My parents raised me with love and cared for me. Now it is my turn to care for them.

Eugenie, is 34 years old, a married women who works in nails care and as a makeup artist to support her parents financially specifically her father; during the war he got shrapnel in his foot and thus cannot work in addition, helping her husband who works as a seller of car parts with a low income.

She said: “When I grew up, I would like to be a nail artist because I am very creative and have an artistic touch.” And we can see her success by the number of clients she has.

She started working in this field more than 10 years ago in a salon for a period of 6 years, and because of the low salary, and in order to gain her independence she decided to work from her home. In order to increase her income, she learned how to make eyebrow tattoos because of their high demand. She started buying her own equipment over time, and set aside a room to receive her clients in.

Because of the frequent use of the tools that she has, they are now outdated and worn out.

Now, after getting the required equipment and tools through this initiative, Eugenie will have the chance to increase her income and enhance her family’s living situation. 

Mouhib 45 years old lives with his two children and his mother, as he had to move to live in his parents' house since the beginning of the war, after the destruction of the Sheikh Maqsoud area.

He started working in the profession of blacksmith when he was young. He learned this profession through one of the workshops near his house, after he gained some experience, he was able to rent a workshop for 10 years, later he bought his own workshop in the ​​Sheikh Maqsoud area and worked in it for three years until it became impossible to enter that area.

After losing his job, and to secure an income for the family, he learned the profession of repairing diesel generators of shops and houses with simple tools that he used to borrow from his friends, and he became well known.

In 2019, after the hostilities ended, Mouhib went to see his shop and discovered that it had been completely looted and needed restoration. Fortunately, the local church helped him in the restoration process, and he set out to work again with greater determination. Currently, thanks to the donors, Mouhib was able to return to blacksmith. He settled in his shop again, hoping to secure a better future for his children.

Joining the military can be a good experience for some people, but for others it can be a terrible mistake.

Antranic said: “My biggest fear was to lose my job, I knew it would happen after I had been there for 9 years and not being able to work during my vacations.”

He is 29 years old, recently discharged from the military, and lives with his parents. He had no idea what to do, nor was he able to manage between his job and the army. He decided to open a clothing store.

Antranic lives with his mother, who works in cooking, and his sister is a teacher at an institute, and, as for his brother, because of his disability, he cannot work. His father was shot in the war and died shortly after due to poisoning.

His previous experience working on a metal lathing machine for 7 years was not gone to waste; he has not forgotten anything, on the contrary, he has high motivation.

All he wants is to work again on metal lathing machines. And he was so grateful when he was accepted into Micro-Projects, now he is looking forward to securing a better income and getting back to his main career.

“We had a silver crafting workshop that my father had to sell to secure my treatment expenses” Samuel said.

Since Samuel was young, he suffered a lot from his colon and, because of the high treatment costs, his parents spent all their savings to be able to treat their son.

Samuel,32 years old, is a married man who has a beautiful child, and he is the only provider for his family. They live in a borrowed apartment from his uncle.

“My father helped me to choose what I wanted to become in life. I preferred to learn about his career in 2012 and become a silversmith." After going to the military for two years and being discharged due to his disease, Samuel got married and left his father’s workshop to open his own place and make more income but he needs the tools and equipment which are very expensive these days, and he cannot buy them on his own.

With the aid of the Hope Center, he was able to get his own equipment and, due to this financing, the profit would increase 30% and he can be able to make his way through life with all hope and determination.

If you want to improve something in yourself, you should work hard for it

Alice learned how to sew from her mother when she was just a kid on her mother’s old and small sewing machine, it was the first step for Alice on the path of this career.

Now after many years she is a mother of two children, her son works on lathing machine with his father in a friend’s workshop and her daughter works as an accountant.

Alice said that “when you spend time with people who are working on similar things as you do, you’ll see that your self-growth happens faster than you think” so in order to develop her skills, she recently started working in a sewing workshop, in addition to submitting for many courses.

During the war her husband was working in Al-Arkoub industrial area, but he had to leave the shop in a hurry due to shelling and stayed without a work for 6 months. Alice's mother lived with them too. Because of the high cost of living and the insufficient salary to face these difficult conditions, Alice encouraged herself to search for a job in the field she loved.

With the new sewing machines Alice will achieve her dream of getting her independence by working from home, this support from the donors will make a positive impact on the family's life. 

Wahid a father of three children who had been working for 40 years in industrial electricity, winding motors, control panels, cooling and air conditioning for laboratories.

Before the war, He worked in a rented workshop in Al Sheikh Maqsoud area, fully equipped with tools that unfortunately, were stolen during the war. In 2013, a mortar shell fell next to their house and because of this incident the whole family moved to Al-Kimah Village with the help of their relatives to settle there.

He is currently working in Homs and Tartous. But he needs a new kit because his kit is old and the limited tools deprived Wahid of many good work opportunities.

This project is really important for him for the sake of establishing stability in the city of Aleppo and to be able to afford submitting his children in schools because it has become very expensive. Thanks to the micro project he returned to work again, hoping to gain new customers and increase his income.

Krikor is a 41 years old man from Aleppo. He never wanted to leave Syria, he thought the war would not take too long, but then his family decided to leave the country and stayed in Lebanon for ten years trying to travel to Canada.

They had a car furniture upholstery workshop in Al-Ramouseh, but when the war in Syria destroyed Krikor's workshop, he and his family decided to sell it because they did not have enough money to restore it after being so damaged.

Losing all their resources of income while searching for safety was the hardest part for this family, with the help of his relative who offered a workshop to work in for free, Krikor and his father were able to buy a small machine for their work, given that Krikor originally learned the business from his father 25 years ago.

He needs to buy two car upholstery machines, and he is also trying to get his old customers back. He applied to the Micro Projects Program, asking for a supporting hand, hoping that this new project will allow him to build a promising business. 

Michael’s father was kidnapped by the armed groups for 21 days, during which he was wounded in the eye and became blind.

This young man,37 years old, newly married, worked on sewing machines, from 2001, making chair covers for more than four years, then moved to Sheikh-Maksoud and worked with his brother until the war came around when all his sewing machines were stolen, there was nothing left for him, and he had no work for about a year.

He is currently working in a workshop, sewing curtains for cars and recently moved to a rented house and now he has some customers to begin his own project.

Unfortunately, the unstable prices were a real obstacle in his way. He is still striving to work and secure his own expenses so that he doesn’t need anyone’s help.

Michael is very enthusiastic and self-confident, he wants independence and better income. Now he has a well-equipped workshop, he’s ready to use his experience and passion to maintain a thriving business. 

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

After returning he tried to work on a lathing machine then he began to work intermittently as a painter.

Youssef spent most of his savings due to the high cost of livelihood. His older brother works on a lathing machine, and he is the only one responsible for the household expenses.

His father does not work, but he has a shop in Bustan al-Basha that needs renovation; he was shot in the back by a sniper at the beginning of the crisis and could no longer work because of the chronic injury, so he began to rely on his children in terms of income.

When he heard about the Micro Projects Program, Youssef found a glimmer of hope, and after having his own taxi, Youssef is now working hard to improve his income and secure a decent living.

“We left our home dreaming of getting to Canada, where I was told that I would find a job to be able to take care of my family, but then we went back to Aleppo because we couldn't adapt.” Joseph told us his story when he took his family to flee from the shells that fell on their home, in search of safety.

During war the family house was hit by heavy shelling in Al-Suleimanie incident, which led to the wife's mental illness. so they moved to live in Tartous for two years, and then returned to Aleppo again.

Joseph old workshop for cars electrical maintenance was located in a dangerous area, that's why he decided to sell it before traveling to Canada. Upon his return, he tried to work with some simple tools that he was able to buy in his rented workshop.

Adding a lathing machine will increase his income and today, Joseph is trying to overcome his loss with a little help and a big hope.

Bassem 51 years old lives with his wife and daughter in a rented house in Aleppo, after they have lost all their property in the village of Al-Jdayda at the beginning of the war. 

Before the war, he had a large agricultural land he relied on as a main source of income in addition to his work as a policeman. 

When the fighting reached the village, Bassem fled with his family to their relatives' house in Aleppo.

He started a new life in a new city to provide his family with their daily needs and to help his children finish their studies, especially after they suffered a lot from fear and anxiety, but it was not easy at all where they did not have any friends, and they were also subjected to internal displacement several times due to the many bombings.

After the end of the armed conflict in Aleppo, Bassem decided to retire from his work as a policeman and wait until things calm down in the village, but unfortunately, he had no idea about what happened to his lands and his house in there. He decided to take new job to improve the family's income, especially in light of the difficult conditions the city was going through, so he learnt how to mold rubber from his friend and worked together for five years.

Today after Bassem gained a lot of experience, he decided to open his own workshop and thanks to the donors, he has an independent business with good returns to face daily life, waiting for a better tomorrow, hoping to return someday to his beloved village.

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.