Bashar, the father of two lovely girls, is one of the people who lost his workshop, tools, and equipment in Bustan Al-Basha area, where he used to work before the war, also his losses exceeded to include his parent's house and workshop which were badly damaged by shells.

He started his career in 2000 at his father's workshop, but, unfortunately, the war ripped off everything from him in 2012, so he decided to continue trying to secure his family's needs and facing the hard circumstances instead of giving up by working as an employee in someone else's workshop.

His experience in the field of car maintenance was growing, and because Bashar wanted to have independence, he rented a shop in Al-Sulaimanieh Garage to open his own workplace, but his business was limited due to the fact that he didn't have the needed equipment, and in many cases he had to borrow the kit and tool from his friends to be able to work.

Owning the required equipment is crucial for Bashar to be able to fix all kinds of cars, and grow a business that once was taken away from him because of the brutal war.

Khatchadur, the 30-years-old man, paid a huge price because of war. Nine years of his life were lost as he was in the mandatory service experiencing danger, fear and worry about his family and loved ones.

In 2020 when he was finally discharged, Khatchadur came back home to discover that his father’s workshop in Bustan Albasha was completely destroyed, this workshop is where he first learnt everything he knows about car motors from his father when he was still a teenager.

His father who was a well-known business owner, had become an employee working for other people. It was heartbreaking for both Khatchadur and his father to be working separately instead of reviving their own workshop but they had no other choice, as they were in need of a source of income and didn’t have the money to restore their destroyed workshop. 

However, hope was still lighting up his spirit and his micro-project was accepted. It gave him the chance to be reunited with his father in one workplace and become financially independent. 

War always causes major damage in the short and long term to both mental and physical health of the people. That's what happened when the shell fell near Joseph's house. He was going to lose his young beloved son "Noel", who after the incident was diagnosed with electro-encephalopathy disease, and since then, his journey with treatment and therapy has begun. 

Back to Joseph's story; Joseph started his career as a blacksmith when he was only 14. He traveled to Bulgaria and worked there in this domain.

Later in 2008, he returned to Syria and rented a shop in Wadi Al-Nasara area, but unfortunately, it was closed because of the war, so he came back to settle in Aleppo.

In addition to working as a blacksmith, when Joseph lost his workshop, he gained another experience working as a bus driver between all Syrian governorates, and later as a car driver for a big company.

Joseph found that leaning on his experience in driving can become handy when searching for a second source of income, specially that his current salary is insufficient compared to the rising prices during the economic inflation.

Joseph applied to the Hope Center for a taxi, to be the project that could grant him an income increase and ensure that his son can continue his treatments to reach full recovery.

Edward, the 20 years old man, studies economics while working in a car mechanic's workshop, to be able to support his family and pay for his education.

2015 was the worst year for him, the sudden death of Edward's father was catastrophic for him, it took him a long time to understand what had happened. The shock numbed his feelings and he was in denial of the tragedy.

Soon the responsibilities mounted on Edward's shoulders. At an early age, he had to become the provider for the family, but he didn't want to give up on his studies and despite all difficulties he managed to make it work, but the deterioration of the family's conditions forced them eventually to sell their house.

When Edward started working in a car mechanic workshop he learned a lot about the profession and after a while when his employer left the country, Edward became in charge of the workshop. His mother also began working in a sewing workshop to provide for her family's needs, and his sister also worked in a clothing store.

Edward's ambitions and his constant quest to provide a better life for his family made him apply for a car inspection device. He is going to utilize his workshop location and the already existing customer base to launch his own little business, and in the future, Edward hopes that this little step that may have started as a side hustle, might eventually turn into a thriving business for the hardworking man.

Antoine has always been a business owner. In partnership with his brother, they used to own a workshop for car mechanic's in Bustan Al-Basha, which was, unfortunately severely damaged during the war. 

In the past, the business was prosperous and Antoine was able to provide a comfortable life for his wife and three sons. But with war falling upon Syria, the family's life took a downturn. The eldest son was called for military service, and soon after joining he got severe leg injuries that many surgeries and treatments could not undo the damage. Also, the lack of safety in Aleppo urged their other son to settle in Tartous. 

Actually, the safety of the whole family was jeopardized when shells were falling near their home, so Antoine's family moved to his sister’s apartment, temporarily then the family fled to Latakia and stayed there for over two years, while Antoine stayed in Aleppo trying to find a suitable job after the sever damages the workshop was subjected to, prevented Antoine from running it. 

Antoine didn't want to give up the long experience he had in running a car mechanic's workshop that started in 1994 and was only interrupted by war in 2012, that's why he took it upon himself to rehabilitate the workspace and make it ready for relaunching his business, but the pricy rehabilitations have drained all Antoine's savings and he couldn't purchase the machinery and tools without support.

The micro projects program helped Antoine realize what he has been working so hard for by enabling him purchase the tools and equipment and giving him the encouragement to go further with his dream of being independent.

The war forced Edmond, aged 61, to work anything in this harsh economic situation, so he gained a lot of experience in many jobs, such as wall painting and electrical maintenance. Not only that, but he also traveled alone to Lebanon to be able to send money to his children, then returned to Aleppo, bought a mini pick-up truck and worked on it for more than 3 years, then sold it when the situation became worse.

one of his jobs was in a local café, working as a guard in a café from 10:00 PM to 10:00 AM with a low income forced Edmond to look for a better job in the morning, to provide better income to secure his family's needs.

He now lives in his sister's house, which was badly burned and damaged by four shells during the war. He couldn't even save any of his possessions, so they had to start from scratch. the only reason to live in his sisters house is that his own is somewhat in worse condition, and he can’t live in it, so he rents his sister's house and takes the rent of his house to pay for her.

His wife always wanted the best for her family, so she started working as an employee in a school, and his son works in his free time in a lathing machine workshop and is learning a new profession simultaneously with his studies in university to ease the burden on his parents.

The only thing that would really help him was owning a taxi, as an additional source of income for the expanding family. It will change the lives of all family members and will bring them some peace and stability in their financial situation.

The war left a deep wound in Christapor's heart after his father was martyred by a mortar shell.

During the tough war, he kept being an ambitious person, striving to reach his goals through hard work and perseverance, and he served in the army for 5 years.

Now Christapor is living with his brother and his family all in the same house after his parent’s house was destroyed in the war which was located in a dangerous zone in "Al-Midan area".

Christapor gained all his experience in car mechanics from his father, as he and his brother used to work with him in his workshop, but the crisis caused big damages to the workshop, that needed to be amended. In addition to his work, Christapor continued his education and got a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

Trying to improve himself in his career, he went to Lebanon and learned there how to work on a modern car scanner, and stayed for 3 years. Later on, when he got back to Aleppo and restarted working in cars' mechanics but as a worker for a company, and ever since, Christapor was the only provider for the family, while his brother was in the military service until 2020.

As the economic situation was getting harder, Christapor and his brother lost hope of returning to their workshop. Until he heard about "Hope center", that's how hope came back to his heart, knowing that there are people who still care about supporting him by purchasing equipment and renovating his workshop.

Christapor is very encouraged to start back the business with his brother, together with their joined experience and the needed support, the workshop will provide them and their family with good income for the livelihood. 

Naeem is a 42-year-old, successful man who always worked seriously to develop his skills by working in many important companies and several positions, such as a PR officer from 2013 to 2015 and HR between 2016 and 2018. In Damascus, he gained lots of experience during this work.

Looking for better opportunities Naeem traveled to Lebanon in where his brother lived, however, after a while he had to come back to Aleppo look after his sick father. After a long struggle with illness, the father's death made Naeem suffer from deep traumatic grief over his grave loss.

Losing the only family he got in Aleppo, was not the only struggle Naeem had to face, he had to go through phlebitis surgery due to an injury from an accident he went though in the past and of course quitting his thriving career to come to Aleppo to take care of his father left the young man without any source of income.  

Naeem spared no means, he started working as a volunteer in the church whilst searching for a job to be a financially independent individual like he used to before.

In the midst of his search for a source of income Naeem got an exciting offer from His brother, who was living abroad,  to take advantage of his closed shop, which is located in a perfect place near schools, to be opened as a graphic design and printing office. Naeem liked the idea, he was thinking that with the help of his acquaintance, he would be able to do marketing for his services and at the same time utilizing his computer nd design skills will add value to his new business. 

The funding of Naeem's project will realize this caring and hardworking man's dream of owning a business. it will enable him purchase the required machines and equipment. the thing that will give Naeem the new beginning and the chance to do what e loves and become financially independent.

The hardest thing in life is the loss of a loved one, especially the loss of children and this is what happened to Nader when his 18 years old son had passed away. 

Tragedies continued to befall on Nader, after the loss of his son, Nader's 30-year-old daughter who's a mother of two had heart disease and she had to have a pacemaker implant to regulate her heart function.

Nader who used to work as a driver in a hospital for around 30 years, transporting staff every day to their work and back home, has spared no means to support his children and fight for their health, to the point that he spent everything he had to take care of their medical expenses but when his son lost his battle against illness, Nader had to withdraw his pension compensation from the hospital to pay for his son's funeral.

the Loss of Nader's retirement compensation started worrying this 63 years-old-man who will have no source of income in case he stops working.    

The idea of having a plan B to live a decent life or at least feel secure was constantly swirling in Nader's head and eventually his fear of the future and his desire to be self-reliant when it came to his financial security, were the things that encouraged Nader to apply for the micro-projects asking for a Taxi.

However, what Nader was striving to find besides the livelihood, was hope, and the taxi was a step that changed his life and rekindled hope in his heart after all he's been through.

Working as a Taxi driver had a good impact on Elias the 55 years old, father of two (Marianne and Gabriel). It upgraded his lifestyle and made him feel more secure and content at least financially.

His start though was  in car maintenance (1988) in car maintenance but later he no longer worked in that domain as he sold the workshop and changed the course of his career.

In 2000, he rented his uncle’s car to be able to work and later in 2012 he started working as a school bus driver to have an additional source of income.

Unfortunately Elias and his family went through displacement, when shells were falling in Aleppo, their house was damaged and they had to leave their apartment for more than five years before they were finally able to rehabilitate their damaged house and settle in it once again.

The economic situation forced Elias to think about having two jobs, especially that his income from his day job as a school bus driver was not sufficient anymore. It became very clear for Elias that he should utilize his driving skills and to take advantage of his spare time after school hours by working as a taxi driver 

 The taxi is a life-changing step for Elias, that suits his health condition, and at the same time, will give him a good income.

Lara, the mother of two lovely children "Celine and George", always wanted to help her husband especially in these circumstances, so she attended several courses to improve her computer skills, and rented a stationery store jointly with her husband, that's how she could help her husband to secure a better future for the family and reach her dream of owning and developing her own business.

While the husband works as a volunteer at a Syrian charity in the morning, Lara opens the store ,and then in the afternoon they exchange the roles, Freddy, Lara's husband takes over the night shift while Lara takes care of the family at home. 

The things that made Lara step up at this time and take this huge move are all the hardships they have been through, as a family, during the war. A mortar shell had damaged their house and they were displaced for a period of time. thankfully they overcame these challenges and it was time for this family to compensate for there losses with their new project.

Every thing is well planned, the stationery store is located near many schools and this will ensure good customer flow in the future and the support will enable Lara from purchasing the printer and laptop needed to develop her business and turn it into a thriving one.  

Samaan Oskani is a 21 years old student at an engineering institute, in addition to working as a home electrical technician for about 4years.

During the war, Samaan's family was displaced when his mother's siblings sold the family house they used to live in, unfortunately, they didn't have enough money to buy a house, so they rented a very small one.

To make ends meet, Samaan's mother used to work as a seamstress, but her illness hindered her from going on. And his father is a minimarket laborer, and his uncle, who lives with them, is a wall painter.

The family is living under the poverty line, which pushed Samaan to do his best to be a provider for his family and improve their livelihood, so he worked as a home electrical technician laborer and learned a lot about this profession, but attending his institute lectures wasn't suitable for his employer so Samaan quitted this job.

He applied for a kit from Hope Center which would help him start his own business without losing the progress he made in his education, This way he can finally graduate for university and at the same time keep supporting his family.

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.