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.

John had always been the man of the house. With a great reputation and skills, He had built a successful aluminum workshop with all the equipment needed, but tragedy struck in 2011 when he lost everything, leaving him with huge losses, he could never recover any time soon. 

Devastated and unsure of what to do, he decided to travel to Lebanon in hopes to provide a better life for his family. Unfortunately, financial issues prevented him from making a living and he ultimately had to return to his home country with nothing left to start over with.

When he arrived back in Syria, he had no place to go. He had sold all his furniture to pay for his travel expenses and was forced to live with his wife and two kids in a small, poor room since 2012. Determined to provide for his family, he learned how to build graves to make a living and worked with his career as much as he could. However, he didn't have any tools or a proper place to work, making it challenging to progress further.

Despite the harsh living conditions, John's children remained resilient and focused on their studies. They were emotionally and socially damaged by the environment they had to grow up in but refused to let it hold them back from accomplishing their goals.

Just when John thought he could never overcome his unfortunate circumstances, he received a life-changing opportunity. He was funded by the micro-project in Damascus with all the tools he needed to start a new workshop. Finally, he had a chance to reclaim his life and provide a better life for his family.

John, his wife, and his children all worked together to survive. With determination and hard work, they were able to pass the years living in very bad conditions. While they may have faced unimaginable hardships, they refused to let their situation define them and instead focused on building a better future for themselves as a family.

Diab had always been a hard-working man. He supports his parents not just his small family. It is his duty to take care of them after all they had done for him growing up. He is a loving husband and father of two children, but life had not been kind to him; he lost his parents’ house in Maaloula by a mortar shell, leaving them with nothing but clothes on their backs.

Diab had heart issues and asthma, which made it difficult for him to work in stressful situations. But he had no choice, he had to support his family. Before the war, he used to work as a sales representative, traveling between cities. But he had to quit his job with the danger on the roads.

He then started working as a private driver for a businessman. It was not the safest job, but it paid well. However, when the war intensified, the businessman stopped traveling, leaving Diab without a job once again.

He had no prospects and started working as a rented taxi driver. It wasn't ideal as he had to pay most of his profits to the taxi owner, but it was the only job that suit his driving experience and health situation. He would often work long hours just to bring home food.

With the support of the Micro-project in Damascus. He was funded with a taxi that changed his life forever. He was able to provide a better life for his family and parents. He could finally breathe easy knowing that he could support those he loved.

Diab's story is a tale of resilience and determination. Despite the circumstances, he never gave up. He worked hard and took every opportunity. He is a true hero, providing for his family even in the hardest of times.

Nabil was a man who had experienced both hard work and tough times. He lived in a small three-room house with his wife and children, but they could only afford to use two of the rooms. The third room had been rented out to help make ends meet.

Nabil's son knew the necessity of contributing to the household income, so he dropped school to work and help his family. He also had two daughters in college. One of his daughters used to tutor to make extra money to ease the financial burden on the family. However, she had to stop due to surgery in her ear, and the family couldn't afford to provide the additional medical assistance required.

Nabil's wife worked as a government employee, which helped ease some financial pressure, but it was still not enough. Nabil had been an employee for over 15 years, but after he retired, he couldn't work due to his poor health. He had high blood pressure, heart, kidney, and nerve issues, poor vision, and diabetes, which limited his employment options, and cost him a lot of money for daily treatment.

Determined to support the family, micro-project Damascus funded him with a mini-market, which he will operate from the rented room in their house. Although his health is declining, Nabil's son has some experience working in retail, and he will help his father. Together, they will set up the mini-market, to become a source of income for the family.

Despite their hardships, Nabil and his family believed in the power of family and resilience. They pulled together to overcome the obstacles they faced each day and celebrated every hard-earned success that came their way.

Nasim was a professional house painter for 10 years before everything started going downhill, which forced him to change careers. He started working with motorcycles alongside his father in his hometown.

Regrettably, financial issues led to the retrograde of the family business and relationship, which forced Nasim to leave his job and his hometown and move to Damascus with his wife and kids to start a new life. He rented a small room until he could find an affordable place for his family to stay. But as soon as he arrived the rents started getting way higher, and he ended up moving to his in-laws’ small house to keep a roof on his family's head.

With no tools or good opportunities to support his family, Nasim took up a job in a supermarket. It was not enough, but it was the only option available to him at the time. In the afternoon he fixes motorcycles as a side job to make more money.

Nasim's luck took a turn for the better when he heard about the Micro-project program in Damascus. If he could obtain the tools he needed, he would start his own business and provide the life he yearned for his family.

He applied for the program and was accepted. He was overjoyed when he received his tools and started working tirelessly on plans to start his own business. Owning the tools gave Nasim the break he needed. With sheer grit and determination, he started his own motorcycle repair shop. 

Nasim's journey was not easy, but he persevered with his dreams and family in mind. He is a testament that with tenacity and a little help, anyone can turn their life around.

Samir was a man who had seen too much of the world's cruelty. He lived with his father and sister in his grandparents' house, which was a safe haven for his family. However, life was not easy for them; his father suffered from heart disease, and his sister had stomach cancer, which needed regular treatment.

Samir used to work as a tourist guide, which helped him earn enough to support his family's needs. He was fluent in four languages and volunteered as a special needs guide. However, his life changed when he had to serve in the army for nine years. During his service, Samir was surrounded by danger in one of the most critical areas. His family's lives were at risk, and he had to move them to a safer location.

The trauma left Samir with communication problems, which affected his ability to work. When he finished his service, he found himself jobless. He worked in a small restaurant owned by his friend to make ends meet. With time, he learned the skills necessary to run and manage a restaurant in a different area.

Samir's hard work paid off, and he was funded by the micro-project in Damascus with all the equipment and tools he needed to open his own small restaurant. He is determined to provide for his family and make a better future for them

Despite Samir’s hardships, he never lost sight of his goals. His determination paid off, and he is managing to make a better life for his family. Samir's story is a testament for the power of hard work and perseverance.

Maher Morany has always been trying to work hard and provide his family with a decent living but life was never easy for him and he went through many hard days that exhausted him and led to his deteriorating financial situation.

Maher is 43 years old, married to Mary Bahho and they have two kids, Rojeh and Ghazal.

After their son’s birth in 2007, Maher and his wife decided to start their own sewing workshop at their modest house in Kashkoul, where they could work and support each other to secure their obligations and expenses. They were able to manage their work and started to have many customers in the area but unfortunately, after the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011, Maher was called for reserve military service which affected their job greatly because his wife couldn’t handle all the house and work responsibilities alone.

During that period, his son Rojeh was diagnosed of having growth hormone deficiency due to hypothyroidism and needs needles and vitamins daily which overloaded Maher with extra expenditures and loans because he wasn’t able to secure the treatment for his son and he had to ask the church’s support.

However, in 2019, Maher was discharged from the military service and he wanted to get his work back but the sewing machines were broken in addition to the terrible electricity situation in the area. 

he needed a lot of funding to restore his job which he couldn't secure so he started working at a laundry shop in the morning and at the sewing workshop in the evening trying his best to afford the daily living demands.

Through the Micro project program, Maher was supported with new sewing machines, an electricity generator, and all the tools and equipment that will enable him to have the sewing workshop and with the help of his wife to have a sustainable source of income and improve their living conditions

Dany Qarrout, 34, graduated from the Electrical Engineering Institute in 2009 and started working in the field of camera installation and maintenance but unfortunately, he lost his job after the war outbreak because he was called for military service in 2012.

Dany spent 9 sever years at the service, during which he survived constant dangers, and ended with a serious injury in the back after an armed attack, he was discharged in 2021 to find himself starting from scratch and responsible for his old parents’ expenses at the village.

He started working as a maintenance engineer at a printing machines factory and after a short period, he was able to handle all the maintenance work for the factory and other factories. He realized that he could have his own industry line with the help of his employers because he was the only one in the area who had such an experience but this project needed a lot of money to be established and he wasn’t able to afford such amount especially since he got married a few months ago and became responsible for his family and his parents at the same time.

With the help of Hope center, Dany was able to start his own production line workshop and he chose to open his project in the industrial area of Erbeen to be close to the factories so he could have customers and improve his work in a short period.

Milad Dawood is a 36-year-old man, married to Laura Toma, and has a son named Eliea, born in 2011, the family lives in a small two-rooms flat in Kashkoul, Damascus countryside.

He was born into a modest family and since he became an adult he had to work and support his parents with the living expenses. The hardworking man was able to handle the house obligations and save some money to get married and start his own project in selling eggs in 2010.

However, a year after he was exposed to fraud by his worker who stole all the products from the shop which made Milad lose all that he worked for in the previous years. Yet, he didn't hesitate to overcome this incident and returned to work as a pickup driver, delivering products to the shops until the beginning of the war when he was called for military service in 2012.

his service was in the most dangerous places and soon after he was exposed to shooting; the bullet penetrated his body from his stomach to his back. his condition was critical and he had to go under treatment but he was kept in service until his discharge in 2022.

Milad returned to his family in a difficult psychological situation and started to do freelance jobs to secure the livelihood demands but his financial conditions were very bad which forced his wife to take their son and live with her parents until he could manage the living expenses again which was a devastating point in Milad's life because all he was dreaming about in his ten-year service was to go back to his family and make up for his absence years from his son's life.

Milad visited the micro-project office in Damascus and applied for the pickup car looking for any ray of hope to achieve his dream of having his life back.

Indeed, he deserved this chance because he was a self-made man seeking for a chance to work, restore his dignity, and reunite his family.

Anton tried to overcome all obstacles to provide his wife and kids with his care and love and worked hard to secure them a decent living. 

the 43-years-old man is married to Diana Shamoun and they have two kids Elias born in 2005, and Polin born in 2009, the family live in a rented small flat in Jaramana, Damascus suburbs, under very bad circumstances.

Many years ago, Anton started to work as a valet parking at a hotel until the start of the crisis as he had to move to a safer area but with a lower salary because of the security conditions.

In 2013, his wife Diana was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo surgery and long treatment sessions which affected their psychological and financial conditions especially since Anton had to work for more than twelve hours daily far from his house and family. However, Anton was still unable to match his income with the increasing costs of living so he decided to quit his job and with the money he saved, he started his own Mini-market in Jaramana trying his best to secure a better living for his family.

Anton's shop was poor in materials and equipment because he started it with a little amount of money which made its income lower than other shops.

Supporting Anton with the necessary equipment and proper amount of goods and products was a strong push for his project hoping to enable him of having a better and sustainable income to improve his living conditions.

George Shamma is 30 years old, living with his mother in a modest rented flat in Al-Dwalaa area but before the war, he used to live with his parents and seven siblings in Daria town in the countryside of Damascus in peace and security. 

When he was seventeen, he started working with his father at his carpentry workshop in order to support him and learn the profession. George was full of hope and energy, trying to establish a career for his future but unfortunately, with the war outbreak in 2011, he was called for military service, and for the next nine years he had to serve in the most intense conflict areas, Daraa and Alqaboun.

During that period, George has been through many difficult incidents that affected his life, but the most painful one was in 2012 when the family was gathering to celebrate his brother’s wedding in Daria, his father was exposed to sniping that led to his immediate death and the wedding turned into a Funeral.

This devastating incident affected the whole family especially since soon after, the armed groups entered the area forcing George and his family to be displaced from their house and they were informed later that their house and his father’s workshop were completely destroyed.

Those terrible losses led to spreading the family members on many parts of the country and George ended up alone with his old mother putting him under great responsibility since he became the breadwinner of the house.

However, after his discharge in 2019, George started to work as a taxi driver because he couldn’t learn any profession during the years of service but the taxi rent was very expensive and his income was barely matching the high costs of living.

With the help of Hope center, George was able to purchase his own taxi which will enable him to be independent and have a sustainable source of income to secure his future.

life is based on the fight for survival, especially in a country that witnessed ten years of a brutal war that drained every opportunity of decent living. Fadi Albadeen is one of those fighters who went through many hardships in his life and kept his strong faith.

He is 29 years old and lives with his parents and his brother’s family in Kashkoul area in Damascus.

In 2008, Fadi started working at a hairdressing salon at a very young age in order to support himself and help his parents with the living expenses as they were living in poor financial conditions. He learned about this career and became good at it and was dreaming to establish his own salon, but in 2013 after about two years of the war outbreak, he was called to serve in the military service which made him lose his job.

Fadi stayed in the service for nine years, during which his family went through many incidents as his father had a car accident that caused him three fractions and made him disabled from doing any job and his brother was shot in his hand which caused the amputation of his fingers, and Fadi himself was hurt greatly due to his severe service which made him undergo critical back surgery.

Fadi was discharged from military service in 2022 and he didn’t hesitate to start working at a hairdressing salon to handle the living expenses but the salary was very low and didn’t match the increasing costs of living especially since he was responsible for his family and his brother’s family because his brother is at the military service in Edleb city.

Fadi found his way to the micro-project office in Damascus where he applied for a hairdressing salon and was funded with all the equipment and tools needed to start his project hoping that he will be independent and have a proper income to secure a decent living for him and his family.