Abdullah Hatem, a hardworking 31-year-old with an entrepreneurial mindset, started his journey from a young age. He worked alongside his father, who owned a car mechanic workshop, but Abdullah did not envision himself working in the same field. Instead, he developed a keen interest in the art of garment printing. In 2012, he embarked on his journey and worked towards starting his own project and owning a workshop.

Abdullah's determination and hard work allowed him to save every penny he earned, aiming to purchase his very own shop. Initially, he rented a small space, but through persistent efforts, he eventually managed to buy his own workshop. However, the outbreak of war disrupted his business, causing a significant decline in his income. Additionally, he faced the challenge of acquiring the necessary printing equipment.

Abdullah made investments with a friend in an attempt to increase his income, but unfortunately, it did not yield favorable returns. Faced with these setbacks, he found himself in need of a helping hand to provide the push he required. With the assistance of Hope Center and access to essential equipment and materials, he aimed to boost the productivity and quality of his project. He found solace and guidance, which restored hope and determination to overcome all hardships.

Kevork is a 53-year-old skilled mechanic with over 30 years of experience in car maintenance and mechanics. He used to work in his workshop, which he owned since 2005. However, when the war started, his house in Aleppo was damaged by the ongoing shelling. As a result, he was forced to make the difficult decision of selling the equipment he had acquired through years of hard work and moving to Lebanon with his family.

From 2015 onwards, he resided in Lebanon along with his wife and his two sons. In 2018, he returned to Aleppo. Relying on his years of experience, he was determined to support his family.

Despite the challenges he faced, living with his parents, he remained committed to provide for his loved ones. With the assistance of the Hope Center, Kevork was able to obtain all the essential equipment he needed. With his revived business and experience, he was able to rebuild his thriving business.

Bassil Mssedy, a dedicated father in his 50s, worked as a blacksmith for 15 years in the industrial city of Aleppo. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the war made him jobless. The industrial area, once thriving, now lay in ruins.

Bassil and his wife used to reside in a rented house in Al Midan, an area that was heavily bombarded during the war. Tragedy struck one fateful day when a missile destroyed their home. Miraculously, they had left the house just an hour prior, escaping unharmed. Although relieved that their lives were spared, their house suffered significant damage, so they had to move in with their parents in 2014.

Despite their challenging circumstance and unemployment, Bassil managed to secure a position as a church keeper, working part-time. However, his income was barely sufficient to support his family. His wife worked at the airport to help her husband. Unfortunately, she also battled diabetes, adding further strain to their finances due to medical expenses.

Ensuring their basic needs became a daily challenge, as putting food on the table proved to be a constant struggle. They heavily relied on food baskets and cash aids to make ends meet. 

In the depths of despair, Bassil was filled with hope when he received assistance from the Hope Center. With the new taxi he received, he was able to increase his resilience and income, which brought stability to his life.

George Tabbakh is a skilled CNC machinist with 15 years of experience. He began his career in 1997 until 2002 when he decided to start his own business and invest in a metal lathing machine. George has always had a passion for personal development and enjoys immersing himself in new learning experiences. Aware of the potential of 3D printing and mechanical drawing, he attended numerous workshops and courses to enhance his skills with software like SolidWorks.

In 2008, George purchased his own 3D printer. Things were going well until the outbreak of war significantly impacted his business. Faced with financial challenges and a scarcity of jobs, George was forced to sell his equipment. However, in 2015, he resolved to rebuild his career and opened a new shop with the hope of reestablishing his work.

George encountered a multitude of difficulties and challenges. Despite working tirelessly to increase his income, the majority of his earnings were consumed by electricity bills, leaving little to provide for his family of three. His work particularly suffered from the absence of a CNC machine. Whenever a customer requested a small sample, George had to rely on others who owned such machines, often waiting for a month just to receive a sample due to the machine's scarcity in the city.

George and his wife made the conscious decision to stay in Aleppo, despite numerous opportunities to relocate. His wife also contributes to the family's income, supporting her husband through these challenging times. While they have hopes for better prospects in Syria, they are concerned about the low salaries and inflation.

With the support of hope centers, George finally obtained the necessary equipment for his job. The availability of the CNC machine has been a game-changer for his business, allowing him to produce samples quickly and efficiently. George remains dedicated to his craft, determined to make the most of this newfound opportunity to improve his financial situation and provide for his family.

Vahe Tashjian is a 56-year-old mechanic with 23 years of experience. In his younger years, he worked in Kuwait, but he later moved to Aleppo, where he found employment in various companies. Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of war, the companies closed down, leaving him jobless. 

Vahe has always dreamt of owning his own workshop, but his previous attempts were unsuccessful due to the need for financial resources, in 2022, he briefly went to Dubai but got very ill. In less than a year, Vahe returned to Aleppo with great hopes and determination to establish his livelihood. Given his extensive experience, he no longer wanted to work as an employee. 

Luckily, through a friend, he managed to secure a temporary workshop without having to pay rent. As Vahe took his first steps in this new workspace, the recent earthquake impacting the already struggling job market and resulted in a severe decline in customers. This situation left him with no choice but to take matters into his own hands. In order to cut costs, he had to let go of his workers and do the hard physical work himself, which put strain on his health.

 After receiving approval for his project, Vahe felt a sense of relief. He could now bring back his dedicated workers and once again immerse himself in the job he loved. No longer needing to rely on borrowed equipment from others, Vahe was finally able to invest in his own tools and resources. He could provide for his family and generate a more substantial income.

Aziz is a determined young man, recently married to Rasha and waiting for their first born child.

He worked as a driver since 2009 and continued working in this job during his ten-years military service in Damascus, Rasha works as a nurse in a hospital and they live in a modest rented house. 

During his service aziz was injured in the leg then he was discharged and he started looking for a job to secure his life and future. His parents decided to travel and leave the country but Aziz decided to stay and he started looking for a job to secure his life; he started working night shifts at a beverage shop in a local neighborhood but the salary was low and the job included many troubles so he kept his faith and determined to search for a solution to enhance his situation. 

After getting married, Aziz responsibilities got bigger and he found the micro program as the best opportunity to get back to his original career as a driver, with the support he got the taxi and he can now improve his income and provide a good life for his wife and awaited child. 

Antoine had a good life before the war working as a hairdresser with great skill and many customers, in 2013 he was called for military service and had to serve for nine long years in Aleppo's suburbs which affected his health greatly as he was subject to many injuries from explosions.

Antoine suffered from a neurological condition that caused trembling in his hands and he no longer was able to continue in his original career of hairstyling, even grabbing the scissors became the most difficult task for him.

However, he didn't surrender and was determined to find a way to secure his livelihood especially that he is the breadwinner of the household that he shares with his parents and he looks after them; the family had to sell their house in Midan area after the brother was called to service so they can afford the increasing livelihood expenses.

He started working in a blacksmithing workshop but the income was insufficient and it demanded a lot of physical effort. With the support of the Micro Projects program, Antoine got a taxi that would help him make a better living and at the same time it is the most suitable job for his health condition, hopefully it will be the start of a better days to come for him and his loved ones. 

Haytham's journey in the world of tailoring began in 1988, Aleppo, During the war Haytham faced a great loss when his workshop in Shekh Maksoud was completely destroyed and all of his sewing machines and tools were stolen. He used to work alongside his brother for a short period of time, but circumstances led them to separate and focus on their individual projects. Haytham received his share of the profits, which he had planned for his own project, but instead, his wife got very sick so he had to use the money for her surgery. Unfortunately, destiny had a cruel twist in store for him as his beloved wife passed away after a heart surgery in 2014, leaving him devastated and alone.

In Haytham's time of despair, a friend suggested that he rent a workshop. Thankfully, the owners were understanding and charged him a minimal amount of rent, which was a relief considering the financial burden Haytham was already facing. However, there were additional expenses that Haytham had to bear, especially the high monthly private electricity bills. Most of his hard-earned income seemed to disappear into these bills, leaving him with little income to support himself.

Recently, Haytham received devastating news that the owners of the workshop were planning to sell the workshop, without even considering the impact it would have on him and on his son George. Determined not to let this happen, Haytham made the decision to upgrade the workshop in an attempt to prevent the owners from selling it. He planned to replace the outdated sewing machines with new ones that consumed only less electricity. This upgrade would not only modernize his workshop but also significantly reduce the electricity consumption.

With over 35 years of experience, Haytham has mastered the art of creating a wide variety of cotton-wear clothing, to both men and women, including pajamas and robes. As for his personal life, he and his son George live in a rented house. However, Haytham strives to provide the best life possible for his son and wishes to ensure a stable and successful future for him. Haytham's determination and drive are truly admirable. Growing up as an orphan, he experienced hardships at a very young age; however, his determination and passion for his craft have always been the driving forces in his life. Today, with the new machines and support from the Hope Center that Haytham has received, he has overcome challenges and secured a better future for himself and his beloved son, George.

Antoine is 28 years old, married and a father of a 1 year old lovely boy, he has served in the military for almost the last ten years of his life which has robbed him of any opportunity to pursue a career and build a future for his family.

with no experience and a very harsh economic situation of the country, Antoine put a lot of thinking of his next step in life, he looked for any job that would help him provide a decent life for his wife and newborn son, he started working in a soap factory but the salary is very low and not sufficient to make ends meet. 

The earthquake had a huge impact on this family, they lived in fear and were affected by the damages, the church helped them and continues to deliver a small monthly aid, unfortunately the situation is deteriorating with the inflation and the increasing living costs. 

Antoine found hope in the Micro Projects program when he applied for a taxi as it doesn't require a former experience and at the same time he can work long hours and make a better income to improve the livelihood of his loved ones. 

Salem Kadah, a 40-year-old tailor, chose to follow in his father's footsteps and become a tailor himself. Before the war, he worked alongside his father. However, after his father passed away in 2003, Salem forged his own path and began working in jeans production, distributing products to high-end brands. Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of war, his business was disrupted, which forced him to look for alternative sources of income.

In 2016-2017, Salem attempted to revive jeans production but faced significant challenges due to low-profit margins. Consequently, he shifted his focus to tailoring and repairing clothes, utilizing his father's shop. Unfortunately, outdated sewing machines consumed substantial amounts of electricity, the cost of electricity bills was eating into his already modest income.

Despite the difficult circumstances during the war when work opportunities were scarce, Salem always found a way to make ends meet and worked tirelessly; however, minimal income broke his thrive.

Today, with the support he received and his unwavering dedication, Salem now feels confident that his hardships will no longer go to waste on excessive bills. His wife also works and supports him, while together, they provide for their family. Salem seeks to upgrade his workshop, aiming to increase his income by expanding production rather than solely relying on clothes repair.

Upgrading his machinery will undoubtedly lower electricity consumption and save time and effort. Today with the support of Hope Center Salem's 20 years of experience and hard work have not been in vain. With renewed hope, he aspires to resume his job and provide good living for his family.

Mardiros a young barber with seven years of experience, he lives with his mother and bears the sole responsibility of being the family's breadwinner. As a talent in his craft, Mardiros was longing for the security and independence that came with owning his own barbershop. However, the lack of supportive environment and economic challenges of the country left him hesitant to take the leap. He meticulously calculated every aspect, and despite numerous attempts, he remained doubtful as it posed a significant risk.

Having endured the frustration of earning minimum salaries while working for others, Mardiros knew he needed his own equipment to establish his resilience. Mardiros had an idea to minimize the cost of rent, Mardiros's current barbershop decided to offer him the opportunity to rent a chair in their salon for his own customers. This arrangement enabled him to reduce rental expenses while still generating a steady source of income.

With the approval from the Hope Center, Mardiros received an incredible boost in confidence and support. Finally, he could embark on his journey towards independence. The burst of hope and opportunity provided by the Hope Center gave Mardiros the courage to chase his dreams, ensuring a brighter future for himself and his family. 

Nancy Samaan, an ambitious young girl from Tartous, graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts and later relocated with her family to Aleppo. Nancy always had a clear vision of her passion for graphic design and poured her heart and soul into her work.

At a young age, in 2018, Nancy started her career as a graphic designer. However, she soon realized that her previous job didn't provide the opportunities she needed to improve her skills and profession. Determined to grow, she embarked on a new job that allowed her to explore photography, expanding her abilities and opening up diverse avenues in graphic design. She delved into areas like social media content creation and product advertisement.

After gaining five years of experience in the field, Nancy desired to work independently, driven by her longing for financial independence. She planned to achieve her goals step by step and began by building an impressive portfolio of her work, which earned her positive feedback from customers who admired her talent and expressed a desire to collaborate. Nancy leveraged social media platforms to showcase her work and gain recognition in the job market. With unwavering confidence and fearlessness, Nancy's ultimate dream career was to become an interior designer.

However, the unavailability of a laptop became the only obstacle hindering her success; One day, while working from home, Nancy's laptop suddenly stopped functioning due to a surge in electricity, resulting in the loss of all her files and documents.

Standing as Nancy's number one supporter, her mother is immensely proud of her daughter's determination and unwavering belief in her abilities. With the support she received from the CHC team, Nancy regained her confidence with her new laptop and took the first step towards realizing her dream and unleashing her boundless creativity to pursue a fulfilling career.

In 2010, Nidal and his wife Badiaa started their small family, and today they are the parents of two boys, Elias (10 years old) and Elie (8 years old). The family of four lives in a rented apartment, and Nidal is their sole provider.

They used to live in the war-torn neighborhood of Bab Al-Sebaa until they were compelled to leave because of the war dangers, and Fairouza village was their new home after starting a new life there. 

Nidal is an electrician, and during his career, he went through many experiences that helped him develop his great skills, particularly in maintenance.

After being forced to leave Homs, he continued to work using the few tools he was able to bring with him. Although it was difficult because he was in need of some necessary tools, the hard-working man never gave up.

Having all the tools will make a positive change and Nidal will guarantee his family a better future.

Catherine, the family's youngest daughter, made the decision to pursue her own career and life path.

When she realized that the major she had been studying was not what she was passionate about, she began working in a hair salon, where she discovered her true passion. The experience she gained at the salon was not enough for the ambitious young lady, who attended specialized courses to broaden her skills and utilize her talent in the best way.

She lives with her parents; her father was a plumber, but lately, he became no longer able to continue in this tiring work due to a health condition, and her mother works as a seamstress at home, their situation made Catherine more eager to work and support her family during the tough economic circumstances.

She intended to take her first step by offering nail care services at home, but acquiring the necessary tools and materials was challenging without assistance.

With her unique skills and good experience, Catherine now has the tools necessary to provide the best service to her clients thanks to this initiative.

Jackie and her husband Mikhail are young parents who are doing their best to give their 3-year-old daughter Tatiana a happy life. The small family rents an apartment in Fairouza village; Mikhail owns a vegetable shop, and when their financial obligations started to increase, Jackie decided to support him in finding an additional income.

For Jackie, nail art was just a hobby until she realized she could use her talent to support her family. In 2021, Jackie turned a spare room in her home into a workspace and began taking on clients. Over time, she was able to acquire a few tools and supplies, but Jackie still required more equipment; particularly a battery to make up for the electricity shortage, in order to ensure better services.

This project is now complete since Jackie possesses the required skills and qualifications, in addition to all the requirements, and she intends to open her own salon in the future once her lovely daughter grows up and starts going to school.

After retiring from his job as a craft trainer at the electrical institute, Khaddour was able to devote all of his time to his career in electrical installation and maintenance, which he started in 1984.

He is the sole provider for his wife and their two children, Ornina and Fadi, who are university students.

Khaddour's entire equipment was stolen while he was working at a construction site in February 2022, which caused him to lose his primary source of income. His wife is, unfortunately, a cancer patient, so his pension barely covered the family's essential expenses. He was also unable to pay for new equipment, which caused him to lose out on many opportunities.

Khaddour was able to resume working thanks to this support, which also ensured him an additional source of livelihood during this difficult times.

Twenty years ago, Maryam launched her small shop to assist her husband; the mini-market is a part of their home because they converted a room rather than renting a place to save the financial responsibilities. The fact that she sold a variety of goods in a busy neighborhood, including food commodities, coffee, and cleaning supplies, in addition to making her own dairy products, increased the project's chances of success there.

Yet, the extreme inflation had an impact on Maryam's shop and led to a shortage of merchandise to the point that she could not keep up with the sharp rise in pricing. She has three sons; the youngest had health issues that stunted his growth, and he needs special care and permanent medication.

The hard-working lady strives to preserve her family's only way to a life of dignity, and the Micro Projects Program enabled her to strengthen her shop, ensure a larger variety of products for her customers, and increase her family's income.

After being displaced from their home village of Al-Qaryatein and losing everything, Ibtihaj did all she could to ensure that her family of four got a dignified life. 

She is married and the mother of a boy and a girl; they live in a rented house in Fairouza village, her husband, Waleed, has a genetic disease that has rendered him blind, while her children are still school students, thus Ibtihaj has taken on the role of the family's main breadwinner. 

With simple capabilities, Ibtihaj managed to rent and open a mini-market, which was the only way to cover the family's needs and their monthly obligations.

However, the mini-market was heavily affected the economic crisis and the sharp rise of prices that left it short on many goods and necessities.

This initiative brought new hope to the project, and Ibtihaj is looking forward to a new beginning that will enable her to secure a better livelihood for her son and daughter.

Akram used to work with his father and brother in floor tiling, and throughout the years, the hardworking man gained new skills in stone cladding and decoration besides his main profession.

His work was very good, and in 2009, he saved some money and bought a basement in Fairouza village, which became his family's only shelter when the cruel war began in Homs.

He is a married man and the father of a daughter named Jessica; after his father passed away, Akram became his mother's provider. His wife Nisreen runs souvenirs shop and helps him in covering the family's needs, while their daughter, Jessica, is at the ninth grade.

For Akram to be able to work and provide a sufficient income for his loved ones, he needed some important tools, so he applied for the necessary equipment and an electric generator to overcome the lack of electricity challenge that was affecting his productivity and preventing him from pursuing more opportunities.

Hanna is the only provider for his wife, their two children, Maya and Fadi, as well as his elderly mother.

He has more than 35 years of experience as a floor tiler, which he has gained through hard work between Homs' urban center and its rural outposts.

Hanna had most of the essential equipment, but he needed some additional tools to improve his work since he was forced to stop working for four years during the war and spent all the family's savings to cover their needs. Later, he couldn’t afford to buy them, taking into consideration the economic situation in the country and the financial obligations of living that are growing continuously.

Hanna's productivity will increase now that he has everything he needs, especially the electric generator, in addition to the electric bike, which will allow him to save on the daily expenses he used to pay for transportation costs.

Hassan Jolan, 33, didn’t have the chance to work or learn any profession after turning into his twenties because he was called for military service. He thought it would be a short period and pass in peace, but he did not know that a fierce war would strike his country to steal nine years from his life in which he had to be far from his family and friends under very difficult circumstances until his discharge in 2019.

He went home full of hope, got married to Suzan Altheib, and had adorable two kids who compensated him for the bitterness of wartime. During that period, he started to work as a taxi driver but he encountered critical conditions due to the corona virus and the restrictions that were followed by a huge increase in prices.

Unfortunately, no matter how long he worked, he kept suffering from the insufficient income and he became unable to handle the living expenses and his kids’ demands, especially since the taxi owner started to increase the rent which prevented him from having any additional savings.

However, even though all his relatives and friends were encouraging him to travel abroad, deep in his heart Hassan was praying to have a chance in his country, close to his parents and among his friends, and that’s what he got as he was funded with the taxi project that turned his life around as he has now a taxi of his own, and independence to have a better and sustainable income to improve his living conditions.

Out of poverty, desperation, and sickness, a strong girl came out to defy all the circumstances of life and prove to everyone that no obstacle can dissuade her from working and earning her livelihood.

Mirai Al-Sahwi is 23 years old and since her childhood, was suffering from Myocardial insufficiency that prevented her from doing any extra effort. She was living in the confines of a loving family that supported one another until death stole her father who was the most important thing in her life.

Mirai's mother started to do house cleaning to secure her children's daily food and save them from poverty. Mirai couldn't see her mother suffering alone and despite her critical health condition, she left school and began to work at a detergent factory for long hours to support her mother with the living expenses.

In 2018, Mirai decided to learn the nail polishing profession, and then she started working in a salon to gain experience and some income. For two years, she endured long working hours until her health deteriorated greatly which forced her to quit her job at the salon and try to work at home or at customers’ houses.

Although She was working hard, the high prices of materials and tools hindered her work from developing. 

As expected of this self-made girl, when she heard about the Micro-project program in Damascus, she never hesitated to apply for support for her project.

She deserved that opportunity as she was funded with the necessary materials and tools to start her small business at home, in the hope that her project would develop and become able to obtain a greater income that would provide her with a decent life and relieve her sick mother from the hardships of her tiring work.

At the age of 15, Khalil Khoury started working to help his parents, as their financial condition wasn't good, and he had to work to secure his expenses and help his parents with household obligations.

He began working as an assistant to a Plumbing & Sanitary Maintenance Supervisor and soon became skilled in that profession and began to take his own workshops as customers began to ask him to do their work because of his skills and his low wages.

Khalil wanted to have his maintenance store so he could work at bigger workshops and expand his work so he began saving money for this purpose, but as soon as the war broke out in Syria, all his efforts were in vain because he was called for military service, and it lasted for nine difficult years, during which he faced the horrors and dangers of war.

however, during his holiday permissions, Khalil didn't hesitate to work and secure some money to help his parents in light of the bad conditions they were living in.

After he was released, Khalil returned to work, and his friend helped him buy simple tools to use at work, so he began to work hard to compensate for the lost years of his life.

he was full of determination to work and improve his living conditions, and despite all the obstacles such as lack of electricity and lack of money to buy new equipment, he continued to strive, hoping for an improvement in his situation one day.

this is when one of his friends told him to apply to the micro-projects program and he immediately applied for support in equipment, machinery, and the electric generator, which will constitute a great leap in his field of work and he will be able to receive larger workshops and work for more hours

Today, Khalil is thanking God that those nine years have been compensated, and he was given a new chance in life to develop his work and secure a better future.

sometimes, all a person needs to regain his balance in life is to turn the page of the past and start over.

This is what Rashid Al-Abdoun, 55 years old, has been trying to do for the past nine years, but unfortunately, life obstacles and the difficult conditions he was going through, have always blocked his way.

Rashid is married and has three children, Lina, Musa, and Issa. His main concern is to give his children the best possible care and get them to university, which was achieved despite all his troubles, as the three of them are now university students and achieving one of their father's greatest wishes.

Rashid’s situation was not always bad; before the war, Rashid had his own mini-market in Al-Dukhaniya area in the countryside of Damascus. His work was very good and for more than 13 years, he was able to provide his family with a good living, but unfortunately, two years after the start of the war, specifically in 2013, the militants entered Al-Dukhaniya area and wreaked terror, violence, and devastation which left Rashid with no choice but to flee out of the region leaving everything behind.

Despite his survival, he lost everything he owned and worked for in the past years and suddenly found himself jobless without any source of income to meet his expenses and obligations, that's when the journey of loss and misery started; Rashid wanted to do any kind of work but due to the dangerous conditions, he wasn't able to secure any good income, until he finally started working as an employee in a real estate office, but his low salary affected the family's situation.

He was trying hard to change this reality, but unfortunately, bad circumstances prevented him. Even after the end of the war, everything began to deteriorate more than before, and with the rise in prices, he found himself unable to fulfill his obligations and was praying for any glimmer of hope that would enable him to change his reality and start over.

Now, after supporting him with the mini-market project, Rashid finally found himself restoring his life balance and starting a new chart in his life with hope that this project will make a difference in this family's life.

For most of his life, Mousa Fares was struggling to support his family and keep them from need and poverty.

He is 38 years old and lives with his old parents and his brother in a 40-meter flat in Jaramana, yet he is always thankful to God for all the blessings in his life.

Before the crisis, Mousa was working at a beverages store in Jaramana and his income was enough to meet his household costs but during the war, two explosions happened in front of his shop which caused huge damage, and in the second one the damage was severe so they had to close the store.

Mousa didn’t hesitate to take a job at a travel office as an administrative employee and did the cleaning work as well to increase his income because his parents were old and sick while his younger brother was in military service. Unfortunately, a mortar shell exploded close to his office and he was hit by its fragments which took him more than three months to recover.

All of those calamities didn’t prevent Mousa from fighting to live in dignity; so he borrowed some money and started a perfume and gifts shop. Mousa used to open his store from the early morning to midnight seeking to improve his income but the coronavirus epidemic wasted all his efforts as there was a decrease in the purchasing capacity in addition to an increase in the prices of goods which made it impossible for him to renew his goods.

However, Mousa decided not to give up so he took a night shift at a supermarket after closing his shop, and for more than four months he had only 4 hours to sleep a day, but even with all that hard work, he was barely able to afford the house basics.

Mousa’s strong will to survive led him to apply at the Micro-project office and he was supported with the necessary goods and tools to enrich his shop and provide him with an opportunity to preserve his project and improve his living conditions.

Tolay Kashy is a 27-year-old woman, she is single and lives with her mother in an old and small flat in Kashkoul.

when she was only twelve, her father passed away after suffering from lung poisoning from an injury in the army, leaving her and her mother alone and without a supporter.

she saw her mother struggling for many years to provide the basic living needs and all she wanted was to help her, so as soon she became 18, she started working in the field of make-up and nail beauty and at the same time, she worked at a make-up factory to increase her income and help her mother with the living expenses.

since her childhood, Tolay was diagnosed of having lymphoma cancer and she went through a long journey of treatment, but this strong-willed woman didn't let her sickness stop her from standing by her mother and building her future so she started working from home and took a make-up course at Almaamoun institute to improve her skills.

she was full of determination to improve her condition and despite her modest capabilities and poor tools, she was able to have her own costumers due to her beautiful work and reasonable prices.

currently, she has little equipment and materials and needs support to expand and develop her business.

Tolay was fighting against the circumstances and kept praying to God for his great mercy so she applied to the micro project initiative full of hope to have the opportunity to improve her situation.

Now, after being financed with the make-up and nail beauty project, she is thanking God for this chance that will make a huge difference in her life.

Khalil Mikhail is 51 years old, married, and has three children, Antoun, Nicolas, and Marian. he was living with his family in Hineh village and working as a driver and worker in the municipality of Hineh. 

During his duty, he fell on his head from 6 meters high and needed 35 stitches to close his wound but as soon as he recovered, he returned to his hard work where he used to carry 150kg jute sacks of anise daily which affected him on the long-term and led to severe pains in his back and neck as he had to undergo Disk surgery at the expense of charities due to his bad financial situation.

however, during wartime, he moved with his family to live in Al-Dwallaa neighborhood in Damascus due to the difficult security situation in his village and the lack of services and transportation means but his bad health condition prevented him from doing hard jobs so his wife started to work as elderly’s caregiver in order to support him with the house rent and the living expenses until her health started to deteriorate and she had to undergo nerve operation with her both hands and couldn’t continue working which affected their financial situation.

In addition to all of that, Khalil had to support his elder son Antoun, who was called to the military service and is still serving not knowing when he would be released.

Khalil is currently working as a taxi driver for one of his relatives and sometimes he works as a laborer because the important thing to him is feeding his family, even at the expense of his health.

Khalil gathered his hope and applied for the taxi project putting his belief in God's great mercy.

and his faith was never disappointed as he was approved to be financed with the taxi project so he could be independent and have a sustainable income to improve his family's conditions.

"Every loss in life could be compensated except for health"

This is how Sohail Maydaa 44, expressed his tragedy

Sohail is married to Afaf Dheifo and has two adorable daughters Mariam and Ritta, he worked hard to secure them a decent living. Sohail's financial situation was not stable, but they were satisfied and thankful to God for everything in their life.

Unfortunately, the year 2012 had the greatest impact on this family, as the birth of his daughter Rita coincided with the survival of his daughter Mariam from a huge explosion that occurred in the Al-Qazzaz area while she was on her way to school. 

Although Mariam survived that incident, she witnessed horrors, fear, and dead bodies all over which affected her psychological situation, and she needed many therapy sessions to restore her strength, yet she refused to go back to school after that.  After a while, his newborn daughter, Rita, was diagnosed with autism, after which Sohail and his wife began a long journey of treatment and care in light of the cruel war and daily hardships.

Suhail worked for 20 years on a rented taxi, but during the war and due to  the expenses of his two daughters' treatments, the taxi income was no longer sufficient to meet all those obligations, so he started working in a restaurant a part-time shift additional to his work on the taxi and was striving to provide his family with the basic living demands.

Sohail applied for the taxi project, hoping that he will finally get his independence at work and get the opportunity to improve his income.

He is now focusing his efforts to work on his new taxi, especially after he was relieved of the high rent which will improve his living conditions and provide his daughters with the needed care.

Gaby Abou Samra is 45 years old, he is married to Christine Kassab and they have a son, Sharbel born in 2007, and a daughter Jouel born in 2010.

Before the war, Gaby and his family were living in a peaceful and secure environment because he was working as a plumber and sanitary supervisor, his workshop was in Almleiha area in the countryside of Damascus. 

Gabi was working hard and he had many customers which made him in a good financial situation.

however, all of that changed after the beginning of the war in Syria as Almleiha area was destroyed completely and Gaby was among the people who lost everything including his workshop and all of his equipment.

He found himself after many years of working, getting back to zero, with no tools and equipment to work, and his situation started to deteriorate rapidly.

He had no choice but to take other jobs so he worked on his friend’s Suzuki car for five years, then when his friend needed money, he sold the car which left Gaby jobless but he started working as a Valet parking employee in Bab Toma because as he said: 

“I don’t care what work to do, as long I am working in dignity and affording my family’s food and expenses”

Despite all his hard work, his income was barely meeting his living demands and they became in a critical financial situation but they didn’t let that weaken their faith and hope so they applied to the Micro-project program for the pickup truck.

Today, after the funding, Gaby is full of determination and enthusiasm to improve his situation and provide his family with the decent life they deserve.

Issam Heilaneh is 28 years old living with his mother and sister in a rented small flat in Jaramana, Damascus suburbs.

He used to live with his family in Heineh village, his father passed in 2007 after long suffering from heart disease leaving Issam responsible for his mother and sister.

Issam left school at a very young age and began to do any job available to afford his family's living expenses because they were living in a poor financial situation. During the years of war, their village became surrounded by armed groups from all borders and they became isolated and unable to go out with a lack of all living necessities such as electricity, water, and food products.

life in Heineh was getting hard year after year, and when he finished his baccalaureate and needed to continue his education, Issam decided to move to Jaramana with his mother and sister. He started to work at a cafe, then in 2018, he worked as a taxi driver paying a third of his profit to the taxi owner which made his income not enough to meet his living demands.

After applying for the taxi project and being funded, Issam started a new chapter in his life, as he is now the master of his work and with the new Taxi, he can work to increase his income and afford his mother and sister decent living.

Firas Al-Rasheed is an ambitious young man who did not allow the years of war to waste his life. Despite all the horrors of the war that he went through, he was determined to continue close to his family.

Firas' father was working as a janitor in the monastery of St. Ibrahim Al-Khalil in Kashkoul, he did his best to afford his family a decent living and educate his two sons.

when the security and economic conditions began to deteriorate, Firas decided not to continue his study and traveled to Lebanon where he started working as a driver to transport wood, and at the same time, worked at a carpentry workshop to save as much money as possible and support his parents.

When the war was about to end, he returned to Syria and started a mini-market in his neighborhood. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus epidemic came with quarantine, which affected the economic situation and prevented Firas from turning his capital and renewing his goods.

At the beginning of 2022, Firas got married and two months later, his flat was burnt including all his furniture and belongings in addition to having his face and hands burnt while trying to put off the fire, that incident was a great loss for Firas especially since his flat was rented and he had to pay for its renovation.

Firas had no choice but to sell his wife's gold jewelry to compensate for the losses, the couple moved to live at his parent’s house. He was determined to work and improve his living conditions so he applied for the taxi project hoping to have the opportunity to compensate for all his previous misfortunes. 

After having his own taxi, Firas now is working hard with hope to improve his income and secure decent living conditions for his wife and parents.

Amer Shehadeh is a 32-year-old young man, who lived within a humble family that used to work and support each other to continue in life.

since he was twenty, Amer didn't hesitate to do any work to help with the house demands; he worked as a cleaner and many other jobs to have additional income. unfortunately, the war broke down to end his endeavor, as he was called for military service where he spent more than a decade of his life serving in the most dangerous places.

During those years, he went through very difficult circumstances and suffered from hunger, and fear, in addition to living in constant danger daily. however, Amer has survived all of that putting all his hope in the mercy of God, with all faith that life will smile at him one day.

His main concerns were related to his elderly parents, who suffer from several diseases and although his brother was working in electrical maintenance, his income was barely enough to secure food and medicine.

In January 2022, Amer was finally discharged from the military service, he returned to his home feeling that he was born again, but during his service time, he didn't have the chance to gain experience or have any profession.

Amer was confused and didn't know where to start or what to do until one of his relatives told him about the Micro-projects program, and he immediately applied for the pick-up truck project, assuring that he still had the strength and determination to do any hard work to secure his livelihood and handle his parents' expenses.

Indeed, Life smiled at him, as he was financed with the pick-up truck project to start establishing his life and make up for the lost years, hoping that this brave young man will get a good income to secure a decent life for himself and his family.