Khalil 47 years old, lives with his old parents and two brothers. the youngest one has a disability and his parents have a lot of health issues due to their old age.Therefore, Khalil and his big brother are the main providers for the family; they have been working on Pickup-trucks since 2009. but life wasn't easy for them, last year, Khalil's vehicle was stolen in front of his house during the night and he lost his main source of income.

Khalil didn't surrender, his brother shared his vehicle and they took turns in shifts each with their acquaintances.

During the war, their home was damaged as a result of a shell falling on the building next to them. The financial situation of the family is very weak, especially after their house was damaged, his mini pick-up truck was stolen, and everything they owned was sold to cover livelihood costs.

The mini pickup truck will secure a good income especially with all the work opportunities he will get from his many acquaintances and this project will allow him to secure a decent life for his family, hoping to overcome all past hardships.

Sarkis,20 years old, was born to a modest family consists of four people, his parents work in the same school, his father is a bus driver, his mother is a cleaner and his sister woks and studies at the same time.

“My parents did their best, but they never encouraged me to continue my education”, Sarkis decided to quit school and learn hair styling to gain enough experience and become a well-known barber.

He worked in a barbershop since 2014, but due to the travel of the employer, the shop was closed, then he worked in many other barbershops to provide a better income for his family.

During the war, Sarkis was displaced with his family several times to rented houses after shells fell near them and their home was damaged.

"My parents were very worried about the future, especially under these hard circumstances and now, because of Micro-Projects I was able to purchase all the necessary equipment for my new barbershop and be able to open my own business”.

The will to survive cannot be stopped, no matter how difficult the circumstances are"

With this sentence, Mr. Shukri opened his speech, defying all difficulties and struggling in the face of the daily life. 

Shukri did not complete his studies, but had to leave the school early when he was just 12 years old to help his family to provide the income; he worked for one of the best mechanics in the area and learned to disassemble and assemble the car engine on his own without any help.

In 2004, he opened his own workshop in Bustan Al-Basha area, he was just 30 years old at that time, and became famous in the area, as he reached a stage where he had more than 150 types of car engines, which he repairs and sells at the same time.

But the war knows no mercy, as with the entrance of armed groups into his area, they robbed the shop, including the tools and materials it contained, and Shukri became without work, in the hope that the war in the city would end. 

During that period, he was forced to sell his car, for the sake of his family's livelihood, especially since he adopted the daughter of his relative, whose family was martyred as a result of the war, which increased his responsibilities.

He did not give up but returned forcefully to search for a new job and worked in a shop for 10 years, until the employer sold the shop and traveled abroad.

Now after being funded by the Hope Center, Shukri returned to work, but this time in his own shop to support his family.

Life takes a heavy toll during war times. people start to lose hope.

Hagob is 57 years old and lives with his wife in their modest house. He has been working in satellite dish repair for 25 years. He had a kit but in the war, his house was damaged by a shell, and all the furniture was stolen, including his tools that he used to use for work.

Although he was able to repair his house, he could not make up for the loss of the tool which was his source of livelihood. Currently, he is borrowing equipment from his friends, but he wants his own equipment to be independent in his business. His wife works as a goldsmith in her cousin's gold workshop to help her husband.

Hagob was funded with the necessary tools to start his work, in the hope that his project would develop and become able to obtain a greater income that would provide him with a decent life.

"Due to the displacement, the illness of my son, and the loss of all my savings and my home in Raqqa, I am no longer able to bear these difficult living conditions all by myself." Kamel said.

Kamel is 61 years old man, worked in several fields, such as blacksmith for a period of time when he was in Raqqa, a valet parking for about 3 years in Lebanon, and when he settled in Aleppo, he resorted to the state function and worked there for 20 years, then retired and no longer had a job to support his family.

His 23-year-old son, Majd, was suffering from a spinal problem. He left his university after the third year of mechanic engineering when he underwent an operation because of the pain he suffered, and he could no longer stay standing for a long time; he then changed his university to a trade and economy university because it does not require a lot attendance.

Unfortunately, all of the family's savings were spent on treatment costs. Kamel had a blacksmith shop in Raqqa but he had to sell it. He is now dependent on his second son, who is studying abroad, in order to pay the rent for the house.

This project will change his life because it will reduce the burden of expenses on his son, and will finally be able to secure a sustainable income by working on the taxi.

The biggest loss for me was being forced to leave my workshop and sell all the machines I had. With these words, Vahe described his loss during the war.

Vahe is 47 years old, lives alone after his mother passed away 7 years ago, and the effects of war and shrapnel are still in his house until now.

He used to work in his own workshop before the war, and he had all the necessary sewing machines. After that, he sold them to secure his needs. He first started working on sewing machines in 1987 and worked for a long period of time in Lebanon.

Due to the current situation and the lack of demand in distributing clothes between workshops, Vahe took a job with his neighbor in the shop, helping him repair the clothes with a low salary.

Vahe will not give up despite all the tough circumstances, with the help of the micro initiative he will resume his work on the new machines with hope of regaining his business and securing better life.

Khajadour, 55 years old, lives with his wife and two sons, and tries hard to secure a decent life for them. since he was young, he suffered from the harshness of life, as he left school early and started to work in a lathing workshop, where he learned this profession.

when he was just 22 years old. He was able to open his own shop and became very famous and developed himself through several professional courses within the country and even abroad in Italy and obtained international certificates.

But the war was difficult on his family; his shop was completely robbed with all the equipment, so he remained for a short period without work until he volunteered in the church committees, and he was one of the people who helped the displaced families and provided them with support and assistance. 

He suffered a lot of material and emotional losses, but his greatest loss was when a shell landed on his house, which led to the injury of his pregnant wife, and consequently to a miscarriage. After the end of the hostilities, the church helped him restore his shop and bought him a small machine. He returned and opened his shop and set out to work again with great hope to improve their living situation. 

Today, thanks to the donors, Khajadour was able to buy a large machine for his shop and provide him and his family with more work to increase his income and secure a better future for his children.

In this fast-moving age, with the development of education and modern technologies, people strive to secure jobs after graduating from colleges and universities. Despite their efforts, many young adults in different parts of the world have a frustrating experience of finding a long-term job.

Shagik Kevork, 24 years old, is a recent graduate of the Faculty of Dentistry, coming from a family with a small income consisting of four people. She graduated in 2022 and worked in laboratories and clinics to increase her experience and enrich the training she followed during her studies.

Her father had previously worked as a blacksmith for agricultural machinery at the area of ​​Marea in his rented workshop during the war period. He lost his work there and the family's dependence became on the mother salary.

Shaghik's mother was fully prepared to sell the house and buy the equipment she needed to fulfill her daughter's dream. Her financial obligations and the high cost of living prevented her from opening her own clinic, so she started working within the clinics to gain a good reputation and increase her experience.

Now, after she has been funded by the micro program, the lovely family no longer has to sell the house, in addition, Shaghik can finally fulfill the dream that she long waited to achieve and secure a source of income for her family.

Abdul Masih Shammo 72 years old, is from a simple family of three; they are originally from  Al-Hasaka City in northeast Syria.

He works as a blacksmith specializing in manufacturing all kinds of agricultural vehicle's accessories, such as harvesters, water tanks, and trucks, he learned this profession when he was only 20 years old.

In 1995 he moved from Al-Hasaka toward Homs city looking to start his own project in a new city, he worked there for 6 years but unfortunately, the job didn’t reach his expectations so, he decided to move again but this time to Aleppo which is considered the major industrial city in Syria. 

In Aleppo, he rented a shop in the Bustan al-Basha area and launched his work there until the war started in 2011, the armed groups took over the area and all his equipment was stolen... he lost everything he had.

His loss was huge, but he didn’t surrender and he insisted to continue, so he rented a small shop in Deir Hafer village next to Aleppo to sell agricultural equipment and reentered the labor market again, but the spread of the Corona virus made him suffer a lot, his works stopped again and he was fell ill so he had to spend all of his savings for treatment. After he recovered, he went to his shop and found out that it had been completely robbed.

once again his determination pushed him to reopen his workshop through the support provided by the donors, and thanks to this initiative, Abdul Masih will now return to work to provide a better future for his family.

In 1992, Bashar started learning on the sewing machines from his uncle and practiced this profession with his brother. Then, they decided to open their own workshop, but unfortunately because of their father's death, they closed it.

During the war Bashar had to move to Mashta-Al Helou for more than four years. but there was only few sewing projects there, so he worked in restaurants to meet the needs of the family, and then returned to Aleppo after the end of the fighting in the city.

Currently, Bashar is still working in the sewing domain, but he doesn’t have a workshop; he works between his brother's workshop and that of his relatives, trying to secure a good income, especially since his mother is sick and he looks after her.

Bashar is still working despite not having a workshop or sewing machines of his own, in addition he was able to keep his customers. All he wants is to have the necessary requirements for his project, to work in the field of cotton, and he will be able to achieve a successful business.

Today Bashar rented a workshop and through the Micro-Projects he was able to purchase all the necessary machines for his project. hopefully life will turn around for him and better days are coming on his way.

Without hard work, there is no success in life.

Finding and getting a job can be a challenging process. It is something very important to everyone and, unfortunately, most young men do not have jobs these days.

After spending several years exploring the job market; Youssef worked in several fields (cleaning dishes in a restaurant, sanitary installations, a sewing workshop, etc...) trying to find his career path.

the 21 years old, lives with his parents and his sister, with modest means of life the family face the high cost of living and difficult living conditions, especially after his sister suffered from a pituitary mass.

This hard-working young man didn’t depend on his father for income, but he tried to work two jobs at the same time to help him, but his mother did not work and his sister, after recovering, continued her studies. His last job was as a hairdresser. Through his work in a salon in 2020, he learned about this profession.

Due to the lack of returns to face these difficult economic conditions, Youssef wanted to increase his income by working in the customer’s houses, since he had acquaintances and his own equipment, and maybe in the future, he would be able to open his own salon.

Youssef was blessed to have the support of Hope Center by getting all the necessary equipment to be able to help his father and his family.

Being old does not mean being unwilling to work, the 76-year-old Anissa does not know the meaning of giving up, laziness, and sitting at home without work, she does all her hard work by herself and supervises people who work with her personally and follows up on the smallest details continuously.

Anisa has been working in the field of wedding decorations for more than 22 years, today she is considered the best and almost the only one in the city. She is distinguished by her good reputation, quality of work, excellent dealing with customers, honesty, and integrity. 

This unique profession is very profitable especially in the wedding season during the summers, in particular after Anissa has gained a great reputation and she has many customers, but at the same time, the costs of this profession are very high, as the profits are divided among several people between transportation and assistant costs, in addition to the costs of cleaning and repairing, as she suffered from major and continuous breakdowns of her washing machine until the engine broke down and could not be replaced due to the lack of spare parts for the 40 years old machine.

Today, thanks to the funding from the donors, Anissa bought a new washing machine and a sewing machine that save her time, electricity, and effort.

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.