Ani Kelejian is an independent, hardworking woman who used to work for long hours in a sewing workshop to earn an income and have a decent life after her parents passed away when she was still young. Unfortunately, by getting older the exhausting working hours were starting to be more difficult, so she started to work in a sewing workshop that makes uniforms. 

Ani takes care of her sister khanem who was also a seamstress, but since she had health problems, she quit her job because it got very tiring. Her brother George also became unemployed when his boss closed his workshop and decided to leave the country, which makes Ani the only one working and providing for the three of them.

In 2012, Ani, her sister and brother were displaced from their home in Al-Midan for four years; since the area there was extremely dangerous, Khanem became very depressed and suffered from anxiety; she wanted to get back to their home, after a while they moved back but the livelihood costs put a heavy burden on the family.

This support will make a big difference in Ani’s life, purchasing the sewing machines will also improve the work and quality of the pieces she makes. 

In the field of manufacturing agricultural trucks parts, Ameen Maghamez faces many hardships such as the rapid change in the market’s needs, the difference which occurred in the material used and wanted by customers, all of this reflected on Ameen’s business because his existing molds became useless. The problem is that without these molds, Ameen can’t produce the parts to complete his work in order to sell them to customers when the season approaches.

The molds are the main factor in this work, nowadays they cost a lot and because of the harsh livelihood conditions Ameen is unable to replace them and update his equipment to make a progress and achieve high quality production although this field of work is very profitable.

With the funding Ameen will get the molds he needs to re-enter the market strongly and confidently to turn the business wheel again.   

Vera suffered like all Syrians during the war, she used to work with a local designer but their workplace was hit by a shell, consequently the designer left the country, he hoped she would come along because of her great work quality but she stayed here and started working from home to provide for her family and take care of her son and husband.

Vera and her husband Antranik and son Hosep were displaced from their home in Al-Midan after it was damaged completely to a safer but smaller house given to them by one of their relatives. It was very difficult time for Vera’s family since her husband was shot in the leg by a sniper in Bustan Albasha where his shop was, and after many painful surgeries he still suffers till this day. Vera’s son also was discharged from the army service after a medical mistake left him unable to walk or talk properly, the 43-years-old Hosep cannot work due to his medical situation, which makes Vera the only provider of her family. Vera is now looking for support to purchase sewing machines as the machine she works on now is very outdated and started to affect the work greatly, the new machines will be put in the same room where the son sleeps because the house is very small. The determination and will of this woman are truly overwhelming in the most positive way despite all the hardships she faces daily.

Since he finished high school, Antoine became responsible of providing for his family, which affected his ability to continue his university education in the faculty of economics. First, he worked in a cinema and with a second job as a tutor, then in 2017 he took an opportunity of working in an import and export company located in Tartous city, but being a tenant there increased his expenses and that didn’t work for him well. That’s why a year later Antoine decided to come back to Aleppo to cut those expenses. Today Antoine works part time with the JRS to provide for his parents since they don’t have any income (his father has poliomyelitis and his ability to work or move is decreasing more with age). 

Having to carry the burden of financially supporting his family from an early age did not discourage him at all, on the contrary it made him work harder and search for business ideas that are convenient for him, since he is a university student. For this particular reason Antoine liked the idea of ice making machines; it is seasonal for one thing, so he can freely work during his summer vacation, it is also profitable and can bring him a good income to live off the whole year. Due to his economic studies and the business course he took with the Blue Maristes, Antoine prepared a thorough feasibility study taking into consideration all the pros and cons of this project, all is left now is to launch his project as Summer has just arrived and the season started!

Krikor left school in an early age and started learning the family business in his father’s workshop for tires’ installation and maintenance. It was there where he learnt and gained experience for many years until a tragic accident hit his father in 2010 and soon after that passed away due to the side effects. When the father died, Krikor became financially responsible of his mother Mary, sister Talar and his little brother Kevork, but he became without a workshop since his father’s business was shared with other partners. At that point war has started and Krikor’s best option was to go to Lebanon seeking safety and a job opportunity. In 2018, Krikor returned back to Aleppo and now is an employee in a battery selling shop, a job that neither pays him enough nor gives him hope of progress. But Krikor had a hope of his own when he applied for his project as an attempt to go back to his father’s profession and establish his own business for a better future.   

The war was the only thing separating Samir from the profession that he loved a lot, it was not only depressing for him not to be able to practice his job, but also going through many financial troubles due to being jobless for that long, specially that his daughter Jeanette’s husband was called for military service and she and her two children became homeless and came to live with her father. 

During that time, Abdallah, Samir’s 32-years-old son was the only one with an income in the house (he was working as a hairdresser). In 2016, when Al-Midan became safe by the end of conflict, Samir reopened his workshop and his son joined him in the family business. But the first obstacle they faced was that their equipment was too old and worn-off. 

Since their financial resources were drained during the prolonged war, Samir was not able to replace them with newer versions by himself. With this support he can restore his business and be able to take a good care of his family and his two adorable granddaughters.

During the war Jamil’s workplace in Al-Ramouseh was confiscated and his machinery and tools were all stolen. Another two workshops owned by his father were severely damaged, thus the family lost their livelihood for more than three years. When Aleppo city became relatively safer, Jamil and his father rented a workplace together and resumed their job in manufacturing convertible cabins for trucks but this kind of work needs an open and large space which the current workshop lacks, not to mention the high renting costs Jamil has to pay to the owner of the place every month, which is a big financial burden on their shoulders.

Jamil also takes care of his mother-in-law who lives with him and his wife Anna in Al-Serian Al-Jadide neighborhood as the only provider in the house.

Although Jamil has the determination to improve and develop his business, but he can’t do much on his own. His workshop in Al-Ramouseh needed a lot of rehabilitation and there is no electricity in the area so he has to get a generator. In addition to the equipment that he needs to purchase to continue with his job, that’s why he need the help and support to take this big step in reviving his business and maintaining a decent income for his family. 

George Dayekh is a 51-years-old owner of a metal lathing workshop, since this father of two (Gabriel and Naya) was the sole provider for his family, he had a heavy burden to carry on his shoulders. The family lives in Al-Serian, a neighborhood that was considered dangerous in Aleppo city, exposed to all kinds of shell attacks. But George had other challenges besides the lack of safety. Soon after the war started, George discovered a lump in his back, he was worried, further diagnostics were even more worrying. When his back condition started affecting his job, George had no choice but to sell his workshop tools and equipment, and put his workplace in Al-Midan on rent so he can live-off the money and head to Damascus for the treatment process. 

George had to go through a risky tumor eradication procedure to remove the tumor located near the spinal cord. Although the surgery was successful, but it took George many years to regain his strength and health and be able to work again. The problem is that George has sold all his machines and equipment to pay for his surgery and medical costs.

Now in the midst of this economic crisis, he is not able to repurchase even a part of the machinery needed after their prices were tripled. It is why George is seeking help to re-open his workshop, his workshop is empty now, the only thing remaining is to find the financial support to purchase the machinery for the workshop and George can resume his long-postponed career.

Johnny Marta is an enthusiastic young man, all ever since he was in his early twenties, he started working in car repairing and maintenance and he got skillful in this job.

Johnny lives with his parents in addition to his brother Rami who got called for the military service during the war in a very dangerous city: Daraa, he got injured four times and his life is always threatened. The mother and father are of old age so they need constant care especially that they suffer from several health conditions, thus Johnny is the one who is looking after them and he has big responsibility to provide for the house.

During war, the family house was hit by a shell which caused the ceiling of the living room to fall off while his parents were in the house, it was very frightening for them to go through such experience and it will not be forgotten easily, the mother is always concerned about her children and their future.

Also, the workshop where Johnny used to work was robbed and the equipment that were left there were gone. It was too dangerous to even go there to check on things and try to get the equipment out, in that period the people going there were getting kidnapped. After things got better in Bustan Albasha area in 2016, Johnny returned there and he started working again but unfortunately, people now are afraid to leave their cars at the workshops especially in the farther areas while it gets repaired for few days.

The harsh livelihood situation obliged Johnny to look for another income source to provide for his family, he has been working for couple of months on a taxi for his friend and he found it profitable, he needs this support to have a taxi and improve his living situation especially that he is engaged to be married.

Rezk Rezk is from a village near Idleb called Al-Jdaideh. It was his hometown and the place where he spent his life in until in 2012, he was forced to flee the town under threats from the armed groups who took control of the village with the start of the war.

The 41 years old Rezk took his wife Julia and children Simon (14 years old), Emily (12 years old) and Michael (11 years old) and went to Latakia after losing their house, farming land and his supermarket. Rezk didn’t leave alone, his parents and in-laws also became displaced due to war. The three families headed to latakia and at the beginning he stayed with his parent in a rented apartment to decrease the costs for a while before renting his own house. The five years were extremely hard on Rezk. He worked in a supermarket, in retail shops and as a driver.

When in 2018, one of Rezk’s cousins decided to open a clothing workshop in Aleppo city, he offered Rezk a driver job in that workshop knowing that he was in need, he took his family and settled back in Aleppo in a rented apartment in Al-Midan neighborhood. Since then, Rezk has been battling the hardships of life alone, since he is the sole provider for his family of five and his modest salary is not enough anymore considering the economic crisis and its implications on everyday life. 

And since driving has been one of the things Rezk worked in before, he applied for the Micro Project Program hoping that he will be able to purchase a taxi car provide a better income for his family. 

Having a taxi of his own will impact Rezk’s life immensely, it will be a glimpse of hope for the family that once lost everything.