Although it’s been ten years now, But Marderos can’t forget how war started suddenly and changed his family’s life forever. Tragedies started to fall upon them one after another and turned their lives into a nightmare. In The hardest days of 2015, when mortar shells were showering upon them, his daughter got injured and her injuries were severe and mainly in her abdomen, luckily she healed  after several shrapnel removing surgeries. Marderos also lost his brother by a mortar shell. 

The economic situation was miserable too, for months Marderos couldn’t find a job; as he used to work in transportation between Aleppo and Northeastern regions in Syria. But when a church near his house was hit and destroyed, Marderos preferred to sell his car in order to afford food and life basics and barely survive instead of risking it would be destroyed by the shells.

Having his own taxi means a lot for Mrderos, who lately have been borrowing his friend’s car to work part-time and support his family. The taxi enables Marderos to secure a decent and a stable income.

Everything in our lives is a reflection of choices we’ve made, but what if we didn’t have a choice at all! It is a feeling of helplessness and sadness that the 59-years-old father of two, Dikran is very familiar with. 

For ten years, Dikran was a pickup truck driver, he used to carry different merchandise, all sort of goods around the city and even transport furniture for clients as a side hustle. With sweat and tears he was able to secure his household’s needs and put food on the table for his wife and two kids. And although he didn’t have his own vehicle, his income was good and his family was able to have a decent life. 

But Dikran didn’t choose to live in war, he didn’t choose to be living in a dangerous area either. What made him feel more trapped and broken is that he didn’t have a choice to leave his house that got hit by a mortar shell in 2015 and was severely damaged, simply because he didn’t have anywhere to go. To make it worse, his relative who owned the pickup truck that he used to work on decided to sell it. Nevertheless, Dikran wasn’t left alone, the church helped him repair his house (that he was living in despite of it being destroyed) and offered him a morning job to help him survive.

When Dikran applied for his project, it was profoundly a wish to reclaim his right to decide his future, he wanted to make his own choices, provide a better life for his children and become independent once again. and having his own pickup truck has surely empowered Dikran and helped him take the first step toward the life he wants.

In the midst of the financial crisis, losing a job could be a dreadful nightmare specially if you are the family's provider and a father of a toddler. The 28-years-old Gabriel was devastated when he lost his job when the program ended in the organization which discharged the employees. 

Although Gabriel’s family business has always been in carpentry domain, but due to war their workshop was severely damaged and their machines were stolen. Without a profession, he returned to the savings to rely on, and to make matters worse, he had a knee injury. Gabriel had to act fast and smart to find a job that both ensures a decent income for his family and suits his health situation. The pick-up truck was Gabriel’s choice, majorly because he has a lot of acquaintances from his old work that he can depend on their orders for transportation services, and it basically involves driving which is convenient for his knee injury.

Purchasing a pickup truck is a big change in Gabriel’s career, it is a new experience that he is determined to go through, full of hope that it will enable him to provide a decent life for his lovely family. 

Majd is a hardworking young man, who is trying to be an independent and productive part of the community.

His first job experience started back in 2016 in the culinary business, Majd started working in restaurants’ cuisines on many tasks, it was his livelihood since his father had passed away and he became the provider for him and his mother. 

But when Majd saw that his job was taking him nowhere career wise, he decided to learn something new, so he chose to search for a job in a different domain; embroidery design. Majd quickly gained experience and mastered working on the machinery, and started planning and saving money to establish his own embroidery workshop. But, unfortunately the war caused damage to his house, and the tight financial situations which prevented Majd from achieving his goal. But he didn’t give up at all, on the contrary he attended a start-up-business course to thoroughly plan for his project, and applied to the Micro Projects Program.

Today, Majd started the first step of what became a family business, as his brother started helping him in preparing the patterns and designs that Majd implements and produces in his new workshop. 

Rami Haddad is like most middle-class workers, battling against the blundering economics and trying to provide for his family of three and his mother whom they live with. During the war, Rami’s work suffered from an immense set-back. The whole chaotic situation resulted in great losses in business; many of Rami’s old clients fled the country without paying him, and many merchandise shipments were confiscated on the unsafe highways between Syrian cities. Eventually Rami had to close his workshop and sell his car so he can financially survive. Instead of owning a workshop, Rami became an employee, working for other people with a modest salary and limited opportunities. 

Today, with the support he got, Rami is restarting his business, having his own sewing machines and workspace will not only improve his income, but it will also give him the chance to regrow his business again and be a productive individual of the community. 

In the midst of war and economic crisis, establishing a business is nearly an impossible thing for young people like Samer. 

Eight years ago, the 31-years-old man who takes care of his mother, wanted to enter the blacksmithing field, gain a ton of experience in order to be able to open his own workshop one day and be an independent individual. The hard financial situation stood in the way of Samer's life and prevented him from achieving his goals and dreams, and the worst thing that he lost his job too. When all doors closed in is face, Samer went to Lebanon, to work there. He stayed for four years until he decided to return to Aleppo last year after Lebanon’s recent emerging crisis. 

Today Samer wants to take a chance with lots of hope and determination to open his independent blacksmithing workshop after purchasing all the tools and machines that will allow him start his work soon. It is a huge step for this young man but at the same time a very important one for his future life. 

Throughout his life years, Whether it was as an employee in a shop or for clients everywhere, Armen’s job has always been in the sales domain.

He started back in 1990 and his hard work paid of after long years of persistence and Armen’s acquaintances’ list grew longer specially when he became a salesman. His position allows him to drive a pick-up truck full of merchandise to sell and distribute them around the city. 

Although Armen liked his job, but due to war, it became very hard for him to provide for his family of five and for his mother who shares her residence with Armen’s family. 

When Armen applied for his project, he was trying to make a better income from a domain he enjoyed working in and also had long experience in. Having a pick-up truck will give him the flexibility to collaborate with many retailers and steadily expand his business and increase his income. 

When he was only fifteen years old, Abboud wanted to learn all about hairstyling so after finishing his 9th grade he started working in a local barber’s shop. But what started as a summer job ended up to be a good career for Abboud who found himself enjoying working in this field. Abboud improved his skills and learnt a lot from all the salons he worked in through the past 5 years. His accumulated experiences and skills entitled him to rent a chair in a salon, that way he became more independent than before. 

But the war and its economic hardships prevented him from making the next step of opening his own salon, because the costs of such project were more than he could afford.

The funds Abboud got by the Micro Project Program were perfect for this young hairdresser to start his career independently. Now he rented a salon which is fully equipped, so he can be ready to welcome his clients and deliver his services in the best way.

On a gloomy morning in 2012, Antoine’s life turned upside down, when he was kidnapped on his way to work. It was the hardest 15 days of his life, when he was finally set free, he made the decision of leaving Aleppo.

Antoine took his family of four to Latakia leaving behind his furniture spraying workshop and equipment. Settling there was not an easy thing, Antoine started looking for jobs in his original field of work, in order to provide for his family. It wasn’t until 8 years later when he returned to Aleppo, only to find out that his workshop was destroyed and his equipment were stolen.

Since the workshop needed a lot of repairs, he could not use it quite yet, but a good friend of Antoine’s rushed for help offering his place and tools so that Antoine can start working temporarily and provide some income for his son and daughter. 

Today thanks to the Micro Projects Program, Antoine was able to buy his own tools and equipment and carry on the persistent, hard work for the future.

When Rober and his family fled their house in Al-Midan in a hurry in the middle of the night due to the armed attacks, they didn’t imagine it would be the last time they will see their sweet home. The family left their residence with the start of war in 2012, and started a long journey of displacement and suffering. 

For four years they were homeless, they had to live in a shop under terrible conditions, and because the blumbing workplace became dangerous, Rober had no choice but to leave Aleppo and go to Latakia, seeking a new start. 

It’s been four years since Rober came back to Aleppo, and since then, he has been struggling to provide for his family and mother. He worked as a driver, a cleaner and many other jobs before he decided to go back to his profession, which was extremely hard since he didn’t have any equipment or tools to start again with.

It was hope fulfilling for Rober to know that there are people who still care and are willing to support him to be able to purchase his equipment and revive his livelihood. Now Rober is doing what he knows best and living a decent life with his family.

George made a courageous decision when he chose to walk away from his academic studies and follow his passion in culinary arts. Not having any experience in the kitchen, George had to climb the ladder one step at a time. First, he started in a cake factory then slowly improved his position and specialized in sweets' making and learned all about baking skills.

Another courageous decision George took, is to start a family despite the economic crisis we are in. The rent, the hard-living circumstances and the currency devaluation all are obstacles in the way of George’s future plans. 

Since his project was accepted, George was able to open his own bakery place for cakes and pastries. This is a long-waited life dream for George. Without his determination and the compromises which he made (like utilizing his father’s tiny shop to lower his expenses) and the most important the financial support, it wouldn’t be possible for George to become an independent business owner. 

The hard circumstances of war and the financial crisis forced the 47-years-old Rima to go back to her maiden profession in tailoring and clothes’ packaging business. 

In the beginning of war, her husband lost his business, when his workshop became under armed groups’ control and later got stolen and destroyed, the family of six started spending from their savings but after two years they had to find another source of income. That’s why Rima started asking her old acquaintances if they have a job for her. 

For someone with Rima’s experience in the domain, being just an employee in a workshop was a little frustrating on many levels. Financially her salary was not sufficient, and even personally it is not satisfying for someone with such a long experience.

This project brought back the excitement to Rima’s heart, she now became a business owner, and her small Sewing workshop is not only a source of income, but it’s going to be a family business as her son and husband will be working with Rima to reach a point of self independence and potential progress.

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.