Zohrab is a young man who had to face life's hardships at an early age, he left his education and started working when he was only 15 years in mobile and computer maintenance, to help his parents provide the daily needs.

He worked in this domain for about 4 years. He also worked as a vendor in a pharmacy for one year, then as he became 18 he was called for military service. Zohran spent the next ten years of his service in the electronics section, gaining experience in this field.

After the service finished, Zohrab submitted for an electronics maintenance course to improve his skills and follow the fast developments in this domain. He earned the certificate with an excellent degree. But he didn't have a personal laptop, so he started using the one in the clothes shop that he was working for to fix mobile phones.

Due to the hard living conditions, all the family members had to work to provide a decent livelihood, especially after the father passed away due to a heart attack, after all of the stress he went through trying to get a visa for his family, but only the younger brother was able to get the chance and travel to France.

Despite these harsh circumstances, Zohrab refused to give up. Instead, he focused on his goal of initiating his own maintenance work, so he rented a place with the church aid and applied to the Hope Center to purchase the needed equipment to become a freelancer and ensure a better livelihood and more stability of his business. 

Elias the owner of a car mechanics workshop who has been working in this field since 1985, gaining the skills and building good reputation in the industry. For two decades, Elias who is forty now has been the sole provider for his family who depended on him for their daily bread. 

Like any business this workshop was hit hard by the economy, Elias thought it was best to sell it and seek another opportunity abroad, but three months later he came back home regretting his decision but unknowing how to start over now that his business is all gone. Unfortunately, that loss was only the beginning, hardships were about to arise with the start of the war to make Elias' goal to regain his business even harder. 

The devoted man was willing to try everything; he worked in machine maintenance, selling fuel, he even worked as a driver for a private company; a job that turned out to be more dangerous than he ever imagined. While driving on his usual route, Elias found himself a victim of armed robbery and kidnapping that he miraculously outlived.

Losses burdened Elias' shoulders, but they never succeeded in hindering his will to go on. Despite all, he kept knocking on every door he came across and did his absolute best to get the workshop he always desired. 

The micro-projects answered Elias' prayers, and with the funds his long-lost dream of owning a car inspecting machinery drew his first steps on the track of work success and independence.

“Poverty matters when it’s related to the way of thinking, not to the financial situation…”

That’s how Garabet started his conversation…

This ambitious man did not let the hard conditions he faced stop him from following his dream and starting a lovely family, in addition, to initiating a job in Syria after years of living abroad.

Garabet lived in Lebanon for a long time, where he started his career as a sweets and pastries chef. Also, he worked for a Cinematography company, to ensure the family’s livelihood, as he was the only breadwinner for his family.

During this period, he made good money, but unfortunately, the his mother's illness forced him to pay a big portion of his savings for her treatment costs.

Further, he spent a lot of money from his savings on his wedding party, thinking that he would recompensate all those expenses when he returned to his job. But unfortunately, Covid-19 hit the scales, and soom Garabet found himself stuck in Syria with no work and no income.

He had a long experience, and a great amount of resilience within him, so he didn’t give up and bought a mixer and fridge by installments. He borrowed some equipment he needed, as well. He rented a workshop from the a church in exchange of a small cost and started baking.

The taste of his pastries is special, that once, when he didn't have a penny, he borrowed some money to pay for joining a fair, at the end of the fair, he didn’t only pay the money back, he profits exceeded the amount by the double.

Gearabet stilll needs an electric oven, which can increase his capacity, so when Garabet applied to the Hope Center, we were happy to support this persevering man in expanding his work and joining his journey of success.

Starting from scratch, losing his brother, serving in the military for four years, made being the sole provider for a whole family, seem nothing compared to all those agonies for Jamil. 

After he was discharged from the military. Jamil began taking care of his sick father, who was suffering from cancer for several years before losing his battle with illness. 

The death of his father and brother, those who were always supportive of him, caused him a big shock in his life. They used to work together in a blacksmithing, but unfortunately, due to the war, even their rented workshop was lost.

to top all of those struggles, Jamil and his wife, son, and his mother, were displaced from their house because it was in a very dangerous area. 

All these circumstances stole any hope of returning to their damaged house, and their workshop. Jamil had to do anything to meet his family's requirements. He worked as a cleaner, gardener, and salesperson. Later, he traveled for a while to Damascus, but he came back to Aleppo after two years of trying to seek an appropriate job.

After all this suffering, he decided to go back to his main profession, and specialize in manufacturing innovative designs of chairs and tables that were not used before, but Jamil still needed the necessary equipment to initiate such a business.

Applying to Micro-Project was a perfect choice because it’s the best way to receive the support he deserves to be a successful entrepreneur. 

It all began in 2014 when Moses, the father of Kaytana and Hagop, was walking back home late at night, making his way in pitch darkness, and suddenly fell into an 8m deep trench. the most frightening thing was the loss of his sight and knowing that if he would ever be rescued, he is going to be hospitalized to save his injured eye. Help was on the way, eventually Moses was thankful this nightmare ended, but he was still worried about his sight which was heavily damaged and didn't respond well to all the treatments.

For a photographer to lose his sight was devastating and catastrophic. Before the eye injury, he worked with his father in their photography shop, but after the incident his career's future was vague.

It took a lot of determination to get used to living with one eye, but this young man made his mind to save what he still had, especially that due to war he lost his rented house and had to move in with his parents along with his family.

With one eyesight, an old camera, and a lot of determination, Moses made his way back into photography which he was not willing to abandon, but it was extremely hard with the weary equipment. Things were getting overwhelming, but he needed hope to face the challenges ahead and it came in the form of a new camera.

The Micro-Projects initiative was the only way to purchase photography gear and save a career from an evident end. Moses now has a chance to build a better future for his family, a future full of hope.

The 34-years-old Yacoub spent most of his life building a career in car mechanics; from an early age, he worked in several workshops and attended many masterclasses to get acquainted with engines and latest methods, each and every step of the way, he learned new things adding to his growing experience. 

To achieve his goals, this fast-learning man worked in a specialized company which was sadly closed after one year because of the unstable situation in the country, but he did not give up, instead, Yacoub joined a course to focus more closely on car electronics, hoping that someday he will be able to purchase his own car inspection device and set.

Unfortunately, the odds were against him for so long; he had to postpone his dream of independence and worry about making a living from his modest job in a cars' body part retail shop until a good opportunity comes up, and indeed, he found the microprojects program to be the perfect chance. It all came together as his current job gave him the contacts and relations with the market, he discovered how much his income can improve if he obtains the car inspection device while having his first job. The combination of his skills in cars' retail and the inspection device will surely upgrade his lifestyle significantly.       

It is said that a mother spares no means to take care of her family and offer the best for her children and loved ones and sometimes does what seems to be impossible, like Siranoush. 

Siranoush's biggest challenge was the loss of her husband who passed away leaving her behind, to face life alone with no source of income no roof over her head and with the great responsibility of taking care of her disabled.

By the time her husband passed away she had already been through a lot, she had lost her house because of the mortar shells, and moved back in her parents' house and not only she settled in the house where she lived her childhood in but also she went back to practice sewing which she learned from her mother when she was little.

long story short, when Siranoush's financial situation was getting worse she decided to work from home on an old sewing machine even though that machine couldn't operate as she wanted, but having no money to replace it with a better one forced her to stick to what she had in hand.

When the outdated machine started to become an obstacle in the way of Siranoush's small business and started compromising the workflow it became a necessity for her to apply for the micro projects to be able to upgrade her sewing machine, especially that Siranoush's opportunities have increased due to her growing experience and the fact that her daughter also worked in the same domain, which meant that she could provide better job opportunities for her hardworking mother.

Eventually, Siranoush's micro-project turned out to be a family business, where all members of her family can participate in, even her son will help around despite his disability. That way Siranoush will become an independent breadwinner and live in dignity.

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. 

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.

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 . 

Ayman is a craftsman from Al-Dwair village, who was displaced with his family of six in 2012 and had to start over from scratch after their house got destroyed in addition to the cow farm, which was the main source of income for the family.

First, they stayed in a house in Al-Arman neighborhood with the help of the church then they moved to a rented apartment in Wadi Al-Sayeh neighborhood, where they settled down. The father of four works in floor grinding and polishing and this profession is the only way to provide for his big family but lately, Ayman has been facing the risk of losing his work due to the long electricity blackouts.

He became unable to operate the main machine needed for his work in the absence of power and couldn't afford to buy an electric generator, thus his productivity decreased and his income was negatively affected.

This initiative ensured Ayman a more efficient work by getting the required equipment, and helped him improve his family's situation.

Miro learned about crafts from her husband Fadi, who has been working in this domain since 1990, they continued working together despite all the tough circumstances they've gone through. 

The couple used to make accessories together, then Fadi started selling them in his shop, in addition to distributing their handmade products between Homs and Hama cities. 

When her husband started to suffer from heart problems and went through surgery, Miro became the one responsible for their two children; the family sold their land in the village and spent all of their savings on the treatment costs. The financial crisis affected the work but thankfully, when Fadi's health started to gradually improve, Miro was able to focus on running their business again. 

The huge inflation weakened their ability to buy the essential materials for work, that's why Miro applied for some important materials and a few simple tools, which would be enough to help her revive the project that has been her family's only source of a living.

Now, Miro resumed designing and making beautiful accessories, while Fadi is helping her to market her handmade products based on his wide relations, they're both supporting each other just like they've always did to guarantee their children the best life. 

George is a single man who lives with his parents and two brothers, he worked as a wall painter since 2005 and he gained great experience in this profession.

Lacking most of the essential equipment was a barrier that prevented him from accepting many offers, lest not being able to finish the needed work on time. 

George continued working with the available tools and he used to rent the needed equipment, especially the electrical generator and air compressor, because buying all the requirements was not an option due to the high prices and the hard circumstances of life under the economic crisis, which stood in his way of improving and expanding his work scope.  

George applied to the Micro Projects initiative for the essential equipment to enhance his work and income, hoping to change his situation for the better and support his family. 

Shadi worked as a wall painter since 1995, throughout his long career he worked between Syria and Lebanon, which helped him gain a great experience in this profession. 

Being the only supporter for his wife and two children in addition to his parents, when his father was diagnosed with cancer, Shadi's family moved to stay with him to provide the needed care. 

In 2011, the war started in Syria and all of Shadi's tools were stolen, the only option left for him during that time was to travel and work in Lebanon, but unfortunately, that didn't last for long due to the financial crisis there.

Staying without a job for a long time was impossible for Shadi who is responsible for a big family; he immediately started working with someone as a partner using his equipment, but when their profits became insufficient, the partner decided to work by himself leaving Shadi in a critical condition.

His father's disease, the high costs of renting the essential equipment, and the growing needs of his family, all increased the pressure on Shadi's shoulders, having the equipment became a necessity to guarantee a dignified life.

This initiative helped in alleviating a big part of Shadi's burdens, now with the needed tools he can work independently and improve his living situation. 

Khalil is a craftsman from Homs, his career started in 1984 with great skills in electrical and plumbing installation. 

He is a married man and a father of three sons, his family lived peacefully in a simple neighborhood called Bab Al-Sebaa until the Syrian war came along; the family decided to leave their home for a while in hopes that the situation stabilizes, they stayed for six months in a village near Homs with his parents-in-law.

Khalil's job was in the city, and being the sole breadwinner for a family of five, they had to move back and rent an apartment in a safe area. Bab Al-Sebaa neighborhood had witnessed a lot of terrors and the family's house there was stolen and damaged, but despite all the harsh circumstances, they waited impatiently to return and repair their home.

Unfortunately, Khalil and his wife's attempts to protect their children couldn't change their fate; in 2013, their eldest son Shibly was martyred by a shell at the age of 19, the hideous war took their beloved son and the grieving family needed many years to process his sudden death.

Lately, the economic crisis in Syria has deepened even further and Khalil's business was affected greatly, just like many by the severe lack of electricity, which reflected negatively on his income because he was unable to meet all of his clients' orders on time. 

All that encouraged Khalil to apply for an electric generator and some essential equipment, hoping to get the support he needs to gain his customers again and improve his family's source of livelihood.

Mounira is a seamstress and a fashion designer from Homs, her career started in 2011 when she decided to make her first step in turning her passion into a business. 

Mounira, a married woman with three children; a son and two daughters, this resilient mother had enough courage to launch her own project and support her family, when her husband, the only provider of their home, lost his job in a phosphate mine. 

With some simple machines at home, Mounira designed and sewed many beautiful clothes for ladies and kids, the demand for her unique work started to grow and her clients increased, so the skilled seamstress opened a small workshop near her house. Her productivity, just like many activities in Syria was negatively affected by the severe lack of electricity, which had always been a barrier in her way of developing her micro-business as she was unable to buy some important tools which cut a big amount of her profits because she didn't have the financial ability to buy a clothes' iron, while all she had in mind was ensuring her family a decent income.

Now that Mounira has a well-equipped workshop, she will be able to improve her family's only source of livelihood and do what she really enjoys.

With more than 25 years of experience, Osama worked in wall painting between Homs and its villages; the skilled painter has been always known for the quality of his work, and his great reputation wherever he goes.  

Back to the pre-war period, the small family had to leave their house in Homs to escape the dangers of war; they moved to Fairouza village where they stayed for 7 years before they were finally able to return home. 

Four years ago, Osama rented an apartment in Wadi Al-Sayeh area after the situation had stabilized in the city. He took his mother back home and immediately resumed his work using some simple tools, but lately, lacking the essential equipment in addition to the severe power shortage cost him many work opportunities because he was unable to finish his work on time.

Osama found in the Micro Projects initiative the perfect opportunity to get back strongly to the profession he loves and masters and ensure his independence. he applied for the needed tools and requirements which will increase his income and help him get back again on his feet. 

The brutal war denied Subaih of living his childhood like all other children of his age. In August 2011, when he was just 15-year-old, Subaih witnessed his father's kidnapping, he was taken away with his mini pick-up truck and since that day, no one heard from him and Subaih became the only provider for his mother and younger sister Hana (18 years old).

He started to work and study at the same time for three years; he used to finish school at 1:00 p.m. and then work in a restaurant between 4:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. every day. 
In 2014, Subaih graduated from high school and studied at the Technical Institute for only 2 months, then realized that he wouldn't be able to continue because of the increasing financial burdens and the exhausting daily routine he had been living, so he had to quit his education and work in his father's old profession as a floor tiler. 

In 2017, Subaih traveled to Lebanon seeking better work opportunities, but the situation there got worse, so he returned home in 2019 and resumed working in floor tiling with other craftsmen and which of course consumed a big amount of his income that he had to split with them.

Subaih has always dreamed of having his own pickup truck, that would ensure his work independence and secure the family with good income for a better livelihood. 

Firas's journey of searching for a career started in June 2020 when he finally finished his nine-year military service, he felt like he lost his best years when he was supposed to be establishing for his future. 

Firas is a single man living with his parents and two brothers, during his military service, he used to work on a rented mini pick-up truck whenever he had the opportunity just to cover his own daily expenses. However, the renting costs began to significantly increase and became a huge financial burden, while not having a former experience in any profession or craft forced Firas to become a construction worker with a modest salary in order to help provide for his family.

Driving is Firas's only skill, thus, a mini pick-up truck will allow him to have a sustainable source of livelihood, especially since he is thinking about starting a family of his own. 

Back in 2007, Ziad went with his father to the construction site for the first time and started learning about floor tiling, his father's great skills helped him to enrich his experience and quickly it became his way to provide a living. 

Ziad lives with his parents, his sister, and brother at their home in Al-Hamidia. In 2012, they had to leave their city and flee to Fairouzah village where they spent the next seven years until they were able to return home and repair their damaged house with the help of a local association, trying to start over again. 

Ziad and his father resumed working, but during the country's difficult economic situation, splitting the profits between them was insufficient, and their income became too little for the family's growing needs and for Ziad to establish his own life. The only option he had was finding another job to secure a livelihood; he worked with other floor tilers, and sometimes he borrowed the essential equipment from them to finish the tasks. 

Having his own equipment will allow Ziad to work independently and ensure a better income, as he doesn’t have to split his profits with others. He will finally have the chance to settle down and focus on his future. 

Nekoula moved to Homs dreaming of a better future, the young man left his home village at the age of 18 and headed to the city searching for new opportunities. 

He worked in many professions until 2007, at first he worked for a well-known hairdresser and started learning this skill, which later became his passion. After 4 years of practicing, he decided to open his own salon but unfortunately, the cruel war was in his way. like many Syrians, Nekoula lost his job whereas his village Al-Hamra had its share of terrors too; his elderly parents fled to Homs and stayed with him.
Being their sole provider, he worked between houses to secure the necessary needs until the situation in the country improved a bit and he was able to work for another hair salon in 2017. 

While staying in Al-Sabeel neighborhood, he noticed that there were no hair salons in the area which encouraged this ambitious man to rent a small place and start his project to fulfill the clients' needs.

Nekoula's salon served ladies from the whole surrounding area but unfortunately, he couldn't afford to buy an electric generator, which affected his productivity and deprived him a big amount of his profits. He applied for an electric generator to save his only source of livelihood, especially with the requent blackouts, and achieve his independence. 

As long as you keep smiling in the face of your difficulties, life will reward your great hope. 

Simon Tannous is 44 years old, he is married and has two adorable girls, Hala born in 2008, and Lana born in 2013.

Simon and his family live in a small rented flat in Kashkoul and he also works in his mini-market in the same area.

He was an employee as a driver at the construction administration in Damascus since 1996, but his low income wasn't matching his living expenses which made him decide to have additional income, he started his own mini-market shop in 2010 where he used to work in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, after about three years of the war’s outbreak, the violent acts spread all over and as a result, the armed groups robbed and vandalized his shop which cost him many losses.

Yet, Simon didn’t hesitate to borrow some money and buy new goods to keep the work going which annoyed the troublemakers in the area and they reported him to the police station for selling alcoholic drinks illegally. That cost Simon five years of his life in prison until the church intervened to prove his innocence and he was set free in 2019.

After his release, Simon’s health was affected badly as he was suffering from Back disc pains which made him quit his job at the administration and returned to work at his mini-market.

During the last years, Simon’s family survived with the support of the church’s relief aid and the help of their friends and relatives. Simon couldn’t provide his shop with new goods to improve the work and increase his income.

However, despite all the difficulties he has been through, Simon’s smile never disappeared and he kept praying for a better future. Indeed, his hope wasn't disappointed and with the help of the Micro-project program, he was supported with a proper amount of goods that will increase his income and improve his situation.

Sometimes the only thing that can keep you fighting, is believing that one day everything is going to be better.

Najeh Ajaiby, 52, has never stopped believing that good things are coming on his way.

he is originally from Egypt and came to Syria in 1997 looking for better work opportunities, so he started to work in his profession as a carpenter in different workshops. Soon after he got married to Samar AL-Abdoun and had three children Ruba, Fadi, and Mina.

Najeh worked hard for many years in Al-Swaida until he became able to establish his own carpentry workshop in 2009 in the same area. His wife and kids were living in Damascus so Najeh was planning to move his workplace there to be close to them but in 2011, the war started in the country and the deteriorating security situation in the area prevented him from moving. For more than ten years, Najeh was forced to be far from his family working as hard as he could to secure all their living needs and provide his kids with proper education to secure their future.

Indeed, his daughter Ruba is studying now at the Engineering college, his son Mina is in the faculty of Medicine while the other son Fadi has won a scholarship to study flight engineering in Moscow.

Even though Najeh was delighted to see his kids succeed in their studies, he had to work harder to meet the increasing costs of living which were unbearable, especially within the electricity blackouts situation in the area which affected his work directly as his customers started to deal with other workshops which have electric generators and can do the work on time.

Now after being financed with the electric generator and the necessary equipment, this self-made man has the chance to improve his work which will change his situation for the better and secure decent living conditions.  

Wadie Abou Assaleh, a 60-year-old man, is married to Claire and they have two sons George who since his born in 1994 suffers from a mental disability, and Elias born in 1991. 

From 1985 to 2011 Wadie worked as a goldsmith along with his brother at their workshop but after the outbreak of the war, their profession was affected badly. Hence, his brother traveled abroad and Wadie was forced to close the workshop and work as a private driver for an archbishop on the Damascus-Beirut international road which provided him with a decent income during the years of war.

Wadie dedicated his life to the sake of his boys as he provided his son George with all the love and care he needs; he wanted to support his son and prove to him that disability is not an inability, so in 2012 he rented a mini-market near his house and filled it with goods so his son could do something valuable and be socially involved with the people every day.

His other son Elias traveled to Erbil but he couldn’t’ find a proper job and Wadie had to send him money every month to secure his living. Unfortunately, by the end of 2019, the corona epidemic affected the situation all over the world and the travel movement stopped between Syria and Lebanon which left Wadie jobless.

His son Elias was also in a bad financial situation in Erbil and wanted to return to Syria so Wadie had no choice but to sell his car to pay him the military service fees.

Although Wadie started the market to enhance his son's social abilities, now even with its poor amount of goods, it became the only source of income for the whole family. Giving him the chance to renew his goods will help him overcome all the tough days and allow him to improve his family’s situation.

Whenever you go to Al-Dwalaa neighborhood, you see Mousa Barhoum smiling, full of determination, standing beside a small kiosk next to the sidewalk from early morning hours until late evening, selling goods, on one leg after losing the other due to a health problem.

Mousa was working as a maintenance and procurement worker in Al-Mashrabiya restaurant in Bab Touma, his income was good enough to meet his family's expenses and his daughters’ education. But In 2015, Mousa suffered from vascular ischemia in his right foot, and his condition was so bad that doctors had to amputate it; this incident was a turning point in Mousa’s life, losing his only source of income, as he had to stay at home for a long period to recover.

Shortly after, his wife was diagnosed with cancer, and she had to undergo a surgical operation with a long treatment that is still ongoing until this day. These misfortunes are enough to lead any person to lose hope in life, but Mousa‘s faith was strong, and he did not allow despair to creep into his life.

“Life is like a book. If you never turn the page, you will never know what the next chapter holds.”

Mousa received a little help from his friends and the Red Cross supporting program, he was able to start a small kiosk in Al-Dwalaa neighborhood and he became known for his good reputation and his kindness to everyone.

Unfortunately, his goods weren’t enough to cover his expenses and improve his work at the same time, so he started to spend all his profits to secure his family’s needs without being able to renew the goods.

With the help of the Micro-project program, he was supported to have enough quantity of goods that will enable him to increase his income and stay optimistic with a hopeful smile on his face. 

In 2010, Tony left his village and headed to the city of Damascus with hope and determination to make a change in the life of his family. He settled in Al-Dwalaa neighborhood and started to work in any available job and send most of his wages to his mother and brother who suffers from sight disability. 

Unfortunately in the first years of the war the security situation in Damascus deteriorated badly, and soon after, he was asked to serve in Hama.

Tony accepted the bitter reality and for more than eight years he served in very dangerous zones, went through several hardships, and survived many calamities. Yet, he didn’t let his situation bring him down, on the contrary, he learned the hairstyling profession and while he was serving in Hama, he worked at Marmarita village then when he was transferred to serve in Damascus, he continued his work there and gained good experience by the leading of professional hairstylists in the area.

The day that Tony was looking forward to, had arrived and he was discharged from the military service. He didn’t hesitate and started to work many shifts during the day to improve his financial situation, he wanted to save money to have his own salon, but his family’s situation wasn’t stable and he was sending them money every month to secure their basic living demands.

Tony’s dream of being independent and having his private job was fading away with the increasing costs of living, but he kept on the hard work until he heard about the micro-project program so he came with all hope asking for support.

Now, after being financed with the necessary equipment and the electric generator, Tony has finally reached his goal; having his own salon, and being independent to mprove his living circumstances.

Salwan Alnasr is 43 years old, married to Rita with a 13-year-old son called Jack.

Salwan and his family live in a modest rented flat in Al-Dwalaa, He used to work as a tile setter for more than 13 years. Despite the fact that his work was very hard and affected his health on the long term, he kept working to afford the best life for his family because during the crisis years, no matter how hard he worked, his income didn’t level up with the high costs of livelihood.

Unfortunately, in 2017, Salwan started to suffer from severe pain in his back and the doctor told him that he has to go through surgery that he couldn’t afford, but “the Good Shepherd Association” covered the surgery’s costs and after the operation, he had to stay for about 18 months in bed rest. During that period, Salwan had to spend all his savings to afford the basic living needs and after his recovery, his brother helped him to start a small shop close to his house where he could be able to support his family without much physical effort.

He worked in the shop with his brother until his traveling in 2020 when Salwan took the responsibility of running the shop by himself and he became very popular in the neighborhood as people got used to buying from him.

However, due to the Corona and the huge increase in prices, Salwan couldn’t support his shop with new goods, and day after day it became empty besides a few materials that were left on the shelves. Salwan was in a bad financial situation and he wasn’t able to make a balance between his income and his family’s living demands. 

“Don’t let life bring you down. Remember that God gives you struggles to test your faith.”

Salwan’s faith was stronger than his struggles, and now after being supported by the micro-project program he is able to support his shop with a good amount of goods and products to improve his income and restore his life balance.