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The equipment that he has are from the day he opened the shop back to 1987, which became outdated and not useful anymore, that's why upgrading his shop became essential for him so that he won't lose more costumers.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. 

Nidal’s military service lasted nearly nine years, then after being discharged from military, he faced the harshness of life as well as the vague future.

Immediately after his service, he worked in his brother’s sewing workshop, but being new in this domain made his journey harder.

All of Nidal’s family members work in their own specialization, which motivates him to have his own business and to care of his family’s livelihood expenses.

The opportunity of having his own taxi planted a seed of hope in his soul, he applied and got accepted which made him extremely happy.

After the long years of sacrifice he made, Nidal now is thankful for the chance that he got from Hope Center, which made him the boss of himself, and the idea of ensuring a better income for him and his family made him more confident than ever. 

Melkon started working when he was in his early twenties with plans in his head to create a secure future for him and his mother.

From a young age he worked in two different domains to learn more skills and gain experience; his first job was in a mechanic workshop and in a short notice he started working on a lathing machine to increase his income, by time he became gifted in both jobs.

When the war hit the city of Aleppo, Melkon thought about a plan to save his career and he decided on traveling, in 2011 he left Syria looking for a better opportunities to make money and help his family.

Melkon worked in Lebanon nearly 11 years in both of the domains, in 2022 he decided to come back, start a family and settle in Aleppo now, he is a newly-married young man and they live together with his mother hoping that someday they will be able to buy their own house.

Supporting Melkon with the important equipment will have a positive effect on his work and he’ll be able to create a secure future for his child and provide his family’s needs and livelihood expenses.

Fredy served in the army for two years and after his discharge he was recalled for reserve military service, which lasted nearly seven years.

After that he thought of working in the aluminum manufacturing domain, but the lack of experience and costumers together with his financial circumstances weren’t encouraging for him.

Fredy is a newly married man and they are blessed with a daughter, but due to the economic crises they are living with his wife’s family. He is currently spending from his savings plus he is the only one responsible for all of his family’s expenses.

Fredy is aiming to work and be able to move out to their own apartment, provide a happy and secure future for his family.

After he heard about Hope Center, he was grateful for the opportunity to start working independently on his taxi and improve his income. 

Archelous lives with her husband and son in their modest house located in Al-Midan area; they were able to buy it many years before the war through the help of her family and a small loan from the bank that was repaid, in addition to selling the gold that she owned.

She used to work as a teacher in the Faculty of Science at the University of Aleppo, in addition to working as a nurse in hospitals and between houses, but because of her advanced age and the decline in her health status, she resigned and worked in selling Homemade food supplies, which she had been practicing since 1989.

Being the only breadwinner for the house, as her husband suffers from hearing and sight impairment, and he cannot work well in any profession. Her son works in a warehouse selling car parts, with a small salary that is not enough to cover his own expenses. 

The family used to own a house and agricultural land in Al-Yaqoubia village, but they were displaced from it and it was no longer possible to benefit from the agricultural lands that they had there.

Today, with the help of donors, Archelous was able to purchase the equipment that help her in her work and facilitates the preparation process in order to sell Homemade food supplies quickly and with higher efficiency, in addition to the ability to introduce new items that provide her with additional money to meet the difficulties of daily life.

"Holding a great responsibility at a young age is a huge challenge” .

in 2014 Hovsep’s family fled to Lebanon after selling their house and all their possessions to escape the harshness of the war and search for a better life.

When Hovsep was young, he loved all professions related to car repairing, especially since his father was a famous mechanic, so he benefited from this passion in Lebanon and learned a new profession, which is car spraying.

He worked there for 6 years until he gained a lot of experience, However, when the war hit Lebanon in 2020, it led directly to the deterioration of the economic situation in the country. Therefore, they decided to return to Aleppo.. Shortly after their return, Hovsep rented a small shop with a partner.

Unfortunately, the father suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed, and he became in need of special care, which forced the mother to work in a sewing workshop to help with the household expenses. After two years of working in Aleppo, Hovsep’s partner traveled abroad after selling the shop’s equipment, which was a shock for Hovsep, who did not give up and began borrowing the required equipment from his neighbors.

Today, thanks to the micro projects program, he owns the entire shop’s equipment and he became independent at work.

Hagob lived with his mother and his sister until the war came and took everything from him; their lives turned upside down like many Syrian families.

“We had tools and equipment in our workshop in Bustan Al Basha that were stolen during war. The workshop was also damaged and has recently been restored.”

Rehabilitating the workshop consumed all of their savings, and they were left with no source of income. Although their workplace is renovated, they still needed to buy the essential machinery to start the work.

Hagob started this career back in 2008 and now he does not own any tools, but rather works in another car body shop with a low salary, he decided to reopen his father's workshop.

He said: “My father taught me his profession in auto body repair workshop and everything related to this field that can help me in the future.”

All he needs is the support to get the equipment to start working again, with the help provided by Hope Center, he will be able to achieve a better income and then hopefully things will turn out for the better.

Like many other professions, sellers are going through some changes nowadays. Karahkin is the father of two kids Carine and Hagob,41 years old, and lives with his family. His wife works but with a low salary.

He said: “I’ve been in the selling business for 14 years. I'm driving my friend's pickup truck. I've always dreamed of having my own pickup truck, it’s so much easier when I drive to the shops and load goods”.

Karahkin and his family were safe throughout the war and were not injured, so they were grateful. Due to the high cost of living and the pick-up truck's high rents, he suffers from many financial obligations. One of the most important things that help him in his work and increase his income is buying a car, and thus he can save his money and his work will be easier.

His job requires transportation for the shipping and services and this car will allow karahkin to make a good living on his own.

One of the most difficult decisions taken by the Rezkallah's family was when they decided to sell their house to face the difficult living and economic conditions.

Although all family members work, all their salaries combined are no longer enough to cover the rising livelihood costs.

His father works as an employee in a mall, his mother is a clothing saleswoman, and his little sister is still studying. This young man is trying to help his family with expenses, and his work in Mobile software requires more development which is necessary because technology is constantly changing.

This ambitious young man, 22 years old, started working as a salesman in a mobile store in 2018. After two months, he decided to learn a new interest and enter computer and software maintenance to increase his income.

What distinguishes Rezkallah is the pursuit of self-development, and through his work for four years in this domain, Rezkallah became known for his skills, and the mobile shops near him began to provide him with work as well, despite his young age.

Now, Rezkallah has all he needs to run a successful business and secure a decent income for his family. 

No words can describe a mother’s sacrifice, and how much she endures to suffer for the sake of her children. Nawal became her children’s sole provider after her husband passed away, the head of the family, and she had to take both roles for them.

The retired teacher had to find a source of income, she decided to work in the family’s land, which helped her cover the basic needs; the land is located next to her house which allowed her to closely follow up with the cultivation. Over years, Nawal managed to plant different crops until she became able to depend on the land for livelihood. Today, she lives with her son Nasser, who lost his job in Lebanon due to the economic crisis and returned home to stay with her in their village "Ozeir" and help her in farming. 

Nawal and her son decided that it’s impossible to keep using the old worn-out methods of watering, and having an irrigation system has become a necessity, especially since their land is in a good location close to the main well of the village. Getting the irrigation network encouraged Nawal and Nasser to plant new crops like summer vegetables, which will reflect on their profits and give them more stability for the future. 

After being a manager for five years in the KSA, Saeed’s life was suddenly changed forever when he lost his dream job because of a brain hemorrhage. Saeed lives with his wife and their three daughters, and he is the only provider for the family which started from scratch after losing everything they had.

Opening a mini-market was his decision and with the experience he had, his shop became very popular, and what really made it special was his excellent service for the customers. Unfortunately, the inflation had a very negative effect on his business and the continuing rise in prices caused a serious shortage of goods which for sure reflected on his income. 
Giving Saeed the chance to improve his project will ensure him the stability he needs, and help him provide a dignified life for his family.

This family’s life was changed forever and they won’t forget that day when they lost their beloved ones in the blink of an eye. The family was living a lovely life at their house in Al-Hamidia until the vicious war forced them to flee to a village near Homs where they stayed in a rented apartment and thought they would be safe away from war dangers. 

Unfortunately, the unexpected happened! While his father and his sister were sleeping peacefully, a malfunction in the gas heater caused a gas leak and asphyxiated them. That huge disaster had a great effect on his mother because he was all what she was left with after losing his father and his sister at the same day. 

In 2014, Elias and his mother returned home and started a new life. Because he has a long experience being a chef, he opened a sandwich shop where his mother could stay and help him, they built a very good reputation and their shop became well-known for the delicious food they serve.

The current situation of the country affected his shop a lot especially the frequent blackouts which damaged his equipment badly and made the electric generator a necessity. Purchasing new equipment for Elias’s shop revived hope in this family’s heart again and this project gave them the push they needed after all the tragedies they lived. 

Noura who studies psychological counseling is the youngest girl in her family, she lives with her parents after her three brothers traveled abroad searching for job opportunities to help their father in supporting the family during the hard economic circumstances.

Noura as well thought of a way to provide her own income, especially that her father has many health problems so she decided to use her skills in doing makeup, her mother who encouraged and believed in her talent helped her in preparing a suitable room at their house where she could work.

The main obstacle in her way was not being able to afford buying the essential tools to start her project. She applied for makeup kit and materials so she could work as a makeup artist and this way she would be able to do what she loves and to help her family at the same time.

Suleiman lives with his family of six; his father, his wife and 3 daughters. In 2012, the industrial area became very dangerous and he couldn't reach his workshop for car repairs that he had opened there back in 1998, when the family's journey with displacement had started.

the family fled to a village near Homs where they had to stay at their relatives' place with another 6 families for 3 months, being the sole breadwinner, Suleiman rented a workshop there but unfortunately there were many well-known workshops that he couldn't compete with, so he moved to another village called Fairuza looking for a new beginning, he found a suitable place and started working with simple capabilities.

The good news was the withdrawal of the armed group from the family's neighborhood. Suleiman and his father rushed to Homs to check on their house which was damaged and started to repair it, while his wife and the three girls stayed in Fairuza.

After that long and tiring journey, the family was finally able to return home. Suleiman kept working in his workshop but needed many equipment and tools. Hearing about the Micro Projects Program restored his hope, he is now able to provide many services he was unable to do before, in addition to the improvement in his income and livelihood.

Jihan took upon herself the responsibility of looking after her family when her husband Yaakoub was called for military service, and despite all the effort it takes to work in farming, she chose to be strong for the sake of their lovely family. The mother of two; Marcel (4years old) and Yousef (2years old), lives with her children in their home village Ozeir. The land was her only way to ensure a decent living during the absence of Yaakoub, their sole provider in life. 

The family’s land is located near their house, which allowed Jihan to take close care of the crops; she planted many kinds of vegetables in addition to olive trees, but the hardest challenge for her was watering the land since depending on the traditional methods became very exhausting. 

Supporting this hardworking mother with a suitable irrigation system will alleviate her burdens, and help her in preserving a dignified life for the children.

Maroun lives with his wife Kinda in their home village Ozeir where they work together in farming, besides their main job as school teachers. 
When the economic crisis in the country started to get harder, the value of their salaries was sharply decreasing, which pushed them to invest more in their fertile land and plant it with vegetables and olive trees. 

The family owns a small tractor which they use to plow their land, but during the last few years the tires of this tractor became worn out and Maroun couldn't afford to change them, so he had to seek an alternative solution and rent a tractor. Plowing the land has become a heavy financial burden and the couple lost a big amount of their income which is already barely sufficient for their daily needs. 

Maroun and Kinda found this initiative as a great opportunity to improve their situation, by saving them big amount of expenses that they use for renting a tractor, and will allow them to focus on securing a better living for their growing family.

Alaa used to work in goods distribution on his van since 2008, he was living with his wife Sally a happy life at their small house in Al-Hamidia neighborhood and planning to start a lovely family.

Unfortunately, the vicious war came and changed all their plans, their neighborhood became a dangerous place so they went to his village (Om-Sharshouh) which was safe back then but they didn’t expect that war would chase them there to take everything they had.

In 2013, the family lost their village house and Alaa lost his van, his only source of livelihood, this couple had no choice but to leave to Homs where he had to work as a construction worker and they stayed in a rented apartment, that job was very tiring and its income was not enough to cover their needs as a family and pay the rent.

Al-Hamidia neighborhood became safer in 2014, at that time they decided to come back home after all the suffering they experienced. Alaa worked for a distributing company with a modest salary and kept dreaming of having his own van since driving the company vehicles took a huge amount of his income, especially that his family grew and now he has two beautiful boys to provide for.

Helping him to get his own van was a great support for him and his family, Alaa’s dream became true and today he will be able to provide a decent income hoping to see his children grow and live in better conditions.

When someone believes in his thoughts, what was difficult becomes very easy; that was exactly what happened with Bernard who believed in his life-project from the very beginning and did not give in to life difficulties. He is the only provider for his family; his wife Jocelyn, his son Jamy and his brother-in-law George who has M.S(Multiple sclerosis), they are living with his brother's family of three all in the same apartment.

Bernard worked for an advertising and marketing company since 2006, until this company shut its doors at the beginning of the war in 2011 when he and his family had to flee to Tartus city and stayed there for a full year, after that they returned to Homs where he started working as a maintenance technician because he had studied this field in high school and mastered it, however, his income was not stable as the factories don't need maintenance on a daily basis.

Finding a job during the hard economic circumstances wasn't easy, the current situation encouraged him to think of a job that would allow him to secure a steady income and bring his experience with machines and his love for engineering and drawing together; so he had the idea of working on a laser cutting machine which is rarely existed in the city of Homs. 

Bernard studied his project comprehensively and believed in it from all of his heart, but unfortunately, he was unable to start his dream project due to his limited financial resources. Having the opportunity to buy the laser cutting machine will be his last hope to support his family and to ensure decent life.

After suffering many heart problems, Adham had to stop his work in floor tiling, this decision was not easy specially that he worked in this job since 1990. The father of two bought a mini pick-up truck (Suzuki) and started transporting goods from and to the workshops. He chose this job mainly because it was suitable for his health condition, and also because he has very good relations with many craftsmen. Unfortunately, he has not been spared from the dangers of war and his vehicle was completely destroyed in an explosion, he lost his only source of income and had no other choice but to work again as a floor tiler.

The Micro Projects Program was the chance Adham needed and with the good reputation he built, he will have the opportunity to regain his job on the pick-up truck and provide a sufficient income for his family. 

Shadi is a married man who has two beautiful daughters; Mira (12 years) and Nay (9 years), he used to work in distributing goods with many different companies throughout his long career and he is the only provider for his family. This family was living a peaceful life at their house in Al-Warshah (a neighborhood near Al-Hamidia) until the cruel war forced them to leave everything behind seeking safety, so they went to a village near Homs. When things got better in their old neighborhood, Shadi’s family came back home to find their house destroyed, they had no choice but to stay at his brother’s house temporarily. 

Being the sole breadwinner for his family, Shadi quickly found a job for a distributing company but unfortunately, in 2020 it was closed due to the hard economic circumstances and he was back again looking for another source of income. 

Shadi applied for a mini pick-up truck through the Micro Projects Program which was his last hope after being unemployed, working on this truck will help him support his family with a decent income and at the same time give him more work independence and flexibility.

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.

Like most young men of his age, Murshid did not have the opportunity to complete his education or learn a profession as he was called up for military service in 2012 and stayed there for nine years, after which he was discharged to face the difficult conditions of life without any profession or career, which formed a heavy burden on him, especially since he had to find a proper job with good income quickly because he became the only responsible for his family after his father's death.

The financial situation for Murshid and his family was affected greatly by his father's sickness; they used to have a pick-up car and a piece of land in Hama which they had to sell to afford the costs of treatment and Intensive care.

His mother also went through bad health condition; as she suffered two blood clots, after which she was forced to undergo surgery and permanent treatment and his brother Elias was called for military service, so Murshid was fighting the harsh living situation alone.

He decided to work in a restaurant in Ain Tarma and as a pickup driver so he could be able to secure medicine for his mother and his brother’s expenses in addition to household demands. 

The challenge was very difficult under the harsh economic situation and no matter how hard he worked; his income was barely enough to secure the daily basics.

Through the micro-project program in Damascus, Murshid was funded to buy a pick-up car, which will provide him with a sustainable income suitable to bear the high costs of life and fulfill his family obligations.

During his life journey, Pier Haddad 42, has proven that "Service is what life is all about and great acts could be made from small deeds."

Pier spent his childhood between catechism activities and church service dreaming to grow up and become a part of this great message, which he achieved during the past years as he became a piano teacher and he invested his talent to give free lessons to the children in the neighborhood.

After that, he started cooperating with the Franciscan Music Center, Saint Musa Al-Habashi Monastery, and the Jesus and Mary Sisters Center for Music in giving music lessons to the kids for very low wages because all he cared about was that each child has the right to learn music no matter what his financial situation was.

However, Pier was living in a modest house in Al-Dwalaa area but during the wartime his parents were deceased and his siblings traveled abroad and tried to take him with them but he refused to travel because he was very passionate about his service so after staying alone at the house, he decided to turn it to a music teaching center for the poor kids in the area and with the help of his friends he could teach them Piano, Oud, and violin. 

Although Pier was doing a great service for the area and the church, he wasn't getting any income and in the past couple of years he started to suffer from financial hardships so he decided to start a recording studio to get some income but he didn’t have the needed equipment so he applied at the Micro-project center asking for support.

Pier has surely deserved to be supported by the Micro-project program and he was funded with all the equipment that will allow him to start his own recording studio that will provide him with a reasonable source of income and at the same time continue his message in teaching music for the kids and achieving his dream in recording hymns for churches, assuring again that “Goodness is the only investment that never fails”.

At the age of 17 Elie Hannoun decided to leave school and start working at a hairdressing salon in his hometown Saydnaya to support his family and handle his own expenses.

soon he became very skilled and well-known in the town but he couldn't expand his work because after the war outbreak, the devastating impact spread to Saydnaya region, and all its residents became living under danger and threat, which led to the cessation of work in most professions, including Elie’s work, as he was forced to move with his parents to live in Damascus.

unfortunately, their displacement synchronized with the deterioration of his father's health as he was diagnosed with cancer which forced Elie to stop working and support his father throughout the treatment period, which lasted for four painful and harsh years and ended with his father's death in 2014.

Elie and his mother remained alone living in a small and poor flat in Jaramana and he became the breadwinner of the house, so he started working at a hairdressing salon in Jaramana to cope with the difficult circumstances but with the Corona pandemic and the quarantine started which affected his work and forced him to stay jobless for a period until he was able to continue working trying as much as possible to provide the simplest requirements of life and even his mother started looking for a job to help he son.

Elie was seeking to have his own salon, through which he could be independent and obtain a stable income matching the high cost of living.

Therefore, as soon as his friends told him about the Micro-projects program in Damascus, he immediately applied for the hairdressing salon project in Jaramana, and today, after his project was approved, Elie regained his energy and enthusiasm for work and he is opening his salon from the early morning with all faith that this opportunity he got will change his life for the better and help him secure a decent life for him and his mother.

Being a child in a large family was never easy for Nahi, he was a brother of eight siblings and a child of loving and caring parents who did their best to secure a proper livelihood for their kids which wasn't available for them especially since they were living in a small village that didn't have enough resources or work opportunities so most of its villagers were forced to move to secure their future.

Nahi and his siblings left the village as soon as they turned 18 heading to the city, trying to work and secure their own expenses. In 2008, Nahi started working as a maintenance worker and for the following six years, he was able to send money to his parents and sick sister in the village.

However, during the war, his income started to decrease and he became unable to match his expenses so he quit his job and started working as a pick-up driver delivering goods and products between the city and village, but during the economic collapse and the fuel crisis, his job became unprofitable especially since he had to pay a huge rent to the pick-up owner so he started to learn the sanitary maintenance profession from his cousin and during the year 2022 he was learning and working with his cousin who unfortunately passed away leaving Nahi in sorrow.

He felt that all paths are closing one after another so he turned to God praying for his great mercy.

Through the Micro-project program, Nahi was funded with the Pick-up, hoping that it will form a new start and allow him to work independently with a sustainable source of income.

“This support has renewed hope in my heart and it assured me that true faith means holding nothing back, it means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to his promises”

Raymon Al-Badawi, 30 years old, is married to Yara Haddad, and they have adorable twins, George and Charbel who were born in 2021.

Raymon, his family, and his old parents live in a small rented flat on Al-Qurayyat Street, Jaramana city. his father works as a tailor and his mother is retired so basically Raymon is also the responsible for their expenses.

At the beginning of his twenties, he started working at an aluminum workshop and soon after he was able to learn the profession and became very skilled in it, he wanted to empower himself more so he could have his own workshop in the future because he found that this profession provides stable and sustainable income that will secure his livelihood.

However, during the years of war, life became very difficult and despite all the hard work he was putting in, he was only earning 20% of the workshops income, while the rest was going to the workshop owner which made his wages barely enough to cover the daily food and he started to suffer from financial distress and became unable to meet the household demands.

Raymon was certain that if had the chance to have his own workshop, things will get better especially since he got the experience, acquaintances, and the demanded skills to run the project.

With great faith, Raymon applied at the Micro-project and his request was approved as he was funded with all the machines, tools, and equipment to start his own workshop which he considered the lifetime chance that will give him a strong push to be independent, have a better income and help to secure his family's future.

For the last 15 years, without missing a day, Munir was touring streets from behind his steering wheels, disciplined and determined to secure a decent living for his family.

He is married to Reem Al-labed and they have three adorable daughters Caroleen, Valentina, and Mary rose. Munir worked as a taxi driver, and during the crisis in Syria, he struggled a lot to afford the living obligations and his family's livelihood without needing anyone's help.

Unfortunately, that situation changed in 2019, as his daughter Carolyn started to feel sick, and after undergoing several tests, she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in the brain which was devastating news for Munir and his family.

Since then, Carolyn had to go through two surgeries and a long and painful treatment journey which exhausted her body and her family, especially Munir whose health also deteriorated as a result and had to undergo heart surgery but he was always holding strong faith in his heart that his daughter will overcome this experience and be cured eventually. 

At the same time, Munir was working hard to cope with the increasing costs of living especially in the last couple of years during the terrible economic and fuel crisis, but no matter how hard he worked, his income was still not enough to afford the living expenses, his daughter’s medication, and the taxi rent.

they started to suffer even to afford their daily food and he had to ask for support from charities and churches to help him survive during these critical circumstances.

Munir was in dire need of having an independent project that will preserve his dignity and help him pass through these dark days which he got after applying to the Micro-project program as he was approved to be funded with the taxi project with all hope that this project will form a positive outcome in his life.

For most of his life, Jerious's main concerns were his family's comfort and safety; he never minded working hard for long hours for the past twenty years for this aim.

Jerious is 55, married to Taghreed Alabdoun, and has two sons Fady born in 1997, and Rami born in 2000.

They were living close to Al-dkhanieh area in the countryside of Damascus where he was also working at his carpentry workshop.

This all changed after 2011 as the armed conflict that took place in Al-dkhanieh forced them to be displaced from their house for many months, staying at their relatives' house, with no work or income.

however, when the security situation settled down, they returned to their area but found the house and workshop damaged which affected their living conditions as Jerious's work wasn't as profitable as before and his income was barely meeting the high living expenses.

Jerious tried his best and made an extra effort to improve his work which led to deteriorating his health condition as he had to undergo heart surgery which he couldn't afford so he sold his machines to cover the surgery costs.

After his recovery, he was forbidden to make any physical effort which made him unable to return to work in the carpentry workshop but he didn't accept to stay jobless so he rented a mini pickup and started to work as a driver delivering goods, vegetables, and products trying to secure the basic living needs for his family.

Nevertheless, the high rent of the pickup made all his work seems worthless and the only solution was to have his own pickup car in order to make a difference in his life.

Through the Micro-project initiative in Damascus, Jerious was able to buy the mini pickup that will enable him to work independently and open the way to develop his work and increase his income so that he could improve his living conditions.

Aleen Salhani, 31 years old, lives with her parents and sister in a modest house in the city of Jaramana, Damascus countryside. She graduated from the Agricultural Technical Institute and started working as a seamstress assistant in a workshop, then she worked several jobs, trying as much as possible to earn enough money to afford the house demands because her parents suffered from several health problems and were unable to work which made Aleen and her sister responsible for the household expenses. 

This responsibility became heavier during the difficult years of war, especially after a mortar shell destroyed their car and ruined a part of their house. Even though the family survived but they had to pay a lot of money to repair the house which overwhelmed Aleen with more obligations. 

Aleen has always had a passion and talent for decorations and handicrafts, so she started working with her relatives and friends and tried to grow her talent into a project with the deterioration of the financial conditions in the past years, because her job was no longer providing her with sufficient income to meet the house needs, and wanted to use her talent in handcrafts to start her own project.

Every success in life starts with a small step, and Aleen took that step when she applied to the Micro projects program. Now, after being funded with all the materials and tools, she was able to have her own handicrafts shop, which made her full of determination and hope to enhance her work so she could improve her living conditions.