My name is Sobhi Baladi, and I am 51 years old. I am single, I live with my retired father in Al-Midan area. My original job is in carpentry, I have been working in this field since 1995, I used to work in a workshop in Bustan AL-Basha. Later I rented a workshop with my brother in Al-Ashrafieh area, we worked in this workshop till the beginning of the crisis in Aleppo. When the area became too dangerous and under the fire, we had to leave our workshop. in 2017, I started working with my friend in an Aluminum workshop and continued till now. My project is to open my own carpentry workshop in Al-Midan area, and thus to have an independence at work. I know that I will be starting all over again, but I am very skillful in this job and I dream of having a carpentry workshop of my own, then I could think about getting married and being an independent individual.

My name is David Manokian, my wife Viktoria Bakkal and I live in our house in Al-Telal area, with our son Dekran. I used to have a factory in Leramoon area since 1990, in the outskirts of Aleppo, this factory contained over 80 machines and 118 workers that I was responsible of. In this factory we made cotton underwear and T-shirts but it didn’t last for long because of the economic situation that the country was going through, the owner increased the rent greatly, and I couldn’t afford it anymore especially that the profits also decreased at the same time because of the war and the hard livelihood conditions. In 1998, I bought a workshop in Sheikh Maksoud with the savings that I had, and I put 20 machines there with 14 workers, the work was going great until the war began in Aleppo in 2012. Sheikh Maksoud was a very critical area because of its position being the highest part of the city, I was forced to leave my workshop and all the equipment there because I couldn’t move or take anything out. The time between 2012 and 2017 was the hardest for me, because I had suddenly lost everything I own and I had to start all over again from scratch. I worked in many workshops as a worker, but all temporarily, until I heard about Hope Center and their Micro Projects program. My project is to open a sewing workshop in Al-Midan area in Aleppo, this project will give me hope to get my life back together and start working again.

My name is Michel, I am 29 and single. I am currently unemployed; I live with my mother Despina who is 56 years old, and my sister who is 24 years old. My mother works at home in sewing, she has two sewing machines and she is the sole provider for the family, but she needs help with the income of the house to provide the daily needs. I worked in house paint for more than 10 years, but in 2010 I had asthma which stopped me from continuing in this job, I started looking for another job that would be suitable with my medical condition. Later, I started working in a liquor store, I worked there for two years, but I was very unhappy with this job because I had to deal with drunk people who are sometimes dangerous. Recently I received a job offer with a good income, which is distributing goods and vegetables, but one of the conditions is to have a mini pickup truck, this job is suitable for my medical condition and can provide me with a good income to support my mother and sister. This project will give me the chance to depend on myself as a provider for my family and at the same time it isn’t harmful to my health.

My name is Youssef, I am 44 years old married man. I live with my mother, wife, and two children in my mother’s house. My wife Carolina is 41 years old; my children Juliana and George are school students; Juliana is 13 years old and George is 6 years old. When the war started in Aleppo in 2012, I sent my children with my wife to Venezuela, especially that I had a little daughter at that time and I felt scared for them. I stayed in Aleppo hoping for things to get better, but unfortunately things got worse in 2013, I travelled to Venezuela with my brother and mother to be with my family, and to look for a job. There I worked in a clothes shop from 2013 to 2016, then we decided to come back to Aleppo. My daughter is in the seventh grade, but she does not know how to speak Arabic well as she lived her childhood in Venezuela, so I pay a big amount of money monthly for a private teacher to help my daughter cope with the system of the schools in Syria. When we came back to Aleppo in 2016, I worked in making gypsum boards with my uncle, but it is not a job that can be depend on for a steady income. in 2018, I started working for the catholic bishop as his driver, but my salary is very low and I need an additional job to help me support my family. I applied for a taxi to work on, I need this job to improve our livelihood conditions.

To establish a business from scratch is very hard, especially in the time of war. Rami Tawil used to work as a sales manager in a Nylon manufacturing factory, located in khan Al-Asal.

Shortly before the war started, the tension between the conflict parties was building slowly but no armed action was taken against any civilians in the area of Khan Al-Asal, specially that it was an industrial zone with many factories and hundreds of workers going there on daily basis. Until one day in 2016, while Rami and his coworkers were inside the factory, armed groups broke inside pointing guns against the workers, keeping them hostages, while taking full control of the whole area. At the end of the day, Rami was released with the other hostages, it was a nerve-racking experience which they were lucky enough that they were able to get out alive.

After this horrible experience, Rami went to Lebanon for couple of years and worked there as an accountant in a textile factory, they paid him the minimum wage but he had to accept since he had no other choice there.

Rami came back to Aleppo in 2018 after things got a little better, he lives with his mother in the family house in Suleymanieh. The young man who got engaged a year ago, now needs to start over in his hometown and build himself a business to be able to support and provide for his mother and his soon to be wife. 

Recently, he is working in selling and distributing nylon products to some clients, but there are many obstacles in his way, since he doesn’t have a shop or a warehouse to store his merchandises, which limits the expansion of his sale rates and consequently his profits. That’s why having a small shop with good customer-flow would make a big difference in the improvement of Rami’s business.

Like all residents of Syria, Oujen and his wife had their fair share of suffering from being displaced and losing their belongings 

One day at the start of the armed conflict in 2012, Oujen and his wife were visiting his in-laws in AL-Midan when they heard the news of armed groups breaking into Sheikh Maksoud area. They confiscated the houses, and soon the whole area became out of civilian reach, and the family like many others couldn’t save anything of their belongings. they had no idea that they wouldn’t be able to see their house there ever again.

His main profession was in the cloth manufacturing lane, he had even taken some time-off from it and worked as a nurse in AL-Kalima hospital for five years and that’s where he met his wife.

Oujen who’s 37 years old, and his wife Noushig who’s 31 years old have struggled after that devastating incident, they decided to escape the falling shells and travel to a village near Mashta Al-Helou, where Noushig’s Aunt used to live, especially that Noushig was pregnant by then, their family was expanding and they had to work in anything they could find, it was a hard time for them; being in a strange town with no stable job or residence, they reached a point of hopelessness that they even worked in farming, by planting beans to provide their daily livelihood. 

Four years passed by, Aleppo became a bit safer, Oujen and his family moved back to Aleppo. Oujen had previously worked in many different domains. However, going back to the nursing profession was not an option, because of the low salaries. Oujen had no choice but to search for a job in the clothing business.

Today Oujen works in a clothing workshop and Noushig works in another low paid workshop of assembling electrical switches, and together they are barely making a decent living. This is the reason he chose to pursue a new type of career as a taxi driver. It is profitable and will make him stand on his own feet, and most importantly it is not a seasonal job like his current one, which is a vital matter for a main provider like himself. 

My name is Maria, I am 46 years old and married to Robin Jokrian, we have a girl her name is Anna; she is 13 years old. Our main house was in Seikh Maksoud area but during the war in 2012, we were forced to leave, because this area was very dangerous and under fire during the 7 years of war, unfortunately, my husband lost all his equipment because he used to work from the house in the wax molds business. After we left our home, we suffered with moving from house to house because we couldn’t afford the high rents. I’ve worked as a hair dresser since 1985 , before the war in 2012, I used to work in my father’s shop in Midan area and the business was going pretty well, until he decided to sell his shop for financial reasons, after that I worked in many areas for different salons like in Mohafaza area in Aleppo, during the years between 2012 to 2018 I made a lot of clients. I have always dreamt of opening my own place, but the issue is that I can’t afford the shop rent and buying all the needed equipment. When I heard about Hope Center and their micro projects, I applied for a hair dressing salon in Al-Midan area, I chose this location because it’s close to my house where I live now, this way I wouldn’t lose any money on the transportation, and I can guaranty a good profit from this project because it’s my long-life experience.

Not everyone can work in the beauty industry, it takes both the skill and talent to thrive. Jerjy Iskandar khoury is 33-years-old hairdresser, got the talent by nature, and in order to polish his skills he went to Lebanon in 2002, attended many courses and trainings and after gaining enough experience he came back to Aleppo and worked in a hair salon in Al-villat street. With the beginning of war in 2012, Jerjy and his family went to live in Latakia, on one side latakia was much safer but from another, life there was very expensive that they had to come back to Aleppo. With all the falling bomb shells and the economic crisis, Jerjy had to close his newly rented shop and start working between houses. The worse was yet to come, one of the missiles that fell near their house killed a close friend of his father.

Jerjy’s father carried his friend to the emergency but he was already dead, the traumatized father couldn’t bare the horror he witnessed, and sadly just after three days he passed away... Now Jerjy lives with his 57 years old mother Mary-Rose, and 18-year-old sister Rita who just passed her baccalaureate test, he is financially responsible for them as he became the provider and the man of the family, depending partially on the aids provided by the church and the Marists. Jerjy is doing his best working between houses but his customers prefer going to a salon, that’s why opening his own salon would guarantee him a better income specially that he already has clients and acquaintances willing to advertise for him and always encouraging him to open his own place.

Music is what made Yacoub get through the war, it is what helped him deal with the horrible circumstances and cope with the miserable reality.

Yacoub Hanna is a thirty-years-old mechanic engineering graduate, and an MA student in Aleppo university, he works part time with the SSSD (Syrian Society for Social Development). and lives with his parents in the family residence. But all that he’s been passionate about is music and everything related to it; from playing instruments to teaching children how to play, and even fixing and repairing wooden instruments which is a passion he shares with his father since his childhood.

Yacoub’s father works in spraying wooden furniture, staining and restoring antique pieces, in his shop in Suleimanyeh, and he used to own a warehouse in Al-Jdaideh historical street in the old city which was fully destroyed during the armed conflict in old Aleppo. 

On some days, the father gathers with his friend in his shop since the furniture business wasn’t highly demanded during war, but on other days Yacoub and his father used to spend hours restoring an old violin for example, bringing life back to the instrument, and by doing so they would forget about the bitter reality.

Actually, this is what made Yacoub intrigued by the whole idea of re-opening the father’s shop to sell musical instruments in addition to providing repairments and fixing services, this way they will benefit from the shop that already exists, but in something that both Yacoub and his father are skilled in and can enjoy. Faisal will open the shop in the mornings while Yacoub is at his part-time job, and Yacoub will join in the afternoons, he is thinking about giving musical lessons and teaching courses in addition to selling instruments in order to maintain a stable income. 

He is confident that after the actual war has finished, the society is in severe need and search for this soul-nourishing and culture-building activities and that is what their future family business is all about. 

My name is Ohanis Torous, a 29 years old single man. I live with my mother Louseen who is 49 years old, she is currently looking after a sick person as a job, my father has psychological problems, so he is not living with us. We used to live in my uncle’s house in Sulaymaniah, because we did not have a house. it was burnt by my father as he was out of control once on one of his rage tantrums. We lost all the furniture and the machines that we had. Later my uncle offered us a house in Al-Midan area to live in that had some old furniture, so my mother and I moved to it and we are currently still living in it. I used to work in a fast food shop in Sulaymaniah. I worked there for 2 years, but when the owner of the shop decided to close it, I had to find another job. I spent more than 2 months searching for a stable job. However; when I could not find one, I started working in selling sandwiches in the street. unfortunately, the government banned this kind of work, so I was without a job again. I am currently working in a sandwich shop in Sulaymaniah. The work is good, but my salary is not enough to provide the needs for my mother and me. I want to open my own fast food shop, because it is the only job that I know how to do, and it will give me the independency that I am looking for.

Armenak Dadourian is a well-known young man working in the business of Manufacturing Rubber Molds, he learnt and then mastered this profession since 1994. He is the backbone of a small family consisting of his wife Mona Basbous, two little sons; Minas and Hagop who are eight and six years old, a three-year-old daughter Rebecca and his mother Nevart who also lives along with the family. Like every Syrian family the war had its tremendous impact on their lives… Back in 2012, after the armed groups entered their neighborhood, they had to leave with only the clothes they had on, they couldn’t even pack anything. Due to the armed conflict in that area he also lost his job, the family lost their home, and everything they have... They temporarily moved to a relatives’ house until they managed to rent the house they live in today. The church has not abandoned them, it provides them with milk for little Rebecca and a food basket, in addition to the cash aid. A charitable medical center called “Jeneshian” also helps with the medical aid of Armenak’s mother who suffered from a stroke recently. With all this help, he still struggles to secure the daily living, for that Mouna, his wife works in Dar al-Tarbya school as a cleaning worker in the morning, and between houses in the afternoon. In order to improve their income and stand on their own feet once again, it is crucial for Armenak to re-open his shop and put himself back in the market. Especially since he has all the elements needed for a successful business; from the long experience, the skills and the trust of customers.

When Fahed Hendi (42-years-old) and Mishleen bought their house in Al-Midan they didn’t imagine that one day the neighborhood would be that dangerous, and that they would be in the range of sniper shots and fire lines, nor did they imagine that the vicious war would oblige them to be displaced from their home for long years.

Fahed who is a nurse in the ER section at Alkalima hospital, is a father of nine years-old Alexander.

From the beginning of the war, living in their neighborhood became life threatening and they had to flee, after a while they learnt from their neighbors that their house was hit by bombshells, Fahed tried to do some repairments and replaced the broken doors and windows, (Nabni Nastamer) helped with the expenses, but other similar damages unfortunately reoccurred after a while, the rehabilitation costs were over their budget specially that they still had to pay the bank payments for their house’s mortgage in addition to the high costs of living in general.

After the situation became even more dangerous, they feared for their lives and the family moved with Mishleen’s parents for almost five years.

To increase their income, Fahed used to take night shifts in the hospital to be able to work on the morning shift in a private clinic with his partner. To help him, his wife Mishleen started working as a receptionist in AL-Nashe-Aljadeed school (for a year now).

The clinic is located in Suleymanie area; it provides medical services like vaccine shots, IV injections and minor clinical procedures etc. They also do home visits. It’s been five years since he started working in this clinic, it became popular and Fahed built a good reputation and has many regular clients.

Unfortunately, his partner wants to end the partnership, but Fahed doesn’t want to give up the clinic.

The family moved back to their house in Al-Midan, and although it is a very small house that Alexander doesn’t have a room for himself, he sleeps on the couch but after few years he won’t fit.

He decided to take the risk and be on his own specially that his clients’ list is thriving after the five years of good hard work, he will need to renew some equipment and hire a female nurse, for the convenience regarding female clients, in addition to the rent of the clinic. Hopefully after the war and after going back to his home, things will be better for them on the long run.

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.