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.   

In Syria, the war changed the life of people in many different ways, millions were either displaced or have lost a loved one or sometimes a property, but what’s definite is that all Syrians were financially affected somehow. Many were forced to change their careers or start from scratch after losing everything, others like Antoine started working additional jobs only to survive the hard times. That’s actually how Antoine Kassis became a part-time taxi driver…

The 45-years-old Antoine is a father of two; Elias (14 years old) and Jean (6 years old). Since 1990, Antoine works as an employee in a car-parts retail shop in order to take care of his small family. The economic crisis started to suffocate Syrians specially the middle class, and his long experience in his job was not enough anymore to bring income for a family of four. 

For so long Antoine was worried about the family’s financial status, but not much he could do, with the lack of resources and his disability of having one arm, not every job suited Antoine; when he used to work on a machine to dye the clothes and his hand got stuck in it and they had to amputate it. This accident left its permanent impact on his life forever and made his working choices very limited.

But in 2016, when the financial situation became so bad Antoine’s brother helped him to buy a taxi car in order to work and have an additional income. It was a severely needed help, he couldn’t be more grateful for this generous gesture, but after couple of years the car was getting old and technical issues were turning up almost every other day. 

The maintenance costs of the taxi are becoming a heavy burden, rather than a supportive income. Antoine wants to replace his old car with a newer one to cut the huge repairing costs he is spending now without a profit in return, but the harsh circumstances of life are a huge obstacle in his way. With your help Antoine will be able to have a good taxi which will definitely reflect on his life positively, and that will guarantee a stable income for many years to come.

A long time ago Mousa was a goldsmith, he worked abroad in the gulf for many years then he came Back to Syria to live a peaceful and content life with his family after all the hard work, and since he was originally from Al-Yakoubieh village, his income was primarily coming from the lands he has there and from its harvests. Life was going good before the Syrian war interrupted their peace of mind and safety…

Mousa and his wife Nelly with their two daughters; Elena (25 years old) and Carla (20 years old) live in AL-Suleymanieh area. When war started, it changed the life of many people including Mousa’s life. Soon Al-Yakoubieh became under the armed groups control, lands were confiscated, and anyone who thinks about going there or claiming their land was threatened to be killed. This was devastating for Mousa and his family, it was their hometown, their life and their main source of income.

After this incident, Mousa didn’t know anything about his properties there, and after a while he started looking for a job, but his age wouldn’t allow him to work in many fields that require physical effort.

When a friend of his, who owns a mini van offered Mousa to work on the mini van as a transportation vehicle, Mousa agreed. It was exactly what he needed to fill his day schedule and make an income, even if it was not that much. 

With the escalation of the economic crisis Mousa’s job became inefficient; the long hours of driving do not garner enough money to split between the car owner and Mousa, and he found himself in need of any help he can get in order to secure a decent life for his family. When he heard about the Micro Project Program, Mousa applied hoping of owning his own car which will make a huge difference in his life. It will give him the opportunity to work in the domain he has an experience in, and increase his income during this economic crisis that seems to be an ongoing situation for many years now.

Mousa has the faith that someday he will be able to see his home and land in the village that he loves, the hope that this taxi will give him to continue and push forward in his life.     

When Abdullah's car broke down due to a technical failure (back in 2014), it was parked near the Red Crescent hospital in Aleppo city, the last thing he expected was that he would wake up the next day to find nothing!

The war has already overwhelmed the 43 years old Abdudllah, the father of two boys; Shaker (11 years old) and (Karam 10 years old) that solely provides for his family, he had already borrowed money from a relative to buy the car and use it as a taxi, So when it was stolen, he was devastated about how to repay his debt and provide for his family.. Lucky for Abdullah, his relative was a kind person and he understood the difficult situation.

Abdullah and his wife Sonia and their children lived in his mother-in-law’s house in Al-Jabrieh street, which meant all five people were living off Abdulla’s job, thus losing that job was catastrophic for the family. The church did not abandon them, on the contrary, they helped the family with food baskets and also with the children’s school tuitions. In 2017, Abdullah joined a church program as a part-time worker with a salary to live from.

At the same time Abdullah worked with a friend on a taxi after finishing his morning hours at the church center, he needed to work two jobs and make as much income possible for his big family. This was the only way to survive such hard circumstances. But the car owner taking most of the profits didn’t leave much for him. 

Helping Abdullah by securing his own taxi will have a huge impact on the quality of life he and his family live. It will give them the financial stability they lack.

Toni used to work with his father at their spices shop for 20 years, this shop was very popular in the area and many clients used to visit them from all over the city, he was living happily with his wife and their three beautiful daughters at their home in Homs. When the cruel war began, his family was forced to flee to a village called “Rabah” where he started from Zero and as the sole provider for his family, he worked in many professions in order to support them like wall painting, floor tiling, and even in the farming field. He suffered a lot to provide a dignified life for them.

In 2019, Toni and his family were eventually able to get back to their old life in Homs and he reopened his father’s shop with very simple capabilities, unfortunately, that was not enough to enter the market strongly. Helping him to strengthen his business and to stand on his feet again revived his hope after all the difficulties he went through, and now the shop is back the way it was before the war.

"A very busy and filled with noisy machines workshop, has suddenly turned into a quiet and empty place"

In 1980, this workshop was opened by Nasser, who is a tailor and the sole breadwinner for his family of four, he was well-known for his wide experience in this profession and for providing many services like sewing and fashion designs.

the workshop used to be a source of livelihood for another two families as he hired employees to help him, he prepared his workplace and equipped it throughout his long career, and he used to have an electric generator which was used for 15 years until it became very old and completely consumed, later it became a necessity to have a generator due to the frequent blackouts that forced him to close the workshop and stop working. 

Nasser needs to have a new electric generator, then his production wheel will spin again and that will of course save his business during the grave economic crisis.

This family’s tragedy started when they were displaced from their village (Om-Sharshouh) leaving behind their whole life. Osama who is the only provider for his family of five and his parents had a restaurant in his village which later was completely destroyed with the start of the war. 

Since he moved to the city of Homs, he searched for a source of livelihood to provide for his family and tried working in many professions like wall painting, cars repairing and floor tiling but unfortunately, a health condition forced him to stop every time. He thought of opening a mini-market and dairy shop because he noticed that these food commodities are highly demanded and people in his neighborhood have to buy them from another area, the only problem that prevented him from implementing his project was his limited financial resources. 

Supporting Osama to open his own shop will help him in providing a decent income for his big family, and at the same time will give them the chance to have a new beginning.

Alber loved blacksmithing a lot until he mastered this skill because this profession was his passion, he started working in his workshop in Al-Bayada neighborhood since a very young age.

He was living with his wife Nariman, his son Yousef and his little daughter Angel a peaceful life in their house in Hamidia, when the war started they fled to a village near Homs in 2011. During this period Alber was in a car accident that caused him a serious injury in his leg and it took him 3 years to recover.

After this difficult period and when things started to get better in Homs, Alber and his family came back home. Unfortunately, his workshop was completely destroyed and he lost all the machinery he had, as the sole provider for his family, he started working using simple equipment but that required a lot of time and effort from him, sometimes he was unable to provide many services because he didn’t have the needed machines.

Providing him with the essential machines and equipment for his project will increase his production and his profits, this is the first step towards achieving his life dream of establishing an iron furniture showroom in the future.

Her will to live was stronger than all the pain she went through, giving the greatest sacrifice by choosing to keep her baby instead of taking the cure as a pregnant woman, her name is Nisreen and she is a mother of two; Jessica and George. She was diagnosed with breast cancer while carrying her baby. Taking the treatment was harmful to him so she refused it, and completed her pregnancy with a lot of courage and patience. 

After her baby’s birth, she went through long-term treatment until she beated the cancer and got her life back to normal. Her treatment was not only emotionally draining but also financially, a heavy burden on her husband’s shoulder who works as an employee for the Electricity Company with a very low income. Before her illness, Nisreen used to work in a second-hand clothes shop where she gained good sales experience. 

Today, Nisreen wants to help her husband in providing for their children by opening a coffee shop. Supporting her to start this project will give be a good chance to get the new start she needs to overcome all the bad times and forget the past.

Amal found herself the only responsible for her four children after her husband’s death; as a young single mother, she didn’t give up and did her best to ensure her children a dignified life. she took a loan and opened a cotton clothes shop in her village (Al-Qusayr) where this family used to live before the war. 

Amal raised her children on her own, their education was her highest priority, later they grew up and started working too. the family finally had some peace, until the cruel war reached their village and forced them to leave after losing everything they have. they moved to the city of Homs and stayed in a rented apartment, Amal’s son who was newly married became responsible of providing for two families.

Hearing about the Micro Projects gave Amal a hope that she could have the chance to provide for her daughters again, and to alleviate her son’s burdens. Supporting her to open a new shop helped her to overcome the hardships she went through, and also to be a productive individual like she has always wished.

Nadia gained wide experience in the beauty field throughout the years and attended a lot of courses in different countries like France and Lebanon until she herself became a trainer, then she delivered her experience to many other girls in her country. the single woman lives with her mother and she is her sole support. When the war started in 2011, she was deprived of doing what she really loves, which had a great impact on her as she is not used to sit around without a job and depend on others. 

The Micro Projects Program was a great chance that encouraged her to apply for a nail care kit so she can work again after a long unemployment, and this project was exactly the psychological and emotional support she needed. 

Now Nadia is back to work again, with her great reputation and skills, she is welcoming clients at her house where she could look after her mother at the same time, by doing so she will be able to achieve some financial independence.

“Each person has dreams of having his own business project, but for me, my dream project became a necessity of living to provide for my son and ensure him a dignified life.”

Juliana is the sole provider for her son, who became her only family after she split-up with her husband, and now they’re living at her parents’ house. 

Since she was young, she enjoyed working in the domain of beauty as a hobby, but later she mastered working in this field after attending many courses about makeup,nail care and tattoos. Opening a beauty salon is a need more than a dream for Juliana during the tough circumstances she’s going through, but she couldn’t afford to start her project due to her weak financial situation, and worked between clients’ houses.

Helping her to open her own salon will revive her self-confidence as a productive woman, by doing what she is passionate about and secure her and her little son a better livelihood.

When the war started in Homs, Amin did his best to keep his two sons safe, and the only way for that was helping them to travel abroad where they could start a new life away from war dangers, this decision was very hard on him as a father to watch his children leave and be away from him. Amin worked in air conditioning and electrical devices maintenance since 1982, he made a great reputation throughout his long career. Although the income he used to make from this job was good, but in the last few years his business was heavily affected by the economic crisis and he could no longer purchase new tools and materials, especially that he spent everything he had to cover his sons’ travel costs.

Today, Amin lives with his wife and his only daughter and he is the sole provider for them. Supporting him with new equipment and tools will definitely make a positive effect on his business and will help him to stand on his feet again. 

Shukri is a retired school teacher who lives with his wife Mouna and his twin sons; Rabih and Rami (13 years). After retirement he couldn’t stay without a job during the hard economic circumstances, so he thought of opening his small shop especially that it is located in Wadi Al-Sayeh (a neighborhood near Al-Hamidia), as a neighborhood newly emerged from war, Shukri took the advantage of having the only mini-market in the area where life was coming back.

Just like all the other shops during the economic crisis, his shop was heavily affected and it became almost empty. Providing his small shop with support for more goods and food commodities, will help him in getting a sufficient income and that surely will give him the hope of ensuring a better livelihood for his family.

Imad worked in selling clothes for six years and everything was going well for him, until the devastating war started and destroyed his shop completely. Being the sole provider for his wife and three children, he had no other choice but to use his car in goods distribution, without knowing that this job will become his new source of livelihood for a long time.

When COVID-19 began to spread, he noticed that the local market requires more sanitizers and cleaning products so he communicated with a specialized company that gave him an exclusive agency to distribute its products in the city of Homs, he found this job profitable for the first few months but unfortunately, the economic crisis came later and affected his business very badly.

Imad needs to improve his work by buying bigger amounts of goods which will help him to increase his sales rate and provide a better income. Supporting Imad gave him the chance to enter the market strongly and this way he will be able to cover all of his clients’ needs and guarantee the continuity of work.