Nidal’s military service lasted nearly nine years, then after being discharged from military, he faced the harshness of life as well as the vague future.

Immediately after his service, he worked in his brother’s sewing workshop, but being new in this domain made his journey harder.

All of Nidal’s family members work in their own specialization, which motivates him to have his own business and to care of his family’s livelihood expenses.

The opportunity of having his own taxi planted a seed of hope in his soul, he applied and got accepted which made him extremely happy.

After the long years of sacrifice he made, Nidal now is thankful for the chance that he got from Hope Center, which made him the boss of himself, and the idea of ensuring a better income for him and his family made him more confident than ever. 

Melkon started working when he was in his early twenties with plans in his head to create a secure future for him and his mother.

From a young age he worked in two different domains to learn more skills and gain experience; his first job was in a mechanic workshop and in a short notice he started working on a lathing machine to increase his income, by time he became gifted in both jobs.

When the war hit the city of Aleppo, Melkon thought about a plan to save his career and he decided on traveling, in 2011 he left Syria looking for a better opportunities to make money and help his family.

Melkon worked in Lebanon nearly 11 years in both of the domains, in 2022 he decided to come back, start a family and settle in Aleppo now, he is a newly-married young man and they live together with his mother hoping that someday they will be able to buy their own house.

Supporting Melkon with the important equipment will have a positive effect on his work and he’ll be able to create a secure future for his child and provide his family’s needs and livelihood expenses.

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

After that he thought of working in the aluminum manufacturing domain, but the lack of experience and costumers together with his financial circumstances weren’t encouraging for him.

Fredy is a newly married man and they are blessed with a daughter, but due to the economic crises they are living with his wife’s family. He is currently spending from his savings plus he is the only one responsible for all of his family’s expenses.

Fredy is aiming to work and be able to move out to their own apartment, provide a happy and secure future for his family.

After he heard about Hope Center, he was grateful for the opportunity to start working independently on his taxi and improve his income. 

Not everyone has the opportunity to determine their own lifestyle, some are forced since birth to deal with a hardship and spend a lifetime just trying to overcome it, such as Naji Gerious; who was born with a benign Tumor on the face, ever since that day his struggling journey began to live and look normal like any other person.

After graduating from the computer institute, Naji learned the shoemaking profession and for seven years he worked as a cobbler in a workshop while at the same period, he had to go through three difficult surgeries which unfortunately weren't successful. But he wasn’t discouraged and kept searching for a solution to his situation until he got the chance of paid medical treatment in Germany; in 1998, Naji traveled there and spent a long treatment journey of twelve years, during which he went through nine critical surgeries, but in the end, it was worth all the pain and Naji recovered. 

Naji returned to Syria in 2010 full of faith and enthusiasm, ready to start a new chapter of his life. His brother helped him to open his own shoemaking workshop and Naji finally began to achieve his dream which sadly didn’t last for long; as with the beginning of the war in Syria, this profession was no longer profitable and Naji's financial situation dropped down quickly forcing him to sell his equipment in order to afford his living expenses.

Supporting Naji with the needed equipment in addition to the important tools and materials will allow him to have his workshop back again and have a secure living source. 

“No matter what has happened to me in the past or what difficulties I am living now, God will always be on my side guiding me through life for the best” Naji Gerious

It has been 9 years now, but I still remember the day we fled our hometown, Yabroud, in the countryside of Damascus; I used to live there along with my wife and my two daughters Maria and Carol.

My daughter Carol was born with a mental disability and needed a lot of care and attention so I had to stay close and I transformed a room of our house into a small shop where I started to sell drinks. My income was good enough to secure a good life, but this all changed after 2011. Yabroud was sieged by armed groups and we lived in terror under violence and harsh livelihood conditions. 

Soon after, I began to receive daily and direct threats because of my work, they asked me to leave the town, or I will be executed. I was so concerned about the safety of my family so I decided to take them and flee out of the town leaving everything behind. 

In 2013, our journey of displacement and misery began; we headed to Jaramana where we rented a house for three years and lived in a state of loss and depression, hoping that someday we could go back to our previous life.

After we spent all of our savings, we were convinced that we may never return home, so I had to create my own opportunity, I started to work as a bike peddler selling plastic materials. I used to tour from street to street and face all the challenges and difficulties to secure a living for my daughters. However, it wasn’t easy for me to pay the house rent, my daughter’s medication, and the daily needs, but I kept trying until I reached a point of overwhelming that I lost hope. 

I prayed to God and his great mercy, and I received the answer after applying to the Micro-project program as I was supported with the needed goods that will enable me to once again have my own shop, restore my independency, have a sustainable income, and provide my family with dignified livelihood. 

Despite how lonely you feel facing your struggles, you have to wake up every morning with a smile on your face and new hope in your heart because many are counting on you.

In his twenties, and at the time he was supposed to be starting his life Journey, Jean had to go through many hardships. He was working at his store for kitchen supplies when the war began in Syria, he became unable to improve his project because his goods were no longer in demand due to the deteriorating economic situation in the country; as the people’s main concerns were their safety and security in addition to their daily food.

Jean's financial situation became critical, he couldn’t meet the house expenses so he had to work as a guard at a school in Damascus, but his salary was very little despite the long hours, so he quit in 2016 and moved between different fields but none of them were profitable enough to keep a balance between the income and the daily life expenses.

Jean was desperate for a decent work opportunity, he needed a helping hand to pull him through, and the hands of God lead him to the Micro-project program where he was supported with the needed goods for his kitchen supplies store and make a positive impact on his life.

Jihad Haddad is one of the Syrians whose life was completely changed after the beginning of the war. He worked as a driving instructor at Alfaihaa training school in Mesraba town, the countryside of Damascus; his income was good enough for a decent living and a peaceful life, but everything changed after 2011, Mesraba became a center of clashes that caused huge destruction to many buildings including the training school, Jihad was suddenly left unemployed facing harsh circumstances. 

For a few months after Jihad worked as a private driver, but most surrounding areas became conflict zones and he even escaped death several times before he decided to work as a part-time minibus driver; his work was limited and so was his income, insufficient to meet the basic daily needs.

Jihad, his wife and two kids live in Al Dwalaa in a small, dark room at his parents’ house along with his mother, brother, and sister whose situation was also very difficult. They all work and support each other but no matter what they do or how hard they work, their situation keeps getting worse year after year and they reached the state of poverty. 

“I am waiting for a miracle to help me change my life, I don’t need much, I just can't stand to see my kids deprived of the simplest living rights” 

That’s what Jihad was asking for, by helping him to have his own pickup truck, hopefully, it would reflect a great improvement on the family's life and provide a sustainable source of living. 

Tony Al Khouly, is a 61-years-old man, married and a father of two girls; Carol and Elissar.

For all his life, Tony’s main concern was to secure his daughters with a good living and proper education, he didn’t mind working hard for their happiness and comfort. Before the crisis, he used to work along with his brother in a cigarettes store in Al Zabadani area, the countryside of Damascus, but after 2011, Al Zabadani was one of the first areas to be affected by the war; their workplace was greatly damaged and they lost their living source.

Tony found himself jobless in the middle of the most difficult circumstances, when he was supposed to be a strong father and provider. Those heavy burdens didn’t weaken his will to work; he started to take any available job, then he started working as a real estate agent, in addition to helping his brother in his mini-market in Jaramana trying to secure as much income as possible. 

Despite his age, Tony was willing to do anything for the sake of his family, but the harsh living conditions made his long working hours worthless because he was unable to meet the high livelihood expenses which frustrated him.  

Nonetheless, Tony had great hope in God’s mercy which will lead him to a better path.

The support from the Micro-project program, will not just provide him with the needed goods for a better and more sustainable income, but will also secure this family some safety and comfort.

The war may have stolen many people's lives, homes, health, but it didn't take away their will to live and win their life battles. Josephine’s life was always burdened with hardships, especially after the death of her husband as she found herself lonely with no supporter, solely responsible for her children and their living.

For more than 12 years, Josephine worked at Al Asieh school in Jaramana as a buffet lady. Although her body was getting weaker, she kept working trying to afford the basic living needs, especially after her son Essa was called for mandatory service in 2012. Josephine prayed every day for the safety of her son, especially since he was located in the most dangerous areas, indeed, God responded to her prayers when her son survived death after an explosion, but sadly he lost both of his legs. 

Despite this terrible incident, Josephine’s faith was strong. She quit her job to be close to her son and support him physically and emotionally after what he had been through. The family needed to trust in God’s great mercy which was not strange from a mother like Josephine who was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of her son.

With the support of the wounded of homeland project, they rented a small shop in Jaramana in 2020, Josephine didn’t hesitate to work with her son in this shop trying to support him as much as possible but they couldn't afford to fill the shop with goods because the financial situation was very bad which threatened to shut down their small business.

Yet, Josephine didn’t give up; as soon as she heard about the Micro project program, she asked for help to get all the needed goods for her mini market, which we provided with pleasure as this iron lady deserves to get all the possible support because she had already given so much love and sacrifice to her family. 

Given the reality we're living in, one has to work day and night just so he can manage to secure the simplest life expenses, especially if he is the sole breadwinner of the family and has young children like the case of Sarkis Al Haddad (42 years old), husband and father for Serjios, Pamela and Paula.

Before 2011, Sarkis worked as a restaurant manager in Jaramana, he was happily planning for his wedding, renovating his house, and having his furniture custom-made. Unfortunately, those plans were postponed for several years because of the war outbreak, as the security situation worsened a lot and Sarkis' job at a restaurant deteriorated rapidly until he became unemployed. He also couldn’t finish his house renovation, the family house in Maaloula was hit by a mortar shell and severely damaged, all the furniture was lost after the carpentry workshop was looted then destroyed in the countryside of Damascus.

Sarkis suddenly found himself starting over from scratch; struggling to find a job and establish a family, but he had to find a solution and start a new career, so he took a bold step outside his comfort zone and applied at the television and radio administration, and through the new job he learned about photography and became a channel photographer. Sarkis loved his new profession and got skillful, he even collaborated with other photographers for covering private celebrations. 

Despite the long working hours and having two jobs, Sarkis’s financial situation was still weak, half of his income was going straight to his employers and he was hardly able to afford the basics for his family.

Sarkis needed a strong push to improve his situation, by applying to the Micro-project program he was supported with the necessary equipment that would allow him to be self-independent and achieve better livelihood circumstances. 

Despite all the ugliness in the world, one can still be inspired by how much love and care the human relationships hide, that’s the moral message we took from Ibrahim and Bashar’s partnership.

Ibrahim Alkhouli was born in 1967 in Al Zabadani town. When he was only 14, he started to work as a blacksmith then when he got older he opened his own workshop, where he shared work with his childhood friend Bashar, even after Bashar got married, he kept working with Ibrahim and they shared good days as well as their life and work challenges. 

However, When the war broke out in Al Zabadani, the town was daily hit by dozens of mortar shells in addition to the armed conflict. Ibrahim and Bashar witnessed the brutality of war and were forced to flee out of the area under bombing and shooting to save their lives leaving everything behind. They went to Bloudan where they stayed for two years, where they spent all the savings just to afford their basic living needs. They were informed that their houses and workshop were destroyed completely with all the possessions and equipment. 

As a result, Ibrahim decided to move to Damascus and start working in any field so he could support himself, he stayed at his nephew’s house in Jaramana and worked as a blacksmith in different workshops then Bashar followed him and they once again spent countless hours working together and shared living expenses; especially that Bashar’s daughter Dalaa was suffering from diabetes and needed high-cost treatment every month.

“We suffered a lot, lost everything we worked for, started from scratch to fight for our daily food, but God manage our life with his great mercy every day” Those were Ibrahim’s words. 

Indeed, God’s hand reached out to the two friends, and through the Micro-project, they were supported with machines, equipment, tools, and electric generator so they could start over their blacksmithing workshop and have a second chance in life.

Nothing can describe the experience of having a disabled child, surviving a deadly war, living in a deteriorating economic situation while being responsible for your family. 

This is the case of Hani Fares, 57 years, married with two sons (Jean 1999, Dani 2001) and a daughter (Rama 2002), Dani suffers from cerebral palsy and requires a lot of love and extra care.

Before the crisis, Hani worked as a warehouse guard at Al Abbaseein Mall and his salary was enough to afford the basic living expenses, but with the outbreak of the war in Syria, Al Abbaseein area was exposed to shelling and sniping, thus the mall closed and all the employees were discharged including Hani who found himself all of a sudden unemployed facing huge responsibilities.

However, one must do what he has to do, so he started a new job and had to juggle all his life hardships. Especially with his son Dani who needs his attention more than anything else. Hani worked for ten years as a salesperson in a supermarket, gaining a big experience in this field, and although the salary was at the minimum, he was grateful for having a job under such difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately, the supermarket owner decided to sell it putting Hani once again at the edge of unemployment, but he did not surrender to despair, he borrowed some money from a relative to start his own mini market and the whole family started to work together for late hours to keep a steady income. Unfortunately, the current economic situation and price instability affected the work very negatively.

Supporting Hani with goods will secure the sustainability of their mini-market, and ensure that this close-knit family has a better livelihood in the future.

"When you have faith in God, you don’t have to worry too much about your daily bread, you just do what you can and let him manage your life” Those were the wise words of Khaled Al-Hreira.

Khaled is 58 years old, married with three sons (Oday born in1998, Qusay and Loay born in 1999).

He is a mechanical engineer and for the last 30 years, he has been working as an employee at the Drinking-Water Corporation in Damascus. During the years of war and under the most dangerous circumstances, Khaled kept going to his work every day because his main concern was to provide his kids with a decent life and proper education despite all difficulties.

khaled's children became the first in their classes, and they are now studying informatics engineering and helping their father as much as possible considering that they are in the age of military service which limits their work opportunities.

However, Khaled didn’t mind to start over, he transformed a room from his house into a small shop where he started to sell bread and some food materials. His good reputation made him very popular in the area, despite the shortage of goods in the shop, people became familiar with it. Khaled was so excited about his new project but the income was very low in comparison with the family's needs, which made him struggle to keep it open.

In the most challenging days, Khaled’s great faith in God didn't weaken, and through the Micro Project program, he was supported with the essential equipment and goods to save his shop and improve his income.

Samira Ayoub, 54 years old, is a single woman living with her sister in a very small and old house in Aldwalaa area in Damascus. Her sister Nawal suffers from some health issues and has no one else to look after her but her loving sister.

Samira worked as a seamstress in sewing factories since 1984, through the years she became highly experienced in the sewing process with all its details, she even made time for fixing clothes at her house in the afternoon after she was given a sewing machine from the ‘holy cross’ church.

Samira spent many years of hard work without hesitation or complaint, despite the significant hardships and the fact that she has no supporters, Samira still sought a better life. She is not able to achieve much in her current job because her salary is very low, but as soon as she became familiar with the micro projects concept, she decided to apply for a sewing workshop in which she can be independent and get a better income at the same time. 

Neither Samira’s age nor her life challenges have hindered her from taking this opportunity to fight for her success, and our role is to empower this strong woman to live the rest of her life in dignity without the need of anyone’s help.

Jamil Demmar is an efficient, hard-working man who spent the past thirty years of his life working as an employee in a goldsmithing workshop. Despite his great experience and professionality of work, he could not save enough money to get his own workshop because of the high costs. 

Jamil lives with his elderly parents and two brothers in a modest house in Bab Touma, the three siblings all work just to afford the house needs and the medical expenses for their parents.

However, within the difficult past years of the crisis, the economic situation became very tough, and his brothers’ income failed to meet all the financial obligations, which forced Jamil to work extra hours to be able to secure all the necessary needs. Unfortunately, his long hours behind the table and the nature of his difficult work led to the deterioration of his health, until he was forced in 2020 to go through three surgeries, after his recovery, the doctors warned him from going back to his old profession and he suddenly found himself unemployed. 

Jamil had no choice but to start searching for another source of living that doesn't require a previous experience, and through the Micro project Program, he was supported by a mini pick-up truck so that he could work and secure a good life for his family.