While the 28-years-old Fehmi spends his time in his daytime job of car-body retail shop, he has a different career ambition that he works on in the afternoons. It is a career inherited from his father a long time ago; it started back when he was still little and his father took him along whenever he had events to shoot. Fehmi became fond of the camera and the photography domain, and despite the fact that life forced him to take many different jobs to make a living, but his love for photography grew each and every day. However, being a photographer with a camera and proper gears is a very difficult road to walk through, specially with the economic crisis created by the Syrian war and the sanctions, which made it impossible for young people like Fehmi to be able to afford upgrading the tools by purchasing such expensive gear. 

Fehmi did not lose his hope nor his perseverance, he and his father were able to purchase a camera for their videography as a first step. In the meanwhile, Fehmi kept his day job as a source of income and at night he kept renting cameras from colleagues whenever he needed. The good news Fehmi received when he was told that he got approval for his micro project was very exciting! with the camera and the new lens, Fehmi will be able to establish a more promising business now that he have all the equipment to make their father-son work thrive. 

Vecken has been battling with the hardships of life to take care of his wife and two boys; Garo and Hagop. The war may have ceased in the fighting sense, but its impact on families is still overwhelming. 

Through the first years of war hundreds of shells were falling in their neighborhood, the building in front of theirs was destroyed by one of those shells and their house was severely damaged. Those explosion terrifying sounds affected their youngest son’s physiological health and he has been stuttering ever since.

The financial situation was not good either. Long time ago Vecken was a car mechanic, but for medical reasons he had to quit that field of work. Later he became a janitor at Al-Sharek school. However, the salary is poorly able to support four people during this economic crisis, that’s why Vecken started thinking about finding another source of income to be able to put bread on the table and afford all the educational expenses of his boys. 

The taxi is a life changing step for Vecken, who was happy that he found the type of career that won't interfere with his part-time job, suits his health condition and at the same time will give him a good income.

Joseph is a graduated architect, but besides his studies he has always been a hardworking and self-dependent man.

His father had lost his workshop and the machinery, and when the family lost their livelihood, Joseph started seriously considering having a full-time job. First, he volunteered with an organization then in 2018 he started working on a laser cutting machine. Utilizing his designer skills, Joseph started making a living by selling architectural models, wooden accessories and many other items. The problem arose when the owner of this machine decided to end their partnership and sell the machine. Joseph would had lost his work because he couldn’t afford to buy a similar machine on his own. 

But Joseph did not give up, he applied to micro project hoping to save his business and indeed he purchased his own laser machine and used his father’s workshop space, and now he is looking forward to have a successful work. 

Rania comes from a big family, she lives with her mother, both of her brothers and their own families, all in the same household. From early on Rania grew to be an independent, strong woman on every aspect. Her long years of experience in the sewing field enabled her to open her own workshop just before the war started.

Like many people, Rania was affected by the ramification of war. The lack of electricity, the bombing and the bad economics in general forced Rania to sell some of her equipment in order to pay the last salaries of her employees before having to close. Beside the loss of her business, Rania also went through a life-threatening experience when in 2014 she was injured by a falling shell near her house while she was playing with her niece on the balcony, her injuries were critical, luckily doctors removed the shrapnel from Rania’s face and she recovered well.   

The old and small apartment does not suit the large family, That’s why Rania’s brothers will try to move out, this puts all the responsibilities of taking care of her ill mother and the daily life needs on her shoulders alone. 

With determination and hard work Rania is reopening a sewing workshop of her own. She finally bought a part of the machinery that she lacks and now is establishing a good business, taking advantage of her experience, good relations in the business community and the most important the well-known quality of her work. 

Two years ago, Georgess and his wife Diana fled their hometown in Ras Al-Ein and came to Aleppo, after going through all kinds of difficulties. When the escalating situation became life threatening in April, 2018, Georgess had to sell his taxi car that used to be his only livelihood source, and spend all his savings in his attempts to travel, but then he had no choice but to come to Aleppo and try to move on with his life after all of his family scattered around the world. 

The war drained all of Georgess financial resources, the pressuring situation prevented him from buying a new car to work like he used to do before and he had to take other jobs like working in a metal lathing workshop for a while in order to survive, but since it wasn't his skill he couldn't progress in that field.

This fund enabled Georgess to resume his career as a driver and gave him a stable and good income that will support him to be independent from the church’s aids and become more productive.   

Saad is a 37-years-old man who chose to make a risky decision of changing his career more than five years ago. Originally Saad was working in retail business, but after loosing his shop and the merchandise in Al-Ramouseh, he found himself without any job for more than two years, he decided to begin a new career in tailoring. He started this path by taking a course to learn everything related to this new domain, then he borrowed his uncle’s old sewing machine and hoped for the best. 

This hardworking man managed to succeed in his job despite all challenges, he recently relocated his shop and with the new location he felt the need to expand his business (specially that his current machine is warn-out and not sufficient anymore to satisfy customers’ needs). 

Saad’s ambition needs help to be turned into reality, the additional machines he wishes to obtain are necessary to raise the quality and variety of his production, but he doesn’t have the sufficient resources. With the help of Micro Projects program, the chance of improving the lifestyle for this hardworking man and his family . 

Akram, his wife Claude, son Salim and daughter Dalal have witnessed the war in Aleppo and suffered immensely of its consequences. The constantly falling shells during the first few years affected Salim and Dalal’s mental health greatly, the explosions and the horrors pushed them on the verge of a breakdown. Specially when one of those shells hit Akram's car that was parked in front of their building.

Akram’s business was also affected, when his partner decided to leave the country, they had to sell all the machines to separate their finances. All that left Akram with an empty workspace with no sewing machines to work and make an income. 

Since safety is back to the city of Aleppo Akram was encouraged to start over and reopen his workshop, but with no financial resources or help it seems impossible. He needs support to buy the sewing machines that will ensure an efficient work flow for Akram’s business. Hoping that this step will Help Akram provide a decent life for his family in the future. 

Just with the start of war, Shadi was called to serve his mandatory military service, Shadi went to his assigned position in Damascus without knowing that this period of his life will extent to over than nine years. 

During those years he went through many hard and challenging circumstances, he overcame many dangers and dodged many explosions, and finally was discharged in April 2020. His wife and two daughters were very excited for their father coming back home, they were united again and moved back to their old house (during Shadi’s absence his wife and children were staying with her parents).Being away for so long Shadi had to establish a business of his own, and with no financial resources the only solution he found was to transform a small part of his 32 m2 house into a plumbing shop where he can receive clients and store all the equipment and spare parts. 

Today shadi needs support to purchase the tools needed for his job, in addition to some merchandise like pipes to be able to work properly and maintain a decent income for his family. 

Aboud, his wife Huda and his two sons Nicholas and Carlos (12 and 6 years old) live together in the family residence in Aleppo, along with Aboud’s mother Mouna.

At the beginning of war, Aboud couldn’t reach his carpentry workshop in Handarat area, all the roads were cut off and the armed groups took complete control of the area. When dangers of mortar shells became closer and more severe, Aboud took his family and fled to Marmaritta village far from the war beaten Aleppo. 

Eventually Aboud couldn’t stay away from his hometown. So, in 2018 he made the decision of coming back and settling in his parents’ house. In order to financially support the family, he rented a modest carpentry workshop. The problem is that the workshop lacks many important equipment and machines that Aboud can’t purchase on his own.

With your help, Aboud will be able to obtain all the tools to upgrade his production and thus, his profit will increase significantly in the future. 

Costantin was building a name for himself in the market and planning a successful career as a car electrician and mechanic, when the war started and interrupted not only his career but also his family's life.

In 2015, Costantin’s house in Al-Suleymanieh was severely damaged by a mortar shell that exploded in the adjoining building causing complete destruction to Costantin’s 5th-floor-apartment, where he and his mother live. However, the biggest loss for the family was the death of Costantin’s older brother in the war. His death was a tragedy on the family they couldn’t bare to lose him especially that he left behind a little daughter. 

Costantin was devastated and depressed but what helped him to continue was his little niece and his mother, for them he stayed strong and resilient. 

Today Costantin is planning to start over and be more independent, for two years now he has been saving money and purchasing some of the equipment needed, but in order to launch his own workshop he needs a little help in buying all the tools and essentials. By supporting Costantin, we will be a part of this young man’s success which will reflect on the life of the family.

Albert Gergi is a 45-years-old industrial man, who has 30 years of work experience in Metal lathing.

Albert is married, and a father of Mark; his 15-years-old son. He lives with his family in their house in Al-Serian neighborhood, which was relatively safer than other areas in Aleppo during the war. Unlike Al-Sheikh Najjar where he works. 

While all his relatives have left the country during the war, Albert chose to stay in Aleppo his home town for many reasons; besides being the place where he spent his whole life and loved so much, he also has established his work here and his roots, but most importantly his elderly parents live here and it is impossible for Albert to leave them behind. He is the only one left to take care of them, as one of his brothers lives in Austria while the other is in Sweden. 

Although the family life was stable for Albert, but the business world was not the same. In his domain establishing a thriving business requires a massive capital, Albert made a partnership to be able to obtain the needed machinery. Years went by and he was successful in his job, despite the economic situation which was associated with war, he was financially surviving. But what Albert didn’t expect was that his partner withdrawal from the partnership which Albert can’t afford in this difficult time.

The three months of lock-down due to the Corona Virus, the lack of transportation to the industrial area of Al-Sheikh Najjar (where his workshop is) and the over the roof prices of everything in the market had its toll on Albert. 

Albert applied for the micro projects program hoping that the funding he gets will be a savior for his business because unless he doesn’t take action and find a way to obtain his machinery, he will lose the machines, and that simply means that he will lose his workshop and his life work will be gone to no use. This support for Albert will create a second chance in business and more stability for his family in their foreseeable future. 

George Korjian (32 years old) is a self-made hardworking man, whom like many Syrians was affected by the exhausting prolonged war.

His bitter experience started in 2013 When George was still single. He used to work in Sheikh Najjar area in a plastic chairs manufacturing factory. This hard-working man was trying to build his future, his daily shift would extend to approximately 18 hours, but George didn’t mind the tiredness, on the contrary his concentrated efforts paid off when in a short period of time George established his own workshop for recycling old chairs and producing new ones.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t too long before the war changed everything. The area of Sheikh Najjar became out of reach and the armed groups confiscated his property with all the primary materials that he had invested in.

By then George had to start over from scratch, he opened a shop to sell movies and music CDs, and other services that go with it, being a great salesman George succeeded in this job; in a short period, he became popular and gained a lot of customers. It was important for him to excel in his job because he was about to start a family with his fiancé (now wife) Diana. After postponing their wedding multiple times due to the war and the economic circumstances. George and Diana tied the knot in 2016, and since then they were blessed with a son Gabriel and now, they are expecting another baby soon.

As the years went by, George’s family started to grow and the income from the CDs store was not sufficient anymore. Life suddenly was becoming more expensive and George was searching for a solution. Around that time a spice shop near his current shop was for rent, the owners were asking for a low rent because they were going to travel, George knew it was a great bargain so he quickly seized the offer and started learning about this new profession from his relative who was in the spice trade. George soon learnt about different spices and like always stood on his own feet, despite the health problems that he was facing in that period of time because of his chronic liver condition. 

However, George’s health is more stable now and he wants to keep the good work. With a little help he will be able to obtain a grinding machine for coffee next to the spices, so he can to be able to distinguish his shop and compete with the local market by providing freshly grind and high-quality materials for his clients in the future.

Elias’s family refused to leave their only house in Bab Al-Sebaa neighborhood which was exposed to the scourge of war, and they lived with fear and horror every day until the situation has stabilized. Elias works as a floor tiler since 1980, he is the sole responsible for his wife, his daughter and son. 

After all these years of hard work and experience, he didn’t expect that one day he would have to start from scratch. When the war started in Homs, and he lost all of his equipment; Elias was working in a construction site in a neighborhood called Jourat Al-Shayah, which was a battlefield back then. The armed clashes lasted for a while and unfortunately, he couldn’t take his equipment to a safer place.

Since then, he used to finish his work by using some simple tools or borrowing the essentials from the other craftsmen in order to provide for his family. 

Supporting Elias to regain his independence helped him to guarantee better work conditions and the most important thing, to improve his family’s living situation.

Hussam paid the heavy price of the vicious war, and like many Syrians, he has a long story to tell!

On the 4th of August 2015, Hussam was heading to his work as usual when he was attacked and kidnapped by  armed men, he remained in captivity for three months until he was freed by an agreement. 

After this incident, he decided to leave Homs with his family; they fled to their home village “Al-Qaryten”, where they stayed for a short period of time, sadly the situation there started to get worse, they lost their village house and were forced to leave again seeking safety. The family had no other choice but to return to the city of Homs, their house was damaged but they managed to repair it and started a new life from scratch. 

Hussam lost his job as a physical therapist because of the war and had to work as a taxi driver by splitting his profits with the car owner, which used to take a big amount of his income. In 2017, he found a job in his field of specialization, although the salary wasn’t good enough, he started working in order to provide a sustainable income. 

Today, he lives with his wife, their baby daughter, in addition, he is their sole provider of his parents and sister. He experienced many great losses due to the brutal war and now he is trying to build up a new life all over again. Hussam is unable to start his own project by himself, It’s time to have a new beginning after all the suffering he went through, and working on a taxi will help him improve his living situation especially that he gained the needed skills by working as a driver for nine years.

Anas worked in the field of mobile phone maintenance for three years before the war started in Syria. In 2010, he was called to serve in the army and his service lasted for ten full years.

Adapting to all the changes that happened during those years wasn’t easy at all; Anas found himself without a job and even his previous experience didn’t allow him to start a business as all the technologies he used to deal with were outdated and not used anymore!

His new situation left him disappointed but he didn’t give up and kept fighting for his dream. His family and friends encouraged him to apply for a vocational training program, which helped him to gain the needed skills, but unfortunately, his limited financial resources were a huge obstacle in his way and he couldn’t achieve his dream of starting his own mobile phone store. Anas lives with his elderly parents and he didn’t want to increase their burdens so he had to work as an employee in a shop just to help them cover their essential needs. 

Supporting him to implement his life project restored hope in his heart after missing it for a long time. Now, Anas opened his shop and he is ready to put all his experience to maintain a successful business, hoping that he will find the stability he needs and compensate for what he had missed because of the vicious war. 

Jamil and his family experienced the horror and brutality of war when they were forced to leave their home village Al-Dwair by force in 2013. And since then, he lives in a rented apartment with his wife and their son in addition to his mother and sister after losing a whole life.

Jamil worked in plumbing besides his wide experience in installing central heating systems, his career started in Syria back in 1994 then he traveled to Lebanon where he worked for a French company, and that helped him to gain skills in those two fields, which allowed him to have many good opportunities. 

Unfortunately, after moving to the city of Homs, he couldn’t afford buying new equipment due to the high prices so he had to use some simple tools and borrowed the essential equipment from the other plumbers. His productivity was affected badly and his income dropped while all he had in mind were covering his family’s daily needs and paying the rent! 

Now that he has all the requirements for his work, Jamil will be able to improve his living circumstances and focus on providing a better future for his only son.

Even though he spent 8 years of his life serving in the army, Bahaa did his best to compensate for all he lost because of the brutal war. He lives with his wife and their two-year-old son in a rented apartment and he is the only provider for his small family. 

His start in the field of mobile phone and computer maintenance was in 2007; he has always loved his job and managed to have great skills within a short period. In 2010, Bahaa joined his mandatory service, which lasted until 2018. Although he couldn’t afford to open a new shop when he finished his service, he enrolled at the University of Homs to continue his education and studied marketing in an effort to make up for what he had missed. 

At the same time, Bahaa worked at home with some simple tools, but his income was barely enough to cover his family’s daily needs so he found a job as an employee for a recruitment agency with a reasonable salary. Unfortunately, in 2019, he lost his job after this company had stopped due to the spread of COVID-19. His financial obligations started to increase while not having the suitable maintenance tools and equipment deprived him of many job opportunities. 

All he hopes for is being able to ensure his family a dignified life and a better future for his baby son by having his own project, which will improve his situation and allow him to settle down with his family. 

Imad is a wall-painter; he started working in this field back in 1984 and has a long experience, gained by working in different countries throughout his long career. He lives with his wife Sahar and their only son Nayef who is a maintenance technician. 

Lately, the equipment he used to work with became completely worn out through the years and he couldn’t renew them due to their high prices. Naturally, his productivity started to decrease and he was forced to rent the needed equipment just to have his job done on time. Working that way took a big amount of his income, and Imad and his son barely managed to cover the family’s increasing needs during the bad economic situation. 

Supporting him will help him save his only source of livelihood and will allow him to have again better work opportunities. 

At the age of seventeen, Fouad who is the only son of his parents had to leave school when his father, the sole breadwinner, became severely ill and was no longer able to continue working. This small family was living in a rented apartment in Al-Hamidia until the cruel war forced them to flee to a village near Homs called Fairouza. At the beginning of 2012, Fouad found a job in a relief program at a church in Homs; he decided to move back to Homs with his parents and rented an apartment in Al-Sabeel neighborhood, but unfortunately, this program was suspended after  a short period of time in 2019.

He started looking for another source of income all over again and in 2020, the church helped him to open a mini-market where his mother worked with him. His shop was the only one in the neighborhood and Fouad was a well-liked person who managed to build good relations with many clients quickly.

Unfortunately, the negative impact of the economic crisis started to increase and affected all the activities especially the small businesses. Fouad’s shop was affected badly by the huge inflation and he became no longer able to supply it with enough commodities. It wasn’t easy for a young man to bear all these pressures, he almost lost his family’s only source of livelihood while their needs were increasing every day making his financial burdens heavier. 

Reviving this project was like a second chance given to him, supporting Fouad will ensure him a sustainable job to preserve a dignified life for his parents who depend on him. 

At the age of 20, Tarek started his career in the field of pro-lighting for events and despite his young age, his name became well known in the city of Homs for his special skills within a very short period. 

Buying all the lighting requirements was almost impossible during the post-war period and he used to rent all the needed equipment until the renting costs became very high and he had no other choice but to travel to Lebanon in a search for better opportunities. Unfortunately, the situation there wasn’t much different and he couldn’t find a job in the same field so he worked in a hair salon just to cover his own expenses. In 2019, the situation in Lebanon started to get worse and Tarek was forced to go back home after three years.

Today, he lives with his father Ghassan who works in his mini-market and his mother Nahla, while his brother Nabil is serving in the army. Although life wasn’t fair with him, he didn’t give up and kept searching for a way to provide an income and help his family; he managed to find a job in the lighting domain but this time he was an employee with a simple salary. He had to accept this offer and work in tough conditions just to alleviate a part of his father’s financial burdens, which have increased a lot lately. 

Tarek wants to stand on his feet and make his first steps towards a better future but he won’t be able to start his project without help. Getting all the required equipment will surely improve his situation and make a positive change in his life after all the disappointments he experienced. 

Mazen lives with his wife Christine and their three-year-old son Marwan, he works in his “plumbing and electrical supplies shop”, which he opened back in 2013, and he is the sole breadwinner for his family. 

His shop is located in a popular neighborhood, and what helped him to attract many clients, is that he is a helpful person who has always tried to offer some simple maintenance services in the shop besides selling these requirements.

Unfortunately, Mazen’s successful business was affected negatively during the bad economic circumstances and his shop lacked many essential merchandise. His sales rate dropped and he was no longer able to secure more supplies for the shop. This project is Mazen’s only way to provide a dignified life for his family and restoring his business will help his small family to settle down and improve their living situation through these tough times. 

Toni is a dentist; he lives with his father who is a retired government employee, his mother who is a teacher and his two sisters. Being the eldest son in his family, he has always depended on himself and has always tried to stand by his parents.

In 2018, he graduated from the University of Homs; as it is known in Syria, each newly graduated dentist must serve for two years in a rural area by opening a clinic there. Toni chose a village near Homs called Al-zhouria and with some help from his family, he managed to rent a small clinic with the essential equipment and started working at the beginning of 2019. 

Lately, the increasing rent costs became a heavy burden on his shoulders, which deprived him of implementing a clinic in the city. When he finished his rural service, he decided to go back home and settle down with his family. Back then, Toni couldn’t stay without a job so he worked as a teacher in the university with a modest salary just to ensure an additional source of income and to contribute in providing for his family. 

All Toni had in mind when he applied to the Micro Projects Program was getting the needed support to fulfill his life dream by having his own equipment and opening a clinic. Helping him to make his first steps will ensure him the stability to improve his current situation and focus on building up a better future as an ambitious young man! 

Firas is the sole provider for his wife Faten, his two sons Suheil (18 years old), Jawad (13 years old) and his only daughter Haneen (9 years old). He worked in his packaging materials' shop for four years then he decided to close the shop and work in distributing these products, everything was going well and his business allowed him to ensure his family a dignified life. 

When the economic situation started to get worse in the country, Firas’s income became insufficient at all for the family’s increasing needs and his financial burdens started to get heavier especially that they are living in a rented apartment. 

He needs to reopen a shop to guarantee a stable source of income depending on his old experience and the wide relations he built throughout the years. Supporting Firas in his next step will help him to settle down with his family and to improve their living situation. 

“Now my life has begun!” with these words, Tarek described his situation when he had the chance to start a project after serving in the army for 8 years. He is a single man, he lives with his old parents and his younger brother Remon who works in a shop. The two brothers are doing their best to provide for the family.  Tarek worked in a restaurant for a short period then he worked in a battery shop but the income was insufficient and he couldn’t depend on it for a living. He had no choice but to work as an employee just to ensure a monthly source of income.

While his elder brother Toni is a married man and a father of two; a girl (9 years old) and a boy (7 years old) and he is the sole breadwinner. He used to work in a factory but his modest salary encouraged him to find a better job. 

In 2014, Toni had an opportunity in Lebanon, he immediately traveled hoping to improve his situation, and worked in a restaurant for five years until the economic circumstances became very bad and he was no longer able to stay there. When he returned home, he didn’t find a job so he started working as a salesman, he sold cotton clothes but that was exhausting, he thought a lot about another way to provide for his family and at the same time, guarantee him better work conditions away from sweltering summers and freezing winters. 

Toni and Tarek decided to start a project together by opening a cotton clothes shop so that they could support each other and improve their living circumstances. Unfortunately, they were unable to afford the costs of implementing a new business during this hard period of unstable prices. 

Supporting this project will make a great change in the lives of two families and help the two brothers to take their first step towards a brighter future.