivity, which reflected negatively on his income.

His passion was the compass that led him toward the path he loves and despite the hard and long journey that waits for him, Fadi is ready to work and do all he can to fulfill his dreams.

The cruel war forced many people to live far away from their families and children, seeking better income to afford decent living conditions.

Dekran Kendmian worked in maintenance and his salary was good enough to meet his daily expenses, but with the beginning of the war, his profession was affected badly and he became unable to afford the basic needs.

Dekran couldn’t stand watching his children deprived of having a good life or proper education, so he decided to travel to Lebanon where he started to work there in his profession and send whatever he earned to his family back in Damascus hoping that someday he would bring them to live with him. Unfortunately, the high living costs in Lebanon prevented this dream and he spent 9 bitter years waiting for the day of their reunion.

However, with the beginning of the Lebanese revolution in 2019, the security and economic situation in Lebanon worsened, and he decided to return to Syria.  But the Corona pandemic, and the quarantine that happened after, reflected negatively on his financial situation as he started to spend his savings with no income.

Dekran was a hardworking man who couldn’t stand letting his family live in need and poverty, he said:

“I am willing to tear down the walls with my bare hands to secure my family with a better life”

Through the Micro-project program, Dekran got a pick-up truck so he could be able to make a sustainable income that will improve the family's living circumstances.

In 2010, Tony left his village and headed to the city of Damascus with hope and determination to make a change in the life of his family. He settled in Al-Dwalaa neighborhood and started to work in any available job and send most of his wages to his mother and brother who suffers from sight disability. 

Unfortunately in the first years of the war the security situation in Damascus deteriorated badly, and soon after, he was asked to serve in Hama.

Tony accepted the bitter reality and for more than eight years he served in very dangerous zones, went through several hardships, and survived many calamities. Yet, he didn’t let his situation bring him down, on the contrary, he learned the hairstyling profession and while he was serving in Hama, he worked at Marmarita village then when he was transferred to serve in Damascus, he continued his work there and gained good experience by the leading of professional hairstylists in the area.

The day that Tony was looking forward to, had arrived and he was discharged from the military service. He didn’t hesitate and started to work many shifts during the day to improve his financial situation, he wanted to save money to have his own salon, but his family’s situation wasn’t stable and he was sending them money every month to secure their basic living demands.

Tony’s dream of being independent and having his private job was fading away with the increasing costs of living, but he kept on the hard work until he heard about the micro-project program so he came with all hope asking for support.

Now, after being financed with the necessary equipment and the electric generator, Tony has finally reached his goal; having his own salon, and being independent to mprove his living circumstances.

"Being responsible for a lovely family with two little girls under current circumstances in Syria is something very difficult, it breaks your heart not to be able to secure the simplest needs of life and see your daughters growing in deprivation."

All that George was seeking for, is to secure a decent living for his family. Unfortunately, within the economic crisis in the country, no matter how hard he worked he couldn’t afford even the daily food.

In the previous years of war, George moved between several jobs as he worked at a coffee store for a year but his salary wasn’t good so he quit and started a Shawarma restaurant in partnership with his friend, but after one year his friend traveled abroad and George couldn’t handle all the expenses alone so he had to close it and worked as a waiter in a hotel. Since 2019, George has been working for more than 12 hours a day trying to afford his family's livelihood, but the situation is getting worse year after year and his income isn't enough to meet his monthly obligation.

He takes courage and determination from his daughters' innocent eyes to keep working and trying every day, because his main concern is providing them with a decent life.

Through the Micro-project program, George was supported to open his Coffee shop, so he could be independent and able to improve the living circumstances of his family. 

For 23 years, Nawal worked as a teacher to many generations who learned from this wise woman, she didn’t just teach them the typical curriculum but also planted true values of life in their mind and you can see that from her sons whom, despite the difficult financial and living condition of the country, were supported by their mother to become successful in their education. Hani is now in the third year of Agriculture Engineering, Fady is in the first year of Informatics Engineering and the youngest, Dani is in the eighth grade.

Unfortunately, the last decade was very hard for the whole family, as her husband’s job was affected badly by the war in addition to losing their house and land in the village of Rakham, Daraa governorate, with 125 olive trees that were cut and burned.

However, despite the losses, Nawal and her husband kept their faith as they started to work together to raise those young boys and provide them with basic needs and proper education, and even after her retirement in 2016, Nawal insisted on playing a major part in her family’s life; she tried to find a job but with the deteriorating condition and the increasing prices, nothing was suitable to secure the income she needed.

This hardworking woman kept searching for a chance and didn’t hesitate when she heard about our initiative to apply for a stationery shop which was approved. Nawal received the necessary equipment and materials to start her stationery shop where she could work along with her sons to get a sustainable income that will improve their current situation and hopefully their upcoming future.

For more than 27 years of experience as a shoemaker, Elias Alhelo has devoted all his life to the sake of his family and his three daughters Maha, Ayda, and Hanin.

They lived in Aldekhanyeh area in peace where Elias had his workshop and the profit was sufficient to secure a decent life for them.

Unfortunately, after the beginning of the crisis, things started to worsen gradually until the year 2014, when armed groups entered Aldekhanieh and started to shoot at the houses spreading violence and horror and terrifying the citizens including Elias and his wife who were in great fear for their daughters’ lives, especially that their daughter Hanin was still a newborn. Elias was forced to take his family and flee immediately without taking any of their belongings.

They became homeless, with no money or shelter so they stayed for two months in an unfinished flat until Elias managed to get some money to rent a small apartment in Kashkoul. He found himself forced to start everything from scratch; so he doubled his working hours just to afford the household necessities.

Although Elias was a skilled craftsman, being an employee at a workshop didn’t provide him with enough income to meet the living costs or secure his daughters' education costs, he was looking for a chance to improve his living circumstances.

Giving Elias the opportunity to have his own shoemaking workshop will make him independent with a sustainable income, in addition to restoring hope to his heart that life can still be kind to the ones who believe. 

Jana and her family had a quiet, peaceful life in their home in the city of Sednaya.

Unfortunately, this situation changed completely two years ago as Jana's father passed away from a heart attack, after that the family began a journey of pain and misery.

Before their tears dried, they were asked to leave their home because it was given to the father as a work benefit, so they were left without shelter or support. They moved to the city of Damascus, hoping to find better work opportunities, and rented a small house in Jaramana, all family members began working together to secure the daily food and their basic needs.

Jana's mother started to do cleaning work, but it was very hard for her as it affected her health and damaged her back, so she had to undergo several surgeries and stay at home.

Despite her young age, Jana decided to help her family with the household expenses, so she worked in several jobs then started to learn the profession of nails care and gained good experience in this field, but the lack of money prevented her from buying the necessary materials and improve her work.

Through the Micro-project program, Jana was supported with the necessary tools to work and save money so she could be able to support her mother and siblings in improving their livelihood conditions.

“Either you challenge life or let it defeat you”

The words of a woman who was hit by life’s hardships many times and came out stronger and wiser.

Clemance Akhras is 46, a widowed mother of two, Mouna 23, and Naser 22. She used to live happily with her family in Aleppo, working as a seamstress to help her husband with the living expenses.

With the start of war in 2011, her husband passed away from a heart attack, leaving Clemance heartbroken and alone in face of the horrors of war. She did not have time to mourn her husband, as the crisis struck the city of Aleppo and soon violence and death spread all over the city, then her house was destroyed by the shells and she couldn’t take any of her belongings out. she and her kids escaped with only their clothes to find themselves scared with no shelter or support.

Clemance decided to resort to the church where she stayed for two weeks then she moved with her children to Damascus hoping to have a new start there. With the help of the priest and the nuns, Clemance was able to rent a small flat in Al-Dwalaa and got employed at the Good Shepherd center as a children’s supervisor. In the afternoons, she worked as a seamstress at a sewing workshop.

Clemance worked day and night to provide her kids with proper education and basic living needs, but no matter how much she was trying, new challenges emerged; the workshop was closed and her income became much less than the increasing living demands. 

“I just want to grow old with my son and daughter beside me, not in a faraway country”.

This little dream of Clemance is our main purpose in the Hope Center, she was supported to have her own sewing workshop so this strong lady could have her independency, a sustainable and decent income to improve her living, and hopefully keep her children by her side. 

Firas Haddad, 46, lives with his mother in a modest house in Jaramana, Damascus countryside.

as a child, Firas went through very difficult circumstances as he was exposed to a fire accident in his childhood that caused severe burns on his hands and face. He has undergone many surgeries since then and still suffers from deformities, but it didn't prevent him from working or having a normal life.

In 2010, Firas started working as a salesperson using his small car, and even during the period of war, he continued to tour on the roads, trying his best to afford his living expenses and take care of his sick mother; secure her medicines as she suffers from severe back pains and osteoporosis which needs lots of attention and permanent treatment.

This situation continued until the year 2020, when Firas had a health problem, as a result of which he had to go through a stents placement operation, then he had to stay at home to rest. During that period, his financial situation was affected greatly, especially after the high treatment costs and the increasing living expenses, after his recovery, he wanted to start working again, but the prices had risen dramatically, and that prevented him from buying any new goods.

Firas and his mother became reliant on the church’s relief support, he kept looking with all hope for a way to restore his old life. It was when the church's priest told him about the Micro-project program, so he applied to be financed with the goods and materials to get his job back, secure a decent income for him and his mother, and become an independent and productive person once again.

Life is about moving on, accepting changes, and looking forward to what makes you stronger and more complete.

That’s what could be concluded from the life journey of Wassim Nanaa, a 37-year-old man who was struggling for the last decade to survive. Wassim was living along with his mother and two brothers in Al-Dwalaa area, working as a hairstylist with his brother and their work was good enough to secure them a decent life.

Wassim was like any young man of his age, dreaming about having a home and starting a family without knowing he was about to face many dark days that will change his life completely with the first months of the war outbreak, he got called to serve the military in the city of Aleppo, the center of the darkest battles in the country.

Soon after, his brother had to close the Salon and travel to Erbil, while the third one stayed with their mother whose health deteriorated from fear for her sons' future. During the first years of his service, Wassim went through very hard circumstances and escaped death many times.

In 2016, Wassim was transferred to serve in the city of Damascus, where he became close to his family and neighborhood so he began to do any work available to secure his income and improve his family's living conditions, then he started working as an English tutor at home in addition to some freelance-translation work.

Wassim was finally discharged from the military service last year, so he volunteered at St. Elias Church in Al-Dwalaa teaching English to needy students who couldn't afford private lessons, but despite his long working hours, his income wasn’t meeting the increasing living expenses.

Through the Micro-project program, Wassim was able to transform a room in his house into a teaching class and prepare it with the tools and equipment to give lessons and secure a sustainable income. 

“Some of us matured early because life showed us the worst side of the world”. This is what best describes Melham Ibrahim, who, despite his young age, has the experience of an old soul.

Melham was born in 1998, and by the age of 13 the war was ravishing Syria, like many of his age, he lost the opportunity of enjoying his childhood due to the severe violent acts and destruction, he was also deprived of education because his father’s shop was robbed in 2013 and he had to sell his car and spend all the family’s savings so they could survive within those difficult circumstances.

Melham’s family was struggling financially, so he started working as a photographer's assistant, and his skills developed by learning to improve his career and income.

Soon after, he became the provider of the house and took care of his parents whose health began to deteriorate; as his father had a clot in his leg and was suffering from asthma while unfortunately his mother was diagnosed with cancer and went through a long treatment journey that needed a lot of money and care.

Melham was alone, facing all of those difficulties with little income because half of his profit was going straight to the equipment owners and the money left was barely enough for the basic living needs, yet he was strong enough to encounter the obstacles. 

“I just need a camera of my own and some proper equipment, I have confidence in my skills that no matter what situation I face, I will succeed”. The Micro project initiative has the same trust in Melham; that’s why he was supported with a camera and proper photography equipment that will enable him of writing his own success story in life.

Walid Al-Bethreh, is married and lives in a small, modest house in Al Tabbaleh neighborhood in Damascus. He worked as a jeweler in a workshop since 1999, he did everything he could to provide his family with the best living, but things changed after the outbreak of war, as the Goldsmithing work began to gradually diminish until it stopped in 2014 due to the lack of demand and the workshop was closed.

Walid didn't hesitate to start in a different profession and he started working as an employee at a beverage shop in Bab Sharqi area, but in 2015 a shell exploded near his house and his eye was injured by shrapnel as a result of the explosion, which caused severe damage to the eye cornea. This incident had a great impact on Walid’s psychological and health condition, he was suffering, but he did not give in to despair and continued to work in the beverage shop until the owner traveled in 2021. 

Walid found himself helpless without a job, or someone to support him as his son was discharged from military service and was barely able to support himself.  this strong-willed man refused to rely on others, so he started going from one store to another, collecting empty bottles and reselling them trying to afford his family's basic needs. 

Walid and his family were in a deplorable state, suffering from poverty, waiting for the mercy of God to take them out of their abyss. 

“Though we may not always realize it, life’s struggles can sometimes inspire us to strive for achievements that we may not have reached otherwise”

Walid found his way to the Micro Projects initiative and was supported to open his mini-market in Dwalaa neighborhood, now he can finally restore his independence and be able to secure a decent life for his family. 

Many challenges in life may seem insurmountable and limiting, but humans have always proven that obstacles are made to overcome.

Tariq Al-Nadafa, born in 1988, is married to Rudaina and lives with his parents and brother in a small house in the Kashkoul area - Damascus countryside.

Tariq is one of the young men whose youth was drained by the Syrian war as he served for ten difficult and cruel years. After he was discharged, he found himself without a real profession or work, responsible for his elderly sick parents at a time the country was going through a stifling economic crisis.

Moreover, his wife had complications after a medical operation, which led to her losing the ability to have children in the future. Overburdened by his misfortunes, Tariq decided not to let despair block his way, so he started working as a data entry employee in a private company, and after the end of his shift, he worked in whatever he could, including repairs, paint workshops, and other things, to secure as much possible for the necessary living expenses in addition to his parents’ medicine costs.

Tariq and his family were living under harsh conditions and depriving themselves of the simplest requirements of life, their circumstances were getting worse as the costs of livelihood were increasing, but Tariq kept encouraging himself and looking forward to improving his reality.

Today, after he was supported by the Micro-projects program to purchase his own Pickup Truck, Tariq will hopefully overcome his past hardships and have a new start in life.