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.

George Dahdal, 31 years old, lives along with his father, brother, grandma, and aunt in a small house in Al- Dwalaa area.

Before the war, George was working with his father at the family mini-market until the beginning of the crisis in Syria which affected their work so his father decided to close the mini-market and started to work as a pick-up driver.

During that period, their village became invaded by the armed groups, and George’s grandmother and aunt were displaced and came to live with George’s family in Al-Dwalaa which increased the responsibilities since they are both disabled and needed a lot of care and medication.

In 2014, George was feeling hopeless and decided to go to Lebanon to work and he stayed there for six years working at a restaurant and sending money to his family until 2020 when he got the news about his mother’s disease as she was diagnosed with cancer. George decided to quit his job and return to Syria to stay beside his mother during her treatment journey that took two difficult and painful years and ended up with her death in 2022 which was a great shock for the entire family.

During those two years, George tried to find a proper job to support his family with the house expenses but most jobs' income wasn’t matching the high costs of living so he decided to apply for the mini-market project since he has an experience in that field.

He also took a project management course and did everything he could to improve his chances and in return, his project was funded with all the needed tools, goods, and products.

George now is looking forward to improving his business and planning to expand his project for the future.

Fady Ibrahim is 30 years old, married to Mariam Altheib and they have three cute little girls, Georgette born in 2017, Cathren 2019, and Yara 2021. They live in a rented flat in Kashkoul, Damascus suburbs.

With the first sparks of war, Fady was still at the beginning of his life journey, full of youthful enthusiasm, but he didn’t have the time or choice to start a new chapter of his life because in 2011 he was called for military service until 2021.

Ten harsh years drained his dreams and energy, as he was serving during the toughest circumstances especially since his concerns and responsibilities increased after getting married and having his three daughters.

However, after his discharge in 2021, he found himself in the prime of his life without any profession or experience so he worked many jobs such as a taxi driver, a worker at an aluminum workshop, and a pickup car driver. Fady was a hardworking man and his employers were very pleased with his work and tried to support him.

He didn’t mind working three jobs a day so he could live in dignity and afford all his obligations and living expenses but the post-war years were very tough, and being a family provider wasn’t an easy job because no matter how hard he worked the income was still not enough to match the living demands. Fady wanted a chance to have his own project.

Having a taxi made him feel independent and responsible for his own income and gave him the power to work even harder trying to change his family’s livelihood for the better.

Although the war is over, but its calamities has remained in the heart of each one of us, as a painful reminder of what we have been through especially since many are still suffering from its effects such as Emad Dawood and others from the war-wounded individuals.

Emad is 31 years old, married to Nour Sbaih and they have three adorable kids, Rosseil born in 2017, and the twins Roy and Junior born in 2022.

Before the war, he worked as a tiler and was dreaming of improving himself and have an independent business but unfortunately, the war came to rob all his dreams as he was called for military service and he had to serve in the most dangerous places in the countryside of Damascus until 2014 when he was injured by more than one shot.

His injury was severe as he had to undergo many surgeries that led to a complete removal of the spleen, part of the colon, and part of the stomach, leading to a 40 percent of disability as a result, so he was discharged from the military service. However, Because of his disability, Emad was unable to return to his old profession so he started working at Bab sharqi cemetery in 2017 then he worked as a salesperson in a dairy shop until its closure in 2019 when he took a job as a delivery-man for a restaurant.

Emad was fighting for the sake of his family and didn’t hesitate to work more than 16 hours a day, yet he wasn’t able to provide even the milk for his newborn twins or the livelihood demands of his family. he was looking for a chance so he applied for the mini-market project.

Now, After being funded, Emad finally feels that God is leading him to the best and he is willing to work hard to improve the family's life.

Wasim Abou Saab is 33 years old, married to Majdoleen Albahry with two kids Lamitta born in 2017, and Elia born in 2019, and the couple are waiting to welcome their twins after a few months.

Before the war, Wasim graduated from the faculty of economics and trade, then worked at a company for three years until 2011, as he was called for military service and wasn’t discharged until 9 years later.

During that period Wasim got married and started a family with the help of his parents and his in-laws, then after his discharge, he started working during the anise season as he used to transport the anise crops from Hieneh village to Damascus but his income was very little and exclusively during the harvest seasons so his friend loaned him a taxi to work on as a part-time job so he could be able to meet his obligations and expenses especially since his wife is suffering from back disc pain and Periphera neuropathy and she needs medicines on daily basis.

Wasim was struggling; working many jobs to provide his family with a decent living but during the previous years the situation deteriorated quickly and he was seeking a project of his own to secure his livelihood.

He applied for the pick-up truck because it will help in his seasonal work and also for transporting goods which will increase his income and provide him and his family with better living conditions.

For many years of his life, Shar Alabdoun, worked hard taking every possible opportunity to have an income and live in dignity.

He graduated from a tourism institute and started to work as a cook, and when he had a job vacancy in the Caribbean islands he didn’t hesitate to travel and work there, then when he saved some money he decided to return to Syria and have his own project.

For his bad luck, he returned in 2011 and started his restaurant in the countryside of Damascus unknowing that the timing was terrible because that very year, the war broke out and all the suburbs were attacked which led to the destruction of his restaurant and losing all the money he saved in the past years.

However, Shar decided to start over from scratch and returned to work as a chef at different restaurants trying to have a proper income to afford his living and save for the future, he even traveled to Lebanon seeking better job opportunities but the high costs of living there were unbearable.

In 2019, Shar got married to Majd Alnehmeh, and they had their son Sharbel who brightened their life.

Shar was always searching for a chance to be independent and has his own income so he sold the wedding rings and started a mini-market but the heart problems he suffered from after that and the surgery he went through affected his financial situation and made him unable to make any improvement at his project.

With the help of Hope center, Shar didn’t lose his mini-market because he was funded with the necessary goods and products that will give him a strong push to expand his mini-market and work for improving his conditions and provide his family with a decent living. 

It is never easy to hold responsibility of a family at a very young age, especially during war times, but Maroun Fares proved that strong faith and hard work always overcome obstacles.

Maroun is 24 years old, he lives with his mother and three younger sisters in a 50-meters, unfurnished and modest flat in Jaramana. They used to live in Bloudan, Damascus suburbs and during the wartime, they suffered a lot from many dangers in addition to the lack of all life necessities which forced him at a very young age to work and help his family with the livelihood demands.

Unfortunately, his father’s health deteriorated as he was diagnosed with cancer which was a shock for the family, Maroun had to face this reality and accompany his father during his long treatment journey until he passed away in 2018. Maroon was still eighteen at that time but he became the man of the house and decided to bury his grief deep in his heart and take responsibility for the sake of his mom and sisters.

He started to work at many workshops and continued his study at the same time so he was able to support his sisters to continue their education and also afford the house expenses. 

He worked hard at a detergent manufacturing workshop and learned everything about the detergents industry then took a course about this profession at Damascus university; because he was dreaming to have his own workshop and he was able to achieve that dream with the help of Hope center as he was funded by the manufacturing machines and the materials needed which will provide him with sustainable income and help improve his living conditions.

No matter how harsh and difficult the conditions are, there is nothing more difficult than the bitterness of death.

This is what the twenty-three-year-old Naya Al-Freijat believes, who experienced death in its worst forms; in 2016, during the brutal wartime, her older brother Yazan was working at Al-Badia Cement Factory in Dumayr, when the armed groups attacked the area, and when they knew that Yazan was Christian, they executed him.

The impact of this tragedy was devastating for Naya and her family, especially her father, who could not handle the loss of his son in such a horrible way and was subjected to a severe shock that led to his death.

Naya's mother also suffered from severe psychological trauma after losing her son and husband and her health started to deteriorate as she had diabetes and high blood pressure.

In the face of all these tragedies, Naya and her sisters suddenly found themselves heartbroken and lonely without a supporter. They had to take care of their sick mother and younger sister Hanin who was still in school so they decided to study and work, Marwa graduated from the faculty of pharmacy and started working as a trainer and Naya graduated from the technical arts institute with a specialization in photography and started working as a photographer.

She had practical experience for two years that enhanced her skills in taking photos in addition to learning the Photoshop program, and when she started to have external photography requests, she would borrow a camera from her friend or from the center in which she works.

Naya has always wished to have her own camera so that she could have more work and increase her income, but the harsh circumstances she has been through made that dream impossible.

" Nothing is impossible with God " Luke 1;37

through the Micro-project initiative, Naya was funded to have her own camera and equipment that will allow her to receive more customers requests which will improve the conditions of the family and now she dreams that this camera will be the first step to success in her life and to have her own business "Naya Photography”.

Starting from scratch is always difficult, especially during wartime, while being responsible for little kids, and not knowing how to keep them safe and secure.

That’s how Norma Elias 44, expressed her journey during the years of war. She is married to Ziad Alhomsi and they have three children Lady 2001, Elias 2004, and Larita 2009. 

Her husband used to have his own workshop in Aldekhanieh area, Damascus suburbs, and his income was good enough to provide the livelihood demands of the family.

However, Aldekhanieh was among the areas that were affected by the war calamities as it was hit daily by many shells, which forced Norma’s husband to flee leaving everything behind, and he never had the chance to restore any of his machines or equipment. That year in 2014, Norma and her husband lost their source of income. Her husband returned to be a worker and Norma didn’t hesitate to support him so she took some courses in handicrafts and cooking at the church and then started to work from home and help with the living expenses.

Soon after, she began to rent tables at the church exhibitions to display her products which were quite profitable at the time but during the last few years, the economic situation had a devastating impact on all people including Norma and her family as she became unable to buy the materials necessary for her work and at the same time her husband income couldn't meet the living demands so she decided to apply at the micro-project for support.

Now after having all the required tools and materials, Norma is preparing beautiful handicrafts for Christmas with all hope that her business will thrive and she will be able to help her family and improve their condition. 

While retiring can be a reward for years of hard work, Hussam Maroni 60 years old, found it very difficult for him after thirty years of working to be jobless with no proper income.

He is married to Mouna Qarrout and have adorable three daughters Zoya, Jessica, and Solin, and for most of his life, he was doing his best to secure a decent living for his family and provide them with love and care.

Hussam is an agriculture engineer who worked at a governmental agricultural institution from 1990 until his retirement in 2021. He tried to afford the living expenses and his daughters’ education because he wanted them to be independent and educated women to depend on themselves in the face of the difficult circumstances. 

Indeed, he gained what he sought, as his daughter Zoya has graduated from Pharmacy college and started working and his other daughters are also advanced in their studies. However, life isn’t always fair as the health of his wife Mouna, started to deteriorate and she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she went through chemotherapy and had to undergo surgery to remove the tumor.

Hussam and his daughters lived a great depression and were trying as much as possible to empower her to overcome her disease and were praying to God to cure her.

During that period, Hussam was seeking to work and cope with the living difficulties and challenges since he is responsible for his wife’s medication and his daughters’ education so he applied to the micro project program for an agriculture store where he could apply his strong experience, and at the same time have a sustainable and proper income for his family’s future.

Rana Nofal is a hardworking mother, who dedicated her entire life to keeping her family united and secured.

She is 40 years old, divorced, and a mother of four sons; Joseph born in 2003, Tony 2006, Johnny 2009 and Ward in 2014. 

Although Rana didn’t have a good marriage experience, she handled all the difficulties and abuse for the sake of her sons and didn’t hesitate to work and support herself and her husband with the living expenses but her husband kept pushing and forced her to take medicines that led to having a hysterectomy and many health issues so she decided to ask for a divorce and move to live alone.

After that, Rana rented a small room in Jaramana close to her parents and her eldest son Joseph moved to live with her. Together, Rana and Joseph started working and taking care of each other with the living expenses, but she wanted her son to continue his education so she was seeking a job that will enable her to handle all the living demands.

However, despite all that she had been through and her deteriorating health,Rana kept a strong faith that tomorrow will be better, so she gathered her strength and visited our office to apply for a mini-market project and didn’t hesitate to attend a business management course that we offered to empower herself and her project.

After being funded with the mini market project, Rana is full of hope that this project is the first step to having a good income and improve her situation and reunite her children again.

The year 2013 was a turning point in the life of Maaloula’s citizens, this ancient Christian village in the countryside of Damascus was attacked by the armed groups who destroyed most of the town’s historic homes, churches, and monasteries in addition to the looting, kidnapping and killing incidents which forced its people to flee.

Among them was Milad Zakhem and his family, they only had a few minutes to decide between fleeing or being killed which prevented them from taking any of their possessions or belonging.

Milad and his family moved to Jaramana where they rented a small house and found themselves starting from scratch which forced Milad (who was at the age of 19) to work and support his family instead of completing his education.

He started to work at an elevator maintenance office and soon after he learned the profession without the need of a supervisor. Milad was working long hours and gaining experience hoping that one day he will have his own workshop but living expenses were increasing year after year and his father started to suffer from heart disease and needed to undergo surgery which cost a lot of money.

Sorrowfully, a few months after his father’s recovery, he was hit by a motorcycle in the neighborhood and died which was a great loss for the family. Milad became responsible for his mother and sister and was doing his best to secure a decent living for them, but no matter how hard he worked the salary was a lot less than his expenses.

He wanted to establish his workshop so he applied to the Micro-project holding great faith in his heart and he was funded with all the equipment, tools, and electric generator that allowed him to start his own workshop hoping to improve his situation and establish a better future.  

Nuha Noah is married to Mersel Atta, and has three children Elias 22, Sharbel 20, and Taqla 17.

Before the war, they were lived in Shaqra village in Daraa governorate, Nuha worked as an assistant midwife, her husband was a government employee and their situation was stable.

However, after the start of the war, the village was surrounded by armed groups who terrified the people and spread violence, then they entered Nuha’s house and took her husband and son as hostages where they were exposed to beating and humiliation and then released after taking their car in 2013. After this incident, Nuha and her family fled from the village and lived at her in-laws house in Dwalaa trying to get over what they've been through and start from scratch to restore what the war took from them.

Nuha started to work as a teacher at a kindergarten and supported her children to continue their education but unfortunately in 2019, she was diagnosed with spinal cord cancer and had to undergo surgery and radiology sessions which weakened her body and forced her to quit her job at the kindergarten.

Thanks to God, Nuha got better and she never hesitated with her strong will to help her family as their financial situation was deteriorating quickly. she was unable to return to her previous job and needed to have a project of her own where she can manage her work without affecting her health, so she applied to the Micro project program for the mini-market project and took a business management course to improve her knowledge.

Funding Nuha with the mini-market will not just help in providing the family with better income, but it will also help in proving that nothing can stop in the way of this fighting mother who is willing to defy all difficulties for the sake of her family.