Muhanad,41 years old, didn’t want to abandon his family, friends, and waste his life, but he was under harsh circumstances where he was looking for safety by trying to go abroad in search of better job opportunities and a better life.

During the war, he took his family and fled to the city of Hama for two years, then to Lebanon, and settled there trying to migrate abroad unsuccessfully. After returning to Aleppo, Muhanad worked as an employee in the bakery, and previously this salary was enough for his obligations in addition to the salary of his wife as she is also an employee, but due to the high cost of living and the poor economic situation, it is no longer sufficient as he is the father of two little daughters.

Muhanad didn't want to surrender to this situation, so he decided to enroll in a sewing course and learn a new profession, trying to improve his situation. After completing the course and obtaining the certificate, he wanted to open a small business for clothes repairs. 

Micro projects initiative supported Muhanad with sewing machines to give him an opportunity to develop himself and his work and thus increase his returns.

“You have to think outside the box, challenge yourself every day, and prove your worth”

This sentence gave me hope during the 9 years I spent in military service across the country, confronting all kinds of dangers.

Asped, the 31 years old man, couldn’t achieve his dream to work in his specialty after graduation from business management, as he worked only for several months as a salesman before fulfilling his duty.

After he was laid off, he traveled to Armenia and got a job there as a share selling for many companies, but life wasn’t easy for him because the war drums followed him and the armed battles started between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and he had to return again to Syria.

His father is an agriculture engineer who encouraged Asped to start a project in his specialty, he rented a small farm in the rural area of Aleppo and bought 5 sheep, and decided to work in the dairy industry with the help of his father’s directives, after several months he became famous in that area for his dairy products and he expanded his work by buying new sheep and goat and growing new type of animal food.

But during the hot summer in the country and the lack of fuel and electricity in that area, his products are getting damaged without fridges, therefore he wants a new fridge and solar power system to preserve his products, thanks to the donor now he can expand his work and develop his business.

We all experience difficult times in our lives;  a job loss, or adjusting to a life change. Raffi lost his job and his workshop as well as two embroidery machines that were stolen at the beginning of the war.

The 50-year-old man is the father of two children, and the only provider for his family. He has been working as a supervisor on the embroidery machine since 2003 in his workshop, but the area was unreachable and robbed, he closed his workshop and remained unemployed for more than 5 years. Then, he found a job in a workshop with a low income.

When times turned tough Raffi made decisions to compensate for the losses he suffered in the war, he had to sell his house and live in a rented one to meet his needs. With the help of his brother who works in a similar field and relies on his customers, Raffi applied to the micro-projects program to get a new machine, this support will enable him to buy the embroidery machine required. Hopefully, it would be a chance to improve the family’s life and regain hope for their future.

Karam is a 42-years-old Iraqi refugee, and a father of 3 children, life wasn’t easy on him at all; he had to leave his country in 2004 and escaped from Al-Mousel with his family leaving everything he had there; home, career, friends, and his memories.

He used to work in furniture spraying for a long time, but after the displacement to Aleppo he couldn’t find a decent job, but he didn’t surrender and kept working many jobs to provide the life basics. In 2007 he married Mariam and they lived with her parents in the Midan area and started a lovely family until the war began and destroyed all of his dreams.

“I saw my life flashing in front of my eyes, but this time I had bigger responsibilities”, he kept surviving day after day to try to provide the daily needs of his family.

In 2014, Karam traveled to Iraq to renew his passport and when he came back to Aleppo he couldn’t find his house, the area was brutally damaged and his family had to move to another (safer) area, they kept moving from place to place until one day, one of his wife’s family offered him a home to stay in for a small renting amount.

Afterwhile, he worked with Blue Marists NGO as a mini-Pickup driver helping them in the distribution and transportation where he met a lot of people and built a good reputation.

Today, after he was financed with a taxi vehicle, he is able to be self-independent, improve his livelihood, and secure a better future for his family.

Nowadays, many people work in different jobs and change their careers regularly, having several jobs simultaneously like Jean allows him to increase his income.

He is 52 years old and responsible for his mother who lives with his small family which includes his wife and son Elias who studies economics. In the past, Jean was a tailor for more than 22 years in his own workshop but he changed his career because of the war.

In 2014, he closed a part of his large workshop and left the front part to increase his income, he brought an espresso machine in addition to selling some cold drinks as well.

Later, due to the high cost of living, Jean had to sell the machine to his relatives, and in 2018 he sold shisha and added an espresso service relying on his old customers and all the nearby workshops. The great thing about the area where the project will be opened is that there is no espresso machine there, so it will serve the area somewhat well, in addition to being a well-known person with many loyal customers.

In conclusion, Jean was one of the people who thought that having different jobs at the same time can enhance his financial stability, his four years of practice gave him the confidence to take this step and hope for the best for the upcoming future.

The will of Issa was stronger than the war conditions; the 62 years old man didn't stop working throughout the war, despite losing his job and his entire machines and tools. He worked as a Peddler on a mini pick-up truck to cover the expenses and needs of his house.

"I had to work day and night in any job in order to provide for my family's needs with all the difficult conditions and with simple resources so as not to ask anyone for aid," Issa said.

The war wasn't limited to the loss of work only. Issa, the father of two young men, one of whom was discharged as a result of a war injury, and the other is still in the military, in addition to the damage to his house several times by shells.

He began working in furniture upholstery in 2006, in his rented workshop until the beginning of the war when he was forced to close the workshop after his machines were stolen. After that, he worked on his own mini pick-up truck selling vegetables for more than five years.

After the end of the war, Issa decided to return to his main profession, so he worked at home on an old machine, despite the difficulties, especially for his age. His son works in sweets and pastries to help his father with the income.

The struggle facing Essa today is the economic crisis, he is not able to repurchase new machinery and tools Instead of the one that was stolen. Now, Issa has his own project and his own machines after he applied to Micro-projects and his family will be financially more stable and starts over after long-sufferings.

“We can’t surrender, we must continue our daily strife, it’s our destiny”.

Lina is a 55 years old mother of 2 kids who suffered a lot during the last decade, her family had to be displaced to another house provided by the local church after their home was damaged and the area became unhabitable due to the control of armed groups.

Lina used to work in many sewing workshops since she was young, she has more than 25 years of experience in sewing, but unfortunately, she had to change her career after the majority of workshops were closed during the war; she worked in accounting, as a kitchen’s chef and recently as a supervisor in Rosary school next to her daughter who works as a bus chaperon. 

But working long hours and small paychecks affected her determination and health, luckily her husband who works in sewing with his cousins encouraged her to apply to the Hope center and open her own workshop, at first, she was afraid to start over but after her friend offered her a place to start the new project, she is now ready to embark the marketplace again.

During her work at school, Lina was also helping her friend in sewing, so she stayed close to the profession and she kept in touch with customers in addition to the children’s parents from the school. Now after many years of struggling to secure for the family, she will be independent and provide a better life for them.

The war changed the lives of many because of the losses suffered, but each person should look for the silver linings, as was the case with Samir. 2013 was the year that prompted him to decide to sell his damaged home at a symbolic cost and travel to Lebanon to start a new life.

He chose a pretty unique career of hand-made souvenirs and religious art pieces. This artisan is also the father of six children and the only provider of his family.

Samir had his rented workshop from 2003 until the beginning of the war. He could not remain in Aleppo, particularly after losing his home and his job.

When he was in Lebanon, Samir started working in resin with his partner, and during this time his work was excellent, until the beginning of 2019 when the business demand declined. He was unable to stay there, so he decided to return to Aleppo and live with his daughter.

Currently, Samir has been living on his savings for over 3 years and no longer has his old equipment because he sold it in Lebanon so he could return to Aleppo. 

This support came at the right time because Samir lost hope of working and getting his equipment. He wants to buy a good quantity of "resins" and primary material as it is the most difficult to get, to use in the new designs in the future.

Since he was just a kid, Wajih used to watch his electrician father repairing all kinds of gadgets and making them functional again, his curiosity and passion led him to fall in love with this career.

Now, after 29 years, Wajih who is a father of two children became one of the best electricians, he continued working with his father and gained a great experience day after day.

During the war, he suffered a lot due to the electricity blackouts for many years which made him almost stop working and rely only on small repairs inside houses, in addition, his entire tools were stolen. Therefore, when he needed to work, he rented the necessary equipment from other workers or sometimes used his father’s rusted equipment, but sometimes he was forced to apologize and miss the work opportunities. 

Wajih's wife is a talented charcoal painter, but she had to stop painting because of her sensitivity to chemical smells which led her to stay at home. But he didn’t surrender, he struggled to secure a better livelihood for his family, especially since his son needs special attention due to his medical condition of muscular dystrophy and a delay in mental development, and his family now can't afford the cost of schools that take care of people with special needs.

Today Wajih wishes to buy new equipment and tools to embark on the marketplace and work again in electrical maintenance, hopefully he can find the stability needed to improve the family's livelihood situation. 

Hard work is the most important key to success. Achievements without hard work are impossible. 

Ramez tried his best to get enough experience in sewing while working in many workshops. Since 1992, the 60-years-old Ramez has been working on tailoring and was able to open his own workshop in AL- Ramousseh. The most difficult part was yet to come, as a result of the war, his workshop was closed and all his machinery was stolen.

In many ways, and despite the difficulties he was going through, he didn’t give up. He took another workshop in another area and because of his travel to Venezuela with his family, he had to sell everything he owned. to top it all, his house was hit by shells two times.

For someone with Ramez’s experience in the domain of sewing, being an employee in a workshop was a little frustrating on many levels. When the family returned to Aleppo, he went back to work and stayed there. He is the only provider for his family. One of his sons is married and lives abroad, and the second will learn this career to be able to work with his father. 

This project brought back the excitement to Ramez’s heart, especially after losing his two sewing workshops, it will be the family’s project when his son learns and grows to work with him.

Ramez needs this financial assistance to buy sewing machines and start this project, hoping it will be a huge contribution to his future career success.

A good shot keeps the moment from fading away.

This sentence drives George the 19-year-old, a first-year student of informatics engineering, full of enthusiasm, talent, and creativity to embark on the marketplace early in his life and encourage him to be more than a student.

Since he was a child, he wanted to help his sick father to provide a better life for the family, therefore he worked with him in a pastry factory for 7 years.

5 years ago, when he was browsing social media, he saw a tutorial about shooting videos, he got curious and liked it and start taking many online courses until he fell in love with this career and decided to be a Videographer.

Afterwhile, he started with his friends a small production group but unfortunately, it didn’t last long, he didn’t surrender and he tried to work with other studios for a long time until he finally became a professional and the well-known studios tried to recruit him, he was happy at the beginning but the long working hours and low salary made him unhappy and disappointed but he continued building his career and nowadays his reputation has become very strong, many people started to asked him directly to document events, birthdays and weddings but unfortunately, he misses a lot of opportunities because he doesn’t have his own equipment, sometimes he rents the equipment from other photographers and studios with a huge amount of money and sometimes the equipment isn’t available. In addition, he borrowed his uncle’s laptop to work on it.

Today, thanks to the donor he can be independent with a strong reputation capable of helping his family and at the same time continue to study without any financial burdens.

“Once we know that life is difficult- once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult,” Joseph said. I’ve been through a lot in my life, my exposure to several injuries as a result of the war, and the martyrdom of my father by a sniper's bullet made me a stronger person fighting to live in peace. 

Joseph is a young man, 29 years old, newly married after the end of his military service, lives with his mother and sister in addition to her children, and he is the only provider for his family of 7 people. Previously, his sister was working to help him with the income, but because of her liver cancer, she stopped working to continue her treatment in Damascus. Unfortunately, the last time when he traveled to Damascus to treat her, the owner of the taxi he was working on stopped him from work and thus lost the car he was renting.

During his military service, Joseph was shot three times by someone who tried to kill him, and the last bullet penetrated his head and caused his disability, which led to his discharge from the military.

The war was cruel to this family; Joseph's father was shot by a sniper which led to his death, his brothers were injured and his house was damaged.

The only job he can do now is driving a taxi, as it is a project with a good income, suitable for his injury and this car will help him a lot in his situation.

Joseph tried to overcome all these stages, and God compensated him for all the losses through the birth of his son. He is an ambitious person, despite all the difficulties he faced. He always sought to work without giving up hoping to improve his situation one day.

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.