Edward used to work on a wire cutting machine since he was a child, he learned how to use it by helping his father during summer vacations, he loved this type of work especially since his father was one of the first people to obtain such a machine in Aleppo city, the family lived in prosperity for many years, until the war started and life became hard.

During the war, after 30 years of heavy use of the machine and due to the electricity problems, the machine was damaged. It couldn't be repaired anymore because of critical damage to the motherboard. Therefore, they had to sell it and stay without a job for a long time due to the lack of electricity.

But Edward didn’t surrender, he kept searching for a new source of income and worked as a Chef in a bakery for one year then he changed his career and opened a small shop selling fish aquariums and accessories for four years, but after the sanctions and their consequences, it became hard to import the equipment, therefore, he sold his jewelry and his car and took a small loan from the bank to buy a small house and a mini Wire cutting machine to stay in the work market.

Today after the improvement of the industrial section in Aleppo city, Edward decided to buy a big wire cutting machine and work again after his father retired and wanted to be independent to help his family and parents.

“I’m a father of two children now, I had to sell my house after the shells damaged it, I took my family and fled to our village in search of safety,” Dani said.

Because there were no job opportunities in Mashta Helou, he decided to go back to Aleppo and leave his family there to be able to send some money to them and this situation went on for 5 years.

Dani's previous work experience was when he opened his own sewing workshop with a partner, and during the war the building was exposed to shells, so the project was closed, and he sold his machines at a low price. In order to improve his income, he decided to work as an accountant.

In 2019, Dani started working in a sewing workshop as a supervisor, but with a low income and his wife helped him a little with her salary because she is an employee, but their returns combined were no longer enough for a family of four.

With his high experience in the sewing domain, in addition to communicating with clients as a clothing marketer, Dani decided to apply to reopen his workshop and become independent again, so that he be able to secure a better living for his family.

“Being a doctor does not mean being rich, it wasn’t my ambition to become rich and famous, all I wanted was to help the poor people to get well”

Dr.Youssef also known as the poor’s doctor, opened his clinic in 1976 in Al-Houllouk; the poor neighborhood in the east of Aleppo, since then he gained a lot of popularity in the area and became one of the key people there, he treated many families from elderlies to children.

In 2012 when the war hit the city, it was very hard on him, the conflict started in the area and there was a huge explosion next to his clinic and his 35 years of life work vanished, he lost his clinic and his memories, but the most important thing that he survived.

Since then, Youssef became without any clinic and stayed at home, but all of his neighbors and patients kept calling him and asking him what is he going to do next. But he didn’t surrender, one week later he started working in two charitable dispensaries for free, “I don’t care about the income, all that matters to me is the smile on the patient’s faces”.

In 2017 when the war stopped in the city, the very next day Youssef visited his clinic, he was shocked; “I couldn’t recognize my clinic”, everything was destroyed, the building was hugely damaged and everything was stolen.

He was surprised that his neighbors prepared him a small room to be used as a temporary clinic in another building and called it the neighborhood clinic.

Today, after 10 years of displacement and thanks to the donor, Youssef is ready to re-open his clinic after it was totally rehabilitated with the help of Hope Center and some volunteering work from the neighbors.

"Good deeds have no limits, I will continue my humanitarian mission without any hesitation".

Khachig is an enthusiastic young dentist full of hope and humanity, who dedicated most of his time to working with charitable infirmaries to help the poor people despite his own needs.

the 24 years old recently graduated with a high degree but he suffered a lot during the last decade, his family had to flee from Palmyra city in 2015, his father was also kidnapped and his car was stolen near the city and he was released after a while, they lost everything, their home, car, the family main work and most importantly, the safety.

The family moved to Aleppo city due to the presence of their cousins there, but the suffering didn’t end, they had to move and change their area repeatedly because of the mortar shells next to their rented houses. They couldn't return to Palmyra after losing everything there.

But Khachig didn’t surrender, he became the main provider and worked with many dentists and infirmaries, he built a strong reputation for himself, today he is ready to open his own clinic after all the experience that he gained in dental specialties, he wants to fulfill his need for sustainability by becoming an independent dentist.

“I believe that small steps will lead you to your bigger plan”, this is the motto that Khachig sticks to and tries to achieve every single day.

Habib is a silversmith with more than 22 years of experience in this field. Going through war and being responsible for his mother, forced him to mature early in life.

During his twenty-two years of working in this domain, Habib worked on his skills and started building his own name in 2000, and now he is well known. Before the war, he was exporting his products abroad, but unfortunately, with the beginning of the war, the conditions became difficult, and he closed his workshop in 2014 for one year.

“I chose to learn about silver for many reasons. I decided to work with my brother in the same field. After putting a lot of effort into crafting, my clients and my experience increased. With the help of my brother, I can put my collection in his silver shop to sell them.”

Habib's workshop is fully equipped and has few workers, but he still needs the basic machine because he pulls the silver from another workshop, in order to save transportation time and expenses, and also keep the wasted silver. So he decided to apply for Micro projects for this machine.

His dream came true when he got the funds from the Micro Project that allowed him to purchase the machine that he needs, which will make a significant improvement to his business and positively reflect on his income, hoping for better days to come.  

“Trying to support my family is my main priority, but doing it while job searching can be difficult”. Samir said.

Young people, like Samir, are finding it more difficult to find permanent jobs, especially under these harsh conditions. Nowadays, it is very important and necessary for them to manage their own money. That is why Samir decided to work and study at the same time, the 22 years old studies at a sports institute in addition to working on the cutter machine.

Samir was trying to do something he loved, and through his work on the “cutter machine”, he loved and learned about it for more than 6 years at a young age. He worked in the same place but lately the business was weak because this profession requires a lot of marketing.

The war was hard in many aspects; a shell fell on the family house, injuring Samir's father in addition to their displacement to several houses. His father is an employee and his brother works as an administrator in a printing press.

Now Samir wants to buy a cutter machine that will be very useful and will help him provide for his family and do what he loves with his experience. With the help of his brother, he will put the machine in his workshop to save electricity and rent expenses and benefit from the clients and acquaintances in addition to his marketing experience.
Having his own cutter machine will make a real difference and help a man of his age after years of hard work to establish a business for himself.

Many women have achieved great success in various fields, although reaching their goals was difficult. Fyrial, 56 years old, is a nurse responsible for her sister who lives with her after the death of their parents.

“Nursing is not just a job, but a way of life; it is a true passion that never goes away.” This is how she described her job. Nursing is a humanitarian profession that requires high skills to help others. Fyrial, has worked in this profession for more than 30 years and gained great experience from her work in hospitals.

This strong woman has worked with many famous doctors during her tenure as a Nurse Manager. She has always strived to develop herself by educating and developing to have the best practices.

Over time and through her work in the hospital with her sister, they were able to buy a house before the war started.

This is Fyrial's first step to independency to open her own clinic after retiring from the hospital. With all the experience that she gained in addition to her patients, her income will increase through the help of Micro Projects.

Malake and her family have always been so grateful for their home in Raqqa city, but unfortunately, the war forced them to leave all their possessions there as well as their belongings and memories after it was burned and look for a safer area to save their lives.

After they fled to Lebanon and stayed there for eight years, the spread of corona, along with the bad economic situation and the struggle to pay rent had them decide to come to Aleppo. It was a stressful experience for Malake’s family to be displaced two times, leave their home, and move away from their relatives and family. 

Malaka worked as a hairdresser at home when she was in Raqqa from 1993 to 2012. Through her travel to Lebanon, she benefited from developing herself by working in two different salons to increase her income. And by the time she moved to Aleppo with her family, she didn't have any suitable job opportunities because she did not have any equipment to work with.

Now, Malake lives with her mother, and her sister who is the only provider for her family, and her brother also didn't have the chance to find a good job. She is hoping to work again with the new equipment,  this project will provide the independence that she is looking for and a better income.

When a loved one passes away, we are never prepared for the changes that will come into our lives from this tragic loss. Because of the war, George lost his brother due to a heart attack, and the family suffered several losses, especially the loss of their workshop, which prompted them to sell their car, house, and all the machines they owned.

George was a young man, a talented tailor. He had a sewing workshop and sewing machines. He worked very hard with his brother before the war, they were well-known for their experience in this career. Jointly in their rented workshop, hand by hand they worked until his brother’s death.

George is the father of Joseph and Jessica, and the only provider for his family, in 2006, he began learning about this career in many workshops then. His first workshop was opened in 2013 and he always did his best to guarantee a successful business. It used to be a source of livelihood, but unfortunately, the machines he used for more than 10 years became very old and totally consumed.

To improve the machines in his workshop and develop them, he will sell some of them, in addition to helping the Hope Center, because these machines will give him higher productivity which, in turn, leads to an increase in his returns.

Having this new sewing machine allows George to run his project more efficiently.

Since he was a kid, Elias didn’t like going to school, but instead, he loved hairdressing, one day he decided to quit school and chase his childhood dream and his parents respected his decision and supported him because of the huge need of providing a better livelihood for the family.

In 2011, he took courses at well-known hairdressers and gained excellent experience, he started working in many salons and gained a good reputation day after day. Afterwhile he had many customers and he began to work between houses.

Three years ago, Elias went to military service in Idlib governance for two years, and during his vacations, he used to work in salons for a temporary period, recently he has been laid off; being the only provider for his family.

Today, Elias wants to continue his career and open his own salon to get back into the work market and strengthen his reputation to secure a better future for himself and for his family. 

Haroutiun Sarkissian has been working as a car electrician for more than 30 years, with his uncle Hagop who is the business owner, and his cousin Kevork.

Repairing car electricity has been the family's profession for more than 50 years, when Hagoup started working in the family workshop, later Haroutiun joined him along with Kevork, who was working as a laborer for another workshop in the field of metal lathes.

Uncle Hagop has become aged and is no longer able to work in this domain which requires a lot of physical effort, especially after what he had suffered from displacement due to the cruel war.

Currently, their project is their only source of income, which covers the needs of three families.

Cars have become more modern with advanced systems that the errors can't be discovered in the old ways anymore, which makes it necessary to own a developed inspection device in order to detect malfunctions of the autos. Due to their limited financial ability, the two cousins started renting this device and sharing its profits with the owners to maintain their customers...

"I tried a lot to develop myself in this country, but the situation was always overwhelming. I asked for help because we do not want to leave the country. This country is ours, and we love it and want to stay here."Haroutiun said

Now they can dispense with the idea of ​​renting the device and rely on their own new device to resume their thriving work, as it will provide a greater income for them and their families.

“losing my only brother due to a heart attack almost two years ago still aches me, we went through everything together, when he passed, it was a nightmare.” This is how Koharik described the loss of her brother that she lived with and now, she lives alone in her sister’s home.

The year 2012 was hard on them, her brother’s home was destroyed by war, so they had to move to her sister’s house which is empty after her travel abroad.

Koharik previous work experience was in a goldsmith's shop for more than eleven years with a low salary, and it was difficult for the family to live on the minimum wage, so she started searching for a better opportunity.

In order to enhance her income, Koharik decided to take beauty courses as this field is most in demand, especially since her employer’s travel, she lost her job in the goldsmith’s shop. With all the experience she gained through working between salons and houses in these ten years, her customers encouraged her to take a step forward and open her own salon.

Koharik decided not to give up because she is a strong, ambitious woman who wants to hold on to her work and rely on herself by working and establishing her own project. The Micro Project program allowed her to improve her work by providing the required tools and materials, now Koharik will use her skill to make good income and have a dignified living. 

Fania's life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Bassam, fell ill, leaving him unable to provide for their family. With a studying son to support, her mother-in-law, and her husband's health deteriorating, Fania knew she had to act fast. 

Determined to secure a future for her family, she seized the opportunity presented by their small shop. With hope, She applied for assistance from the Micro Projects Program, seeking support to stock shelves, buy a refrigerator, and purchase goods to transform the shop into a mini-market and dairy shop, envisioning a lifeline for her family.

Her shop flourished and Bassam will find solace in being able to contribute as much as possible. 

Through her microproject and the support of the program, Fania not only sustained her family's livelihood, but also inspired others with her resilience in the face of hardships.

Elias Al-Ghabra is one of the minorities who are still interested in preserving the family profession as he began working in the field of manufacturing convection ovens with his father at a young age in a rental workshop in Jaramana and continued in the filed alongside his study.

The main field of work is manufacturing thermal ovens based on gas after the electric ovens stopped being demanded due to the terrible electricity situation in the country, their work increased and they also started to receive ovens maintenance orders. 

In 2010 Elias was called for military service and the war began shortly after he joined, so he was transferred to serve in Al-Hasakah Governorate until 2019, during which he went through difficult circumstances and faced many dangers. However, on his vacations, he used to return home and help his father in the workshop.

However, as a result of the significant increase in prices in addition to his mother’s battle with cancer and her treatment in Al-Biruni Hospital, their business deteriorated and the expenses became higher than the income forcing them to sell some of the equipment to cover the mother’s treatment expenses.

After Elias was discharged from service in 2019, he returned to work with his father, but the remaining equipment and materials were not enough to strengthen the work and have a proper income to cover the living expenses.

With the help of Hope Center, Elias was supported to purchase new machines to enable this intrepid young man to expand his work which will positively impact his living circumstances and help preserve the family's profession.

Alaa is a talented young man in his twenties, he lives with his parents and sister in Jaramana after being displaced from their home in Harasta due to the armed conflict in the area at the beginning of the Syrian crisis.

Alaa was always passionate about photography so he trained at a young age at a Clacket studio to learn more about this career, then he got employed at the communication department at SSSD as a photographer until 2018 trying to find better income to match the increasing costs of living.

Soon after, he started working at an event planning office as a photographer and videographer, but at the same time he was dreaming of having his own equipment that would enable him to establish private work and develop his career.

With the help of Hope Center, Alaa was supported to purchase a camera which was a dream coming true for him as he is able now to have his own photography session, and at the same time add his own signature which will empower his name in the field and open the chance of developing his work and improving his living conditions.

In the heart of a bustling area nestled a home where dreams brewed and aspirations soared. Dhyaa Al-Btros, his wife, and his family members lived within its walls, each floor holds a part of his close-knit family.

Since 2004, he delved into the field of confectionery, honing his skills by working at various pastry shops. In 2008 he was called for military service until 2010. Upon discharge, he returned to his roots in Khabab, opening a pastry shop until 2014 when adversity struck, so he relocated his shop to the Al-Dukhanieh area in Damascus, but the situation wasn't any better there as violent incidents and armed conflict took place in the area which resulted in the loss of his shop.

Undeterred, he adopted a novel approach, distributing goods via electric bicycles until 2019 when he was called again for the reserve service for three years before resuming the distribution of goods and biscuits, using his brother's electric bicycle.

Presently, Dhyaa toils in the morning as a warehouse worker, and by dusk, continues his work on a bicycle, aspiring to have a pick-up truck for efficient distribution, which would improve his income and release him from the hard morning work. 

considering this tapestry of trials and challenges, Dhyaa was supported by the Micro project program to purchase his own pick-up truck hoping to empower his unwavering spirit in the face of adversity, improve his living conditions, and preserve his dignity.

Meneam Salloum's life was marked by hardships but with his strong determination he was able to rise above all the challenges he faced.

he is living in Al-Abbasein with his retired father and two brothers, and together they faced numerous setbacks from losing his mother to grappling with unstable security conditions during the crisis, but he never let circumstances define him. 

Before the war started, he was working at his own shoe-making workshop in Jobar, but after few months of the war, the area was subjected to numerous incidents and his workshop was burgled making him lose everything he worked for in the previous years.

unfortunately, when Meneam decided to move his work to his living area in Al-Abbasein, he was sniped in the flank which put him in bed for several months until he recovered.

after that incident, Meneam decided to quit his profession and started working at cars office and then as a taxi driver, and later becoming a salesperson at shoes store, trying his best to afford the livelihood demands for his family and preserve their dignity.

Despite all financial strains that Meneam and his family faced, Yet he refused to succumb to despair, so he applied for the pick-up project at the Micro Project center.

Receiving funding for his project marked a new chapter—one filled with possibilities. It wasn't merely about starting a business; it symbolized resilience, hope, and the triumph of the human strong will over calamities.

Rafy Al-Sahwy, born in 1982 and residing in Al-Dwalaa, faced numerous challenges in life. With his parents deceased and siblings married, he lived with his brother, striving to make ends meet. His journey through different jobs—from being a taxi driver to a private chauffeur and later distributing charcoal by bicycle—reflects his resilience amidst hardships.

The war and his father's illness forced Rafy to abandon his farming work at the village and return to live with his family in Damascus. Despite various setbacks, he ventured into charcoal distribution, utilizing a meager capital. However, soaring prices abruptly halted his work, leaving him with loss.

For Rafy, the taxi project he applied for, symbolized hope and stability in turbulent times, and having support to purchase his own taxi potentially rescued him from the brink of financial ruin.

It wasn't merely about financial gains for him; it was about reclaiming control over his life and promising a brighter tomorrow.

Jean Baghdady, born in 1997, lives with his family in Jaramana. His father, Antoun, works diligently as a maintenance worker at Saint Paul Monastery trying to put food on the table at the end of the day.

Jean's journey through work has been diverse; from volunteering at the UN in 2017 to becoming a photographer's assistant from 2018 until the present day, he has explored various professional avenues. Additionally, he has been employed as a receptionist at Alberto Monastery since 2021. Despite his workload, Jean managed to pursue accounting and marketing courses in 2019.

He commenced his career as a photographer in 2019, honing his skills and preparing to be an independent photographer full of ambitions to start his business alongside collaborating with other professionals, trying to gain as much experience as possible.

While their household and furnishings are modest, Jean's family supports him as he navigates his career path. Receiving support from Hope Center, marks a turning point for Jean, offering him the opportunity to expand his own business, enhance his skills, and elevate his income.

For Jean, this support isn't just financial aid—it's his life dream, propelling him towards independence and self-improvement to secure a better future for himself and his family.

A talented and determined man is the least that can be said to describe Samwel Skeif. He is in his fifties yet, he still has the will and strength to keep learning and investing in himself. He started at a very young age to support his parents with living demands and so he worked as a tailor assistant, but he was clever and skilled enough to learn the profession and start his own sewing workshop which he ran for years until the conditions worsened; his job was affected badly forcing him to sell the machines in order to afford his family’s living expenses then he started to work in drawing and manufacturing sewing templates for different factories. 

Learning has always been a passion for Samwel, and even though he couldn’t finish his schooling education, he didn’t hesitate to enroll in several life skills courses such as fashion design training - TOT courses - speed reading courses - body language courses - and neuro programming.

Samwel got hired as a trainer at a development institution for design and sewing courses and he was so excited to transfer his knowledge and talents to others.

However, with the increasing costs of living, he wasn't able to provide his family with a decent living and he was thriving to have his own sewing workshop with the idea of turning part of it into a training center for sewing and designing courses.

Today, after being supported to start his own project, Samwel is so grateful to have this opportunity that will enable him to fulfill his passion for work and teaching and at the same time increase his income and improve his living conditions. 

At the age of fifteen, Eva Alshehadeh started to work at a hairdressing salon to support her family, since then, she started to learn everything related to this career including hairdressing, makeup, and nail care which gave her good experience in the field. Her father was deceased and she was the supporter of her mother and siblings so she was doing her best to afford the living demands, challenging all the difficulties of work and her health condition as she was suffering from sideropenia which caused her several symptoms and continuous feeling of tiredness.

In 2019, with the help of the church, Eva underwent Glandectomy surgery and her health condition started to improve, unlike her financial condition as the salon she was working at was closed and she found herself jobless.

Eva didn’t accept being dependent on aids especially since she became the only supporter of her mother so she started to work at customers' houses, using her old inappropriate tools, and touring from one house to another to have an income and cover the basic living needs of her family.

After applying at the Micro project center, Eva feels delighted because she was supported to establish her own makeup and nailcare center which will be the means to have an independent source of living and improve her living conditions.

Although she is still 22, Valentina was overloaded with life calamities and had to hold the responsibility of her family and her younger sisters in addition to taking care of her sick and heartbroken mother.

Valentina was living in safety and security with her family while her mother and father were doing their best to provide the best living circumstances for their girls. 

In 2013, this reality changed into a nightmare as their father was a victim of snipping while he was driving his car to work and the criminals took his body and the car. His family didn’t just have to handle his death news but also they had to pay an amount of money to have his body and do a decent funeral for him.

After that incident, the mother’s health deteriorated so she quit her job to take care of her daughters while Valentina started to work during her study time to support her family.

She started doing makeup and nail care for her relatives and friends then in 2018 she enrolled in several courses to enhance her skills then she started to work in different beauty salons trying her best to afford the livelihood of her family.

With time passing, Valentina discovered that her work was so tiring, and with no proper income, she quit and started to work for a percentage of profits waiting for a chance to have her project.

With great faith, Valentina applied at the micro-project center for support and despite her young age, this strong-willed lady was supported with all the tools and materials necessary to start her project because after all those hard years she deserved to be independent and have a decent source of income to help her family.

With more than 40 years of experience, Riadh Al-zawahra, a loving husband and father of two daughters Nour and Niveen, was still working as a tailor at a sewing workshop in Jaramana.

He started to learn the career at the age of ten, the same age he started to work and support his family then when he became experienced enough, he implemented all the steps of sewing and many workshops dealt with him.

During his life, Riahd was able to establish a lovely family and support his daughters to finish their education and work but due to the difficult years of war and the deteriorating economic condition, he wasn’t able to establish his own workshop.

“ All i wish after those hard-working years is to settle down, be my own boss, and have the ability to increase my income”.

Riadh applied at the Micro projects center, and considering his long experience and need to improve his living conditions, his request was approved as he got the required support to establish his own sewing workshop with all hope that this project would be a turning point in his future life and will give him the independency he longed for.

Being a mother of three young kids never prevented Raheel from working and supporting her family to pass through the years of war, while still trying hard to support her husband during the deteriorating conditions.

Raheel is a determined lady who started working as a seamstress at a young age and even after she got married she kept working at her sewing workshop in Damascus, until 2014 when the security situation became critical so she moved with her family to live in Jaramana.

Despite all the dangers and the daily shelling over Jaramana, Raheel and her husband kept working together to secure the best living for their kids. Together, they started a small shop for sewing and renting dresses where she worked in designing and making the dresses and her husband supported her in dealing with customers and the finishing.

However, with time passing, the electricity condition worsened and the shop income was no longer enough to put food on the table, while her machines became too old to use for professional sewing. So her husband decided to work two jobs in order to meet the living demands but his salary was still not enough due to the high costs of living.

Now, after supporting Raheel with new sewing machines and an electricity resource, she restored the ability to increase her work and get a decent income good enough to secure her and her family with good living. 

From a very modest but close-knit family who works to live, Beshara Al-mhanna was raised to become a hardworking man who started working at a young age to support his family.

He used to work in delivering vegetables on the village-city road but during wartime, the road became insecure and he decided to move to Damascus to study and work there. Beshara was a big-sized young man and as a result, he was exempted from military service so he kept working as a driver on different vehicles delivering any order to afford his living and support his family in the village.

Beshara was good at what he did but the high car rent wasn't sufficient to cover the increasing costs of living so he applied to the Micro-project program for the pick-up truck project planning to use the truck to deliver furniture and goods.

Considering his health condition, and determination to work, Beshara was supported to have the project he sought and he is now working his best to have more orders so that he can improve his financial condition and secure his family with a decent living.