My name is Iskandar Shamo, I am a 42 years old man, married to Josephine; she is 43 years old school teacher, I live with my wife and her mother in their flat in Al-Jabryeh area. We do not have children yet, but I am responsible for helping my mother-in-law, and hopefully soon we will have children. I worked as a taxi driver from 2006-2016, on a rented car, the owner asked for a high percentage from the profits so I quitted. then in 2016, I left to Lebanon hoping for a better life there and looking for a job, I worked in fixing cars for two years, but the livelihood expenses there are very high so we decided to return back to Syria. Now I work as a school bus driver, which is good, but in the summer, I become without a job, so I will be unemployed for almost 3 months and my wife will be the sole provider for us. I want to have my own taxi to work on, in order to guarantee a stable income.

Many craftsmen took it upon themselves to restore their workshops in the area of Bustan Al-Basha, and Pierre Ghazzi is one of them. 

Pierre is a 57 years old single man, who lives with his mother Olga and takes care of her, and recently his brother and nephew moved in with them. each of Pierre and his brother are workshops owners in Bustan Al-Basha. 

When armed groups took over the area, they forced all the craftsmen to leave their workplaces by force and Pierre wasn’t an exception. 

During war time, Pierre’s brother went to check on their shops and what he saw broke his heart and took his hope; the walls were perforated, it was clear that soon enough they’ll either collapse or the equipment inside will be robbed, but getting them out of there was impossible. Their house also wasn’t safe, the missiles and bombshells were falling all around them throughout the years, but that didn’t make them leave, they endured all the hardships. 

During the war their source of income was from Pierre working on-and-off in the workshops of his friends, and from his brother’s salary, but that wasn’t enough to survive 8 years of war. 

When armed groups withdrew from the area, Pierre went back to his workshop, it was damaged severely, but the inhabitants of his building were one of the first to come back to their houses, and the repairments began starting from the infrastructure that was destroyed completely. Pierre paid for the rehabilitation costs himself but that made him unable to invest in purchasing new equipment and tools to replace the stolen ones. 

Pierre is now optimistic that the wheel of work is turning even if slowly, but he believes in a while all the workshop owners will return to the area and open their businesses. All he needs is a little help to repurchase the equipment and start working again and then hopefully things will turn around for the better.

My name is Aram, 35 years old. My wife Hala and I live with my parents in their flat in Aleppo. During the crisis in Syria I moved to Mashta Al- Heloo to escape from the war and to find a job that can make me earn my living, there, I met Hala, we got married, I rented a flat and started a new job. In Mashta Al-Heloo I worked with a person in fixing mobile phones, but later he wanted to quit, so I had to close the shop. I could not continue on my own because it was expensive. I tried to search for another job in the field of my experience, but I could not find one. I had a lot of responsibilities such as the rent cost and the basic needs of the daily life, but I could not afford any of them because I was unemployed. As a result, I had only one choice which is to go back to Aleppo with my wife to live with my parents. I sometimes work for some shops in repairing mobile devices, but they only call me when they gather a big number of devices that need to be repaired, this of course is no solution for the future. This project is the only hope to have a stable income and be an independent person.

Ibrahim Diab’s life can be described with anything but ordinary. 

The 29-years-old young man lives with his mother and father and his brother Michael, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy. Michael is not the only handicapped in the family, Lena his aunt, who has a similar condition moved in with them after her parents (who used to take care of her) passed away. 

From an early age, since 2008, Ebrahim worked in a company for elevators’ installment; the business which was affected dramatically due to the lack of electricity in the city. 

During the years of war, the mortar shells and missiles were falling in Ibrahim’s neighborhood, many neighbors lost their houses and cars, some of them even lost their lives. With every explosion sound, they were frightened, Ibrahim didn’t have to worry only about himself, but also about Michael who can’t walk on his own. Whenever shells would fall, Ibrahim would carry his brother on his back and takes him somewhere safe (like the building entrance downstairs). It was exhausting for the young man to carry the burden of the whole family on his own…His father works in house cleaning, which doesn’t pay him a lot. Of course, having two disabled members in the family doubles the livelihood costs, thankfully the church helps them with the medicines and other supplies needed for them. 

Ibrahim tries his best to support his family, when the business was having a hard time, his job was not constant nor his salary, he had to find another job besides the elevator installment job, hence for two years he worked in the JRS kitchen (2016-2018), but eventually he needs a better future plan. But because his brother heavily depends on him, he needs a flexible schedule to be able to be around in times of need. The flexible schedule also makes it possible to keep his on-call job in the elevator installment company, consequently, he will have 2 sources of income instead of one. 

For Ibrahim, owning a taxi would solve many issues, It’s both profitable and flexible. Maybe it’s time for caregivers like Ibrahim to be taken care of for once, this extra push is all they need to continue the unconditional care and love they offer to their community.

When you practice the same job day after day for more than 25 years, it doesn’t only turn to a daily routine but it also becomes a part of who you are.

That’s how we can describe Sarkis’s case. Since 1991, Sarkis Avakian (58-years-old) has been touring the streets of Aleppo city, driving the school bus, gathering kids to take them to their school every morning. Driving the school bus is the way Sarkis provides for his family of five; his wife Ani, his son Mesrop, daughter Aline and his 75-years-old mother.

To support the family’s livelihood the 26-years-old Mesrop works as an automobile’s electrician, Aline his daughter does her best too, she works part time to cover her expenses as she is still a college student. They are barely making things work depending also on the financial aid the church distributes.

During the war, the family was no exception from all the people that were affected, specially that they live in Al-Midan neighborhood which was targeted with all kinds of missiles and mortar bombs, being near the contact lines between conflicting forces… one day the inevitable happened; a missile hit Sarkis’s building... the lower floor was burnt off completely and four people died on that day… 

Luckily Sarkis and his family were safe, but their house was damaged, many cracks occurred in the walls, but with all the high costs of living they weren’t able to do the needed repairs, specially that Alice; Sarkis’s mother suffers from serious health problems, like heart and kidney failure which demand permanent medication, his wife also suffers from Thyroid insufficiency which requires medications, all of that put additional burden on Sarkis’s back.

In couple of years Sarkis will reach the age of retirement, that’s why he is thinking ahead and trying to have a plan B for his career. It’s how the idea of owning a taxi came to his mind. And since driving is almost his only career for more than two decades, it will suite him the best and at the same time it will improve his income significantly, that way he will be able to repair his house and support his family. 

My name is Ebrahim Darakji, I live with my sister Najlaa, she is a 42 years old single woman, and our mother Janet in our house in Azizieh area in Aleppo. I worked in the cotton clothes industry specifically underwear field since 2007, my shop was in Sheikh Maksoud and the work was great, I worked there till 2013 when the war started in Aleppo, Sheikh Maksoud was one of the first areas to be damaged by the war. In 2013, I left my shop with all the goods there, it was a shock and an unexpected loss for me. In 2014, I traveled to Safita, it’s a small village in the outskirts of Tartous city, and the most important thing that this area was relatively safe during most of the war time. I worked there as a distributor of the clothes from the main owner to the smaller shops. Unfortunately, in 2016 I was recruited in the military service in I spent two years in there till I was discharged in 2018. I heard about Micro Projects and I found it the opportunity that I am looking for to try and get back to work. My project is a cotton underwear shop, I need the shop rent and the goods to start my business, I chose this project because I have a lot of experience in this field and hopefully regain my life back.

A career in Aluminum joinery is a demanding job, it needs manual skills and physical strength, Kevork Demirjian Has been in this domain since 1980. He was a young man when he started to work in this craft and didn’t let go of it until this day. Although he has a great experience in this field, but he has not owned a workshop of his own. 

Kevork worked hard to provide for his family of four, things were okay and he was able to maintain a decent life for them, but the stability that he was trying hard to maintain was changed because of the war…

The Syrian war was accompanied by an economic crisis, which made the daily living expenses multiply by ten times…  and the burden of supporting four people from one modest salary became impossible. However, Kevork’s two sons rolled up their sleeves and found jobs to cover their own expenses and help their father; Sarkis the 23-years-old engineering student worked as an accountant, and Paul the 20-years-old English literature student worked in a sandwich shop.

Kevork is not the same young man as he used to be, one day when he can’t practice his job anymore, he’ll be left with no source of income considering that he doesn’t even have a pension, that’s what worries him the most. He doesn’t want to be a burden on his children, specially that they have their own future to secure in these hard times that the Syrians are going through. 

Kevork has an idea that might help him to increase his income, and at the same time an alternative career after retiring from his current job. A pick-up truck is something very much needed for transporting the products from the Aluminum workshops to the customer, and carry around the material.

Through his current job and his acquaintances in this field, the pick-up truck will be very useful and profitable, something that is related to his work and this way the family will very much benefit from this help.

Elias Masheq is a 64-years-old man who still has the perseverance to work and be an independent individual and a provider for his family.

He has four daughters with his wife Maria, all married too, leaving the old couple living alone in their house. But due to Maria’s health condition (heart disease and recent open-heart surgery) and the shells on their neighborhood, they were obliged to leave their house in Al-Midan several times, seeking refuge in their daughter house until the couple eventually settled in Maria’s sister house that is on a lower floor which is convenient for Maria’s health.

Anyhow, Elias had other problems too. The 64-years-old used to work on his mini pickup truck when the war started in 2012. All roads were shut over the city, which made it impossible for him to continue working in the driving job, in order to secure his daily bread, he started selling popular local beverages on his car, but later when winter came, he switched to selling homemade pickles tat Maria used to prepare to help make a living. However, it wasn’t long until the pick-up truck was broken down and Elias didn’t have enough money to repair it, so the car was parked for a long time and Elias had to continue working using a cart to sell his products around the city. 

Today, Elias is tired of wandering around the city his cart all day, as he himself is getting older and this kind of routine is exhausting. He is wishing to have his own taxi, it is the only thing he could think of that suits his age and condition, it provides a much better income for him and at the same time is more comfortable specially that Elias has a driving license that allows him to practice this job.

Being the sole provider in the family is a daily and straining struggle, George Saoud is a 41-year-old man and the head of his family, consisting of his wife Ramia, who’s a stay-home mom of their two teenage boys; Johnny (14 years-old student), and Abed (15 years-old), who sadly has a bone deficiency disease, which requires constant care and the monthly medical treatments.

George works in wall painting, he’s been working in that field for 17 years, but the economic crisis during war made it unprofitable, as it was not considered a necessary need, and the demand for it dropped significantly. It became insufficient for their house rent, medical bills, and the everyday increasing livelihood costs.

In 2014, George took a different job to improve his income; he worked on a mini pickup truck owned by a friend of his, this job sadly ended after just one year, when this friend wanted to sell the vehicle, so once again, George was looking for work, he worked part-time on his neighbors’ taxi in the morning shift, and even with that he was barely able to provide the minimum income for his family.

George feels that if he has his own taxi to work on, full time, he would at least double his income and can take a better care of his family.

Whoever sees Hikmat Homsi’s home can’t help but to wonder how Syrian civilians survived the war… from one single glance you can see the cracks and holes in the walls, and the newly replaced windows with the financial aid of (Nabni wa Nastamer).

The house is owned by Hikmat’s parents originally. Hikmat and his family; his wife Jemma and his teenage children Gerjos and Laura) used to live in it, spending many nights hiding in the internal corridor to feel safer while tanks are pounding outside. When living there became impossible they left like the majority of the residents. Hikmat wasn’t home when the family had to flee, he was in his blacksmith workshop in Khan Al-Asal; another area that soon became civilian free. He had to leave his workshop and relocate to another industrial area called Al-Arkoub which also faced the same destiny of destruction. However, working for many years in welding, and using the metal grinding wheel caused him health problems from the inhaled fumes, doctors prohibited him from practicing this profession ever again. 

Hikmat had to change his career completely to something more suitable for his condition. He found a job as a driver for a hospital, he took it despite the low salary because he had to provide for the family, but since their income didn’t cover their livelihood, he started a part-time job driving his friend’s taxi in exchange of splitting the profits.

During the time that Hikmat worked on the taxi, he got used to it and he made a lot of acquaintances and developed a list of regular customers, and on top of that, it was suitable for his health condition. 

Today, after going back to his house that he left in the years of war, he definitely needs the help and support to repair his damaged house. Owning a taxi will definitely increase his profit and upgrade his lifestyle overall

Milad Nakkoul is a 36-years-old man married to Vima. Milad and Vima chose to start a family at a young age, they have a 4-years-old Antonio and 2-years-old Ibrahim. When the couple started their family, the war had already started. Milad who used to work in a goldsmithing workshop lost his job due to war, then he was offered to guard the health care clinic of “St. Asia Al-Hakim” in Al-jdaideh street in the old city, it was convenient for him since he was about to get married, and the guarding job included residency. Shortly after, the old city became extremely dangerous, the armed groups entered the area and Milad had to leave the clinic immediately. 

Milad took his family and refuged to his in-law’s house, until he could find a solution, after a while he found a similar job, to guard a villa in al-Hamdanieh, so the family moved again to the new place which is a small room in the villa that Milad is looking after. When the work conditions became unbearable, both Milad and Vima were feeling exploited, they found themselves obliged to search for a new place to live.

When Milad found a job in guarding a building in Al-Sabil neighborhood, the couple were already exhausted from constant moving, specially that Vima was pregnant with her third child by that time.

Although the pregnancy news was exciting, but by the time of her birth Milad was informed that his services are no longer required and within a short notice he should evacuate the place.

Milad is now a father of three, with no stable job nor a place to live. And as much as he is grateful for the church’s help in securing an apartment for them temporarily, he is tired of being dependent on others. 

Having his own pick-up truck will make him break this cycle of dependency. And with his hard work and the support of his friends and family he will be able to provide for his family.

Hanna Saoud has the determination and the will power to pursue a better life after all the losses he’s been through. the 44 years-old man was unfortunately divorced, he lives now with his mother in a relative’s house after they lost their family house because of fraud and were crushed under the burden of rentals, all they were left with was his father’s retirement salary, and the income from his own job in wall paint. But because of the war his job wasn’t going well due to the lack of stability in the city overall. For a while, the church was helping them financially, especially that Hanna’s mother was sick and had to do an open-heart surgery, their expenses were magnified dramatically, the church also helps in securing the permanent medication the mother needs. Hanna needs to take action and reclaim control over his life, by upgrading his income, and in order to do that he applied for a mini truck to work on, hoping that in the future he could have his own house and live independently with his family.