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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

George, a husband and loving father, faced numerous challenges in his life. Living in Al-Maamoura village, he cherished his family of seven, which included his wife, four daughters, and a son. However, life had presented him with a unique responsibility: caring for one of his daughters who suffered from an intellectual disability. Her condition required constant attention and specialized care, including permanent medications.

To support his large family, he worked as a farmer, tending to his land and reaping its bountiful harvests. Additionally, he collaborated with his brother, jointly managing a neighborhood grocery shop. Despite his tireless efforts, George's income proved insufficient to meet the needs of his family, particularly the mounting medical expenses for his daughter.

One of George's valuable assets was his almond land, which he skillfully cultivated using his tractor. However, over time, the tires on his machine had worn out, rendering it unusable. Unable to afford new tires, he was forced to rent a tractor whenever he needed to plow his land. The additional financial burden made it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

Determined to improve his situation, he discovered a glimmer of hope in the form of the Micro Projects Program. Seeing it as a remarkable opportunity, he promptly applied, hoping to purchase new tires for his tractor.

After careful consideration, George's application was accepted, and he received the needed assistance from the Micro Projects Program. He purchased new tires for his tractor, restoring its functionality and eliminating the need for costly rentals. This vital improvement enhanced his productivity, allowing him to maximize the yield from his land.

Through the support of the Micro Projects Program, he not only acquired new tires for his tractor but also revitalized his hopes, nurturing a brighter future for his loved ones.

Ajinar's passion for nutrition led her to pursue a degree in the Faculty of Health Sciences, specializing in the field. However, upon graduating in 2014, she faced a harsh reality: the lack of financial resources to start her own dietitian clinic. Undeterred by the obstacles, she turned to online platforms, offering her expertise as a dietitian through social media consultations.

While this allowed her to continue practicing her profession, the lack of a stable income meant that she had to explore other job opportunities. She worked tirelessly, seeking financial independence, but each endeavor proved unsustainable, leaving her with minimal earnings. Despite these setbacks, she remained unwavering in her determination to create a better future for herself and her loved ones.

Hope was reignited when Ajinar learned about the Micro Projects Program. Filled with anticipation, she applied, envisioning a project that would not only provide her with a reliable income but also support her husband, Wahab, and help her ailing mother. The program became her beacon of hope, her chance to turn her dreams into reality.

When Ajinar received the news that her project was chosen for support, she was overwhelmed with joy. She exclaimed, "It is a dream that came true, after I lost hope." This new opportunity breathed life into her aspirations, fueling her determination to succeed.

With the assistance provided by the Micro Projects Program, she was finally able to establish her own dietitian clinic. Equipped with the necessary tools, she could offer personalized consultations to her clients.

The positive impact will extend beyond her professional success. Ajinar's stability will allow her and Wahab to create a nurturing environment to start a small family. They will now be able to provide for their needs, fostering a sense of security and contentment. Additionally, Ajinar's earnings will enable her to provide the necessary care and support for her sick mother.

Her story serves as an inspiration to others facing similar challenges. Today, she stands tall as a successful entrepreneur, a caring wife, and a loving daughter.

Hanna graduated from the pharmacy faculty in 2008, but it took him until 2019 to get the chance to open his own pharmacy in Al-Arman neighborhood. 

He lives with his mother in Fairouza village after losing the family's house in Wadi Al-Sayeh area in Homs, and he is the sole provider of the house.

In 2021, Hanna's father went through a health condition that required intensive care at the hospital, where he stayed for two weeks and unfortunately passed away. 

The treatment costs were a real financial burden that affected the pharmacy and weakened it since Hanna was unable to afford the increasing obligations and, at the same time, have enough financing to improve the pharmacy.

Hanna's passion and dedication towards his dream project are evident, supporting him to to get back on track will not only help him achieve financial stability but also ensure the sustainability of his pharmacy.

Malek first began working in the industrial area in 1988, where he learned the profession. His abilities grew over time, and he eventually began working with well-known car agencies, which allowed him to get specialized experience in fixing cars.

In 2011, the unsafe conditions in Homs, which were brought about by the cruel war, made Malek stay for two years without work since the company he was working for closed. He was finally able to restart a car repair workshop in 2013 with some basic tools, but due to a legal requirement, he had to relocate his business to the industrial area of Fairouza village.

Malek's project was approved, and he received the necessary support to purchase the needed devices and tools for his car repair workshop. With the new equipment, his business will expand, and he will be able to increase his income and ensure a good life.

Having more than one source of income has become vital as a result of the economic situation in Syria, which has made it difficult for people to meet their basic necessities.

The impacts of this crisis were affected Ghania and her husband Samir, and they even had to sell some of their belongings to survive, until she decided it was time to work and support her husband, who is her only family.

In 2019, she offered very basic at-home nail and skin care services and received specialized training in order to develop her skills. Later, a friend of hers assisted her by lending her some tools, and the two of them opened a salon and worked together. However, when Ghania's partner left the country, Ghania was in a difficult situation because she lacked the necessary tools to continue working on her own while also didn't have the money to buy them.

She closed the salon and resumed working from home, but due to her need of materials and equipment, she unfortunately, lost many clients. Samir left for Lebanon in an effort to improve their living conditions, while Ghania remained in their rented house in Fairouza village. 

The provided support will make a significant difference in the lives of Ghania and Samir. By helping Ghania reopen her salon, she will not only be provided with the necessary equipment to restart her business but also give this family a chance to make a better future.

As the eldest daughter in her family, Angel chose to work and rely on herself after she finished her studies at the engineering institute.

She lives with her father, who is a retired janitor; her stepmother, who works in an accessory store, and her brother and sister, who are students.

In a specialized salon, Angel acquired the necessary skills for nail care, but due to her family's challenging financial situation, she was unable to start her own project or afford to purchase the necessary equipment.

The ambitious young lady aspires to work and help in providing for her family to guarantee that her siblings get a proper education. She applied to the Micro Projects Program that supported her to have the main equipment, and began working at home, hoping for better days to come. 

Ahd and his wife are like many Syrian parents who have had to live without their children due to the devastating war. They have been separated from their children for years and are now living in their small house in Homs, hoping to one day be reunited with their family.

Ahd is the father of three, two sons and a daughter. Before the war, he worked for more than twenty years in a hotel, which ended with his retirement.

The family of five traveled to Lebanon seeking a better life; however, life there was not easy, and Ahd couldn’t find a suitable job for a man his age, so he went back with his wife Farida to their country, and his journey of finding work continued. Despite his extensive experience in the hotel industry, he struggled to find employment opportunities due to his age and the effects of the war on the economy. 

He has strong relationships with many traders, especially the owners of mini-markets and grocery shops, based on his former experience in the hotel, which encouraged him to apply for a mini pick-up truck that would allow him to provide a sufficient income for his wife and himself without needing any help.

He started delivering goods to these shops, and his business will expand to include a wider range of services. Ahd's hard work and dedication paid off, and he was able to provide a comfortable life for his family.

In the war-torn city of Homs, amidst the ashes of destruction, a resilient woman named Rimaz embarked on a journey of survival and hope. Widowed in 2011, she found herself shouldering the responsibility of providing for her two children, Mark and Malak. With unwavering determination, she embraced her role as a seamstress, utilizing her skills to repair clothes and make ends meet.

Living in a modest rented apartment, Rimaz's dreams of stability were shattered when their family home fell victim to the ravages of war. Undeterred, she tirelessly worked in sewing workshops gaining valuable experience. In 2020, she finally realized her dream of opening her own workshop.

However, the harsh economic situation that plagued the country was cruel to Rimaz's emerging business. After just two years, she was forced to close her workshop, selling off the machines she had once cherished. The loss of her livelihood left her and her children filled with despair. Rimaz sought solace in working at someone else's workshop, but the difficulty of transportation made it an unsustainable option.

Hope flickered anew when Rimaz discovered the Micro Projects Program, a ray of light that could reignite her dreams. She applied, yearning for the opportunity to reclaim her independence and secure a dignified living for her beloved children. With the support of the program, she aimed to reopen her workshop, where her skilled hands could fashion beauty from fabric once more. Rimaz's parents had offered a helping hand in the past, but her resilient spirit longed to stand on her own feet and provide for her family independently. Her vision was clear, she needed assistance to purchase the machines, a battery, and various sewing requirements.

With her workshop revived and the support of the Micro Projects Program, Rimaz resumed her work as a skilled seamstress and each stitch became a symbol of resilience and hope for her small family. 

Imad learned this profession from his father and developed his skills over time, he used to work with him before the military service that lasted for nine years.

He lives with his parents and brother; he immediately resumed working when he was discharged in order to help in providing for the family.

His craft heavily relies on electricity, which was the thing that hindered Imad's productivity during the current circumstances. He tried to carry on working while using an electric generator that he had rented, but he missed many work chances when renting was not possible.

Imad is determined to overcome the challenges brought by the crisis and achieve his goals, in hopes that with the new equipment, he will not only be able to provide for his family but also save up for his dream of working independently.

Elian, a construction worker who struggled due to the mounting financial obligations and lack of opportunities, thought of a way to increase his income and added another service to his work, which involves lifting construction materials with a mini-winch that he bought with some friends' assistance.

He lives with his brother Adel after their parents passed away and all of their siblings got married and went into their own lives.

But Elian's inability to generate a sufficient income was actually hindered by the lack of electricity, and he couldn't afford the cost of an electric generator.

He wanted the generator to continue working because, as he gets older, his construction work will become more difficult and exhausting, and the mini-winch will ensure he has a source of income because it requires less physical effort.

Shireen represents the strong working woman and the selfless mother who devoted her entire life for her family and didn’t give up no matter how hard the circumstances were.

She is married and the mother of three children, two boys and a girl, and her family is originally from the war-torn village of Al-Qaryatein. 

2015 was the year Shireen and her family were kidnapped by the armed groups that attacked their home village and deprived them of the peaceful life they used to live. Fortunately, they were able to escape and make it to Fairouza village, where they began to rebuild their lives from scratch, just like many other displaced families.

Today, Shireen shares a home with her husband, who is an employee, her only daughter, who is a high school student, her mother-in-law, and her brother-in-law, while the two sons left to find their own paths. She couldn't just stand by and watch, so she made the decision to utilize her sewing skills. Since the experienced seamstress has a long history of working in this industry both teaching and working in it. 

While switching between several workshops in Fairouza over the previous few years, working for others didn’t provide decent living for the family until she applied to the Micro Projects Program in 2022, where she got the needed support to buy the main machines and start practicing her profession at home.

Life was tough on Shireen and her family, and having a project will preserve her dignity and allow her to secure a better income.

Christine Fanouneh is 39 years old, she lives with her mother and brother in Jaramana, Damascus suburbs.

During her childhood, Christine lived in a very harmful environment as her father used to abuse her mother on daily basis in front of her and her sister, her brother was born with Down’s syndrome in addition to many health problems which made him in a continuous of medication and lots of love, care, and attention that the family was missing.

When Christine and her sister became adults, they stood in the face of their father defending their mother which angered him so he kicked them out of the house. Christine didn’t sit around feeling sorry for herself, on the contrary, she started working as a seamstress assistant and took care of the house expenses and her brother's medicine costs.

In 2009, Christine decided to start a job at a telecommunications company where she could meet people and have a social life until 2019 when she volunteered at the GOPA DERD organization.

During those years she kept working in sewing as a part-time job and managed to continue her education and graduate from the faculty of English literature.

Unfortunately, the health condition of her brother Elias was deteriorating and he needed intensive care that her mother couldn’t handle alone as she was not in a good mental situation and suffering from a lack of concentration due to the severe abuse that she was exposed to during her life with her husband, which forced Christine to miss many work days so she can be with her mom and brother.

Christine realized that she needs a job where she could manage her time and look after her family at the same time. She found her way to the micro-projects initiative and applied for a sewing machines, tools, and equipment that will enable her to have a new start in this field hoping that this opportunity will help her provide a proper income to look after her family.

Elie Istanboly, 30 years old, is like many young men of his age who had to spend years of the war facing dangers and horrors during their military service, and in Elie's case, it took nine difficult years of his youth.

Before the war began, Elie worked as a taxi driver and after he was discharged in 2019, he wanted to learn a profession so he could have a career for the future and make up for the previous years.

Elie started working at a metal casting workshop and in the afternoon, he continued working as a taxi driver trying his best to pay all his expenses and provide the living demands for his family.

However, the metal casting profession affected his health as he was exposed to lung poisoning due to inhaling poisoned gases. After his treatment, his doctor recommended that he doesn't go back to the same job because his lungs were damaged, and continuing in the same work might lead to serious outcomes.

But working as a taxi driver wasn’t enough to meet the livelihood costs because he had to give half of his income to the taxi owner, which forced him to sacrifice his health and face the dangers of keep working in the metal workshop for the sake of his family.

Elie was seeking any chance to improve his situation so he applied for the Micro-projects program for a taxi hoping that his life would change for the better.

Today after being funded to buy a taxi, Elie is delighted to have a project of his own. At the same time, he can work harder and improve his living conditions to provide his family and kids with a decent life.

Hassan Jolan, 33, didn’t have the chance to work or learn any profession after turning into his twenties because he was called for military service. He thought it would be a short period and pass in peace, but he did not know that a fierce war would strike his country to steal nine years from his life in which he had to be far from his family and friends under very difficult circumstances until his discharge in 2019.

He went home full of hope, got married to Suzan Altheib, and had adorable two kids who compensated him for the bitterness of wartime. During that period, he started to work as a taxi driver but he encountered critical conditions due to the corona virus and the restrictions that were followed by a huge increase in prices.

Unfortunately, no matter how long he worked, he kept suffering from the insufficient income and he became unable to handle the living expenses and his kids’ demands, especially since the taxi owner started to increase the rent which prevented him from having any additional savings.

However, even though all his relatives and friends were encouraging him to travel abroad, deep in his heart Hassan was praying to have a chance in his country, close to his parents and among his friends, and that’s what he got as he was funded with the taxi project that turned his life around as he has now a taxi of his own, and independence to have a better and sustainable income to improve his living conditions.

At the age of five, the life of Adeeb Haddad completely changed from a young child living in a safe environment with his parents to a homeless orphan moving from house to house.

His father's death in 2001 put his mother in a state of grieving and shock and also affected Adeeb who lost security and stability. Their financial conditions were very bad as his mother wasn’t working, so they moved to live with their relatives until his mother decided to marry and move with her husband to Homs.

Unfortunately, his stepfather was very cruel to him, while his mother was too weak to protect him so Adeeb moved back to his relatives' house and never saw his mother for the next eight years. Adeeb has suffered a lot from deprivation as his relatives were also living in extreme poverty; he was forced to leave school in the sixth grade and worked in cleaning bathrooms and washing dishes, or any other job he could find.

In 2017, Adeeb worked with his friend in a mobile maintenance workshop, where he found his interest, as he liked the profession and learned it quickly until he became well-known in his neighborhood for being a skilled maintenance worker. However, his friend wanted to travel, so Adeeb decided to borrow some money and buy the equipment from him to continue in the workshop alone which gave him the opportunity he was looking for to be independent and start his own project.

Adeeb was working in his shop seeking to improve his living conditions to get married, but no matter how hard he worked, that little dream kept becoming farther because the living circumstances were very tough, and with his modest workshop and old tools, he was unable to save money or improve his conditions.

With the help of micro-projects, Adeeb was supported with new tools and proper amounts of goods to enhance his work and income, hoping that after all those tough days, life will smile on him and he will be able to improve his situation and establish his own family.

Often, we are born to encounter many life obstacles, but the defining point is either giving up or challenging and accepting these obstacles and continuing our lives while we are full of hope and optimism, which was the choice of thirty-two-year-old Johnny Mardini.

Johnny was born into a humble family consisting of a hardworking father who worked day and night for the sake of his family and a loving mother who did everything she could to give love and care, especially since Johnny's older brother George suffers from a mental disability since birth that stopped his growth.

However, Johnny never hesitated to be responsible for his brother or his parents; so he learned the plumbing profession from his father and began to work with him at the workshops and at the plumbing store, trying his best to help with the household expenses.

unfortunately, in 2011 a fierce war broke out and stole Johnny from his family, as he was taken for military service to serve in conflict areas, where he used to be absent for many months without being able to communicate with his family, the thing that made them live in great fear and affected their health. After ten bitter years of suffering and life threats, Johnny was finally released in the year 2021.

After he returned, Johnny did not hesitate to work as a plumber, in the evenings he stayed with his father in the store and tried to give his brother the care he missed in his absence.

Johnny was striving to secure the most basic needs of the house, not to mention the monthly medicine costs for his parents, and despite his tight conditions and poor financial situation, his warm smile did not leave his face, and he kept hoping that life would reward him for his endeavors one day.

Indeed, this self-made man deserved the support of the Micro-project Program in Damascus, where his plumbing store was funded with the necessary equipment and materials that will increase his income and improve his living situation, in the hope it will reflect positively on his life and future.

losing her husband at the age of 26, and being responsible for a newborn baby at the same time is tough for any woman to handle, but Nancy Alshoufi decided to direct her love and care to her baby who will grow up without his father's support.

Her in-laws were also in great shock as they lost their son at a very young age, Nancy decided to keep living with them trying her best to look after them after their huge loss.

This young lady’s sacrifice had no limits as she took a full-time job to afford her son’s basic demands and at the same time help her in-laws with the house expenses. She also decided to finish her education at the faculty of translation as she is now in her third year continuing her journey in work and study with great passion.

In 2019, Nancy took a Micro project management course at GOPA and won funding for starting a small nuts shop in the neighborhood which will be additional income for her but unfortunately, the start of her project was in parallel with the Corona crisis in the country which led to a huge increase in the prices and the fund she got wasn’t enough for buying 20 percent of the shop’s goods and materials.

Yet, she kept trying with the help of her father to sustain the shop and manage its capital to buy new goods, but that became difficult as time passed because of the hard economic conditions of the last two years.

Although Nancy was struggling to make a balance between her living expenses and raising her son in good conditions, she didn’t lose faith in God who led her to apply at the micro-project office in Damascus and she was supported with the necessary goods and materials that will increase her income and ensure the stable and secured income.

Behind the great amount of sadness and calamities that Fahed has been through in his life, there is a loving, confident heart and a solid will to improve himself and save his family from their tragic situation.

Fahed Farah, 34, is a caring husband and father of two sons; Farah, born in 2017, and Charbel born in 2019. He lives along with his family in a dilapidated flat in Al-Dwalaa neighborhood.

At the beginning of his twenties, Fahed was called to the military service for eight tough years of his life, he had to face the most difficult conditions until his discharge in 2018. He was then facing a harsher reality as his son was diagnosed with a brain tumor and needed to undergo a surgical operation which cost Fahed all his savings in addition to selling his wife’s gold jewelry.

Fahed was on the edge of a breakdown, but his will was stronger than his conditions, so he decided to defeat all the obstacles and start over. He returned to the physics college to continue his education in the morning, and in the afternoon, he started working as a taxi driver and a physics tutor at the same time, trying his best to secure the living demands and his son’s medications for misfunction in the Hypothyroidism which led to lack of growth.

Sorrowfully, such an effort didn’t improve his situation because half of his income was going straight to the taxi owner and he was looking for a miracle to save him from his hardship.

Now, after applying to the Hope center to have his own Taxi, Fahed is determined to improve his livelihood, finish his university study and provide his family with decent living circumstances.

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.

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.  

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.

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.