Joining the military can be a good experience for some people, but for others it can be a terrible mistake.

Antranic said: “My biggest fear was to lose my job, I knew it would happen after I had been there for 9 years and not being able to work during my vacations.”

He is 29 years old, recently discharged from the military, and lives with his parents. He had no idea what to do, nor was he able to manage between his job and the army. He decided to open a clothing store.

Antranic lives with his mother, who works in cooking, and his sister is a teacher at an institute, and, as for his brother, because of his disability, he cannot work. His father was shot in the war and died shortly after due to poisoning.

His previous experience working on a metal lathing machine for 7 years was not gone to waste; he has not forgotten anything, on the contrary, he has high motivation.

All he wants is to work again on metal lathing machines. And he was so grateful when he was accepted into Micro-Projects, now he is looking forward to securing a better income and getting back to his main career.

The skills and experience you gain from traveling abroad can give you life-long personal benefits as well as an advantage in the professional world.

Garabet,68-year-old man, father of two daughters, traveled to Canada in 1986 for more than 7 years where he worked in the same field on the brake lathing machine and then returned to Aleppo after gaining great experience.

He said: “travelling abroad is an amazing way to learn a lot of new things”. Before the war, he had his own rented factory with his partner in addition to owning all the necessary machines. Everything was going well before the war started, and he was the main provider for his family.

After losing all his machines, Garabet did not give up despite his 40 years of experience in his career. Day after day, the financial burdens were getting heavier and he did his best to guarantee his family a good life.

Now, Garabet is working in his workshop but still needs the lathing machine. This new machine will greatly develop his work and encourage him to accept bigger opportunities and, thus, increase his income.

“We had a silver crafting workshop that my father had to sell to secure my treatment expenses” Samuel said.

Since Samuel was young, he suffered a lot from his colon and, because of the high treatment costs, his parents spent all their savings to be able to treat their son.

Samuel,32 years old, is a married man who has a beautiful child, and he is the only provider for his family. They live in a borrowed apartment from his uncle.

“My father helped me to choose what I wanted to become in life. I preferred to learn about his career in 2012 and become a silversmith." After going to the military for two years and being discharged due to his disease, Samuel got married and left his father’s workshop to open his own place and make more income but he needs the tools and equipment which are very expensive these days, and he cannot buy them on his own.

With the aid of the Hope Center, he was able to get his own equipment and, due to this financing, the profit would increase 30% and he can be able to make his way through life with all hope and determination.

If you want to improve something in yourself, you should work hard for it

Alice learned how to sew from her mother when she was just a kid on her mother’s old and small sewing machine, it was the first step for Alice on the path of this career.

Now after many years she is a mother of two children, her son works on lathing machine with his father in a friend’s workshop and her daughter works as an accountant.

Alice said that “when you spend time with people who are working on similar things as you do, you’ll see that your self-growth happens faster than you think” so in order to develop her skills, she recently started working in a sewing workshop, in addition to submitting for many courses.

During the war her husband was working in Al-Arkoub industrial area, but he had to leave the shop in a hurry due to shelling and stayed without a work for 6 months. Alice's mother lived with them too. Because of the high cost of living and the insufficient salary to face these difficult conditions, Alice encouraged herself to search for a job in the field she loved.

With the new sewing machines Alice will achieve her dream of getting her independence by working from home, this support from the donors will make a positive impact on the family's life. 

Wahid a father of three children who had been working for 40 years in industrial electricity, winding motors, control panels, cooling and air conditioning for laboratories.

Before the war, He worked in a rented workshop in Al Sheikh Maqsoud area, fully equipped with tools that unfortunately, were stolen during the war. In 2013, a mortar shell fell next to their house and because of this incident the whole family moved to Al-Kimah Village with the help of their relatives to settle there.

He is currently working in Homs and Tartous. But he needs a new kit because his kit is old and the limited tools deprived Wahid of many good work opportunities.

This project is really important for him for the sake of establishing stability in the city of Aleppo and to be able to afford submitting his children in schools because it has become very expensive. Thanks to the micro project he returned to work again, hoping to gain new customers and increase his income.

Krikor is a 41 years old man from Aleppo. He never wanted to leave Syria, he thought the war would not take too long, but then his family decided to leave the country and stayed in Lebanon for ten years trying to travel to Canada.

They had a car furniture upholstery workshop in Al-Ramouseh, but when the war in Syria destroyed Krikor's workshop, he and his family decided to sell it because they did not have enough money to restore it after being so damaged.

Losing all their resources of income while searching for safety was the hardest part for this family, with the help of his relative who offered a workshop to work in for free, Krikor and his father were able to buy a small machine for their work, given that Krikor originally learned the business from his father 25 years ago.

He needs to buy two car upholstery machines, and he is also trying to get his old customers back. He applied to the Micro Projects Program, asking for a supporting hand, hoping that this new project will allow him to build a promising business. 

Michael’s father was kidnapped by the armed groups for 21 days, during which he was wounded in the eye and became blind.

This young man,37 years old, newly married, worked on sewing machines, from 2001, making chair covers for more than four years, then moved to Sheikh-Maksoud and worked with his brother until the war came around when all his sewing machines were stolen, there was nothing left for him, and he had no work for about a year.

He is currently working in a workshop, sewing curtains for cars and recently moved to a rented house and now he has some customers to begin his own project.

Unfortunately, the unstable prices were a real obstacle in his way. He is still striving to work and secure his own expenses so that he doesn’t need anyone’s help.

Michael is very enthusiastic and self-confident, he wants independence and better income. Now he has a well-equipped workshop, he’s ready to use his experience and passion to maintain a thriving business. 

Youssef served in the army for two years, and after his discharge he was recalled for reserve service, which lasted nearly nine years.

After returning he tried to work on a lathing machine then he began to work intermittently as a painter.

Youssef spent most of his savings due to the high cost of livelihood. His older brother works on a lathing machine, and he is the only one responsible for the household expenses.

His father does not work, but he has a shop in Bustan al-Basha that needs renovation; he was shot in the back by a sniper at the beginning of the crisis and could no longer work because of the chronic injury, so he began to rely on his children in terms of income.

When he heard about the Micro Projects Program, Youssef found a glimmer of hope, and after having his own taxi, Youssef is now working hard to improve his income and secure a decent living.

“We left our home dreaming of getting to Canada, where I was told that I would find a job to be able to take care of my family, but then we went back to Aleppo because we couldn't adapt.” Joseph told us his story when he took his family to flee from the shells that fell on their home, in search of safety.

During war the family house was hit by heavy shelling in Al-Suleimanie incident, which led to the wife's mental illness. so they moved to live in Tartous for two years, and then returned to Aleppo again.

Joseph old workshop for cars electrical maintenance was located in a dangerous area, that's why he decided to sell it before traveling to Canada. Upon his return, he tried to work with some simple tools that he was able to buy in his rented workshop.

Adding a lathing machine will increase his income and today, Joseph is trying to overcome his loss with a little help and a big hope.

Bassem 51 years old lives with his wife and daughter in a rented house in Aleppo, after they have lost all their property in the village of Al-Jdayda at the beginning of the war. 

Before the war, he had a large agricultural land he relied on as a main source of income in addition to his work as a policeman. 

When the fighting reached the village, Bassem fled with his family to their relatives' house in Aleppo.

He started a new life in a new city to provide his family with their daily needs and to help his children finish their studies, especially after they suffered a lot from fear and anxiety, but it was not easy at all where they did not have any friends, and they were also subjected to internal displacement several times due to the many bombings.

After the end of the armed conflict in Aleppo, Bassem decided to retire from his work as a policeman and wait until things calm down in the village, but unfortunately, he had no idea about what happened to his lands and his house in there. He decided to take new job to improve the family's income, especially in light of the difficult conditions the city was going through, so he learnt how to mold rubber from his friend and worked together for five years.

Today after Bassem gained a lot of experience, he decided to open his own workshop and thanks to the donors, he has an independent business with good returns to face daily life, waiting for a better tomorrow, hoping to return someday to his beloved village.

Khalil 47 years old, lives with his old parents and two brothers. the youngest one has a disability and his parents have a lot of health issues due to their old age.Therefore, Khalil and his big brother are the main providers for the family; they have been working on Pickup-trucks since 2009. but life wasn't easy for them, last year, Khalil's vehicle was stolen in front of his house during the night and he lost his main source of income.

Khalil didn't surrender, his brother shared his vehicle and they took turns in shifts each with their acquaintances.

During the war, their home was damaged as a result of a shell falling on the building next to them. The financial situation of the family is very weak, especially after their house was damaged, his mini pick-up truck was stolen, and everything they owned was sold to cover livelihood costs.

The mini pickup truck will secure a good income especially with all the work opportunities he will get from his many acquaintances and this project will allow him to secure a decent life for his family, hoping to overcome all past hardships.

Hanna is the only provider for his wife, their two children, Maya and Fadi, as well as his elderly mother.

He has more than 35 years of experience as a floor tiler, which he has gained through hard work between Homs' urban center and its rural outposts.

Hanna had most of the essential equipment, but he needed some additional tools to improve his work since he was forced to stop working for four years during the war and spent all the family's savings to cover their needs. Later, he couldn’t afford to buy them, taking into consideration the economic situation in the country and the financial obligations of living that are growing continuously.

Hanna's productivity will increase now that he has everything he needs, especially the electric generator, in addition to the electric bike, which will allow him to save on the daily expenses he used to pay for transportation costs.

Samer fought cancer bravely after a painful battle in 2019 and resumed working in his profession as a floor tiler. He lives with his wife Ragheda who is, unfortunately, suffering from cancer too, in addition to their two sons Asaad (18 years old) and Ronny (14 years old). 

In 2012, Samer lost all of his equipment and in order to provide for his family, he started to buy used tools each time he had the chance, but they became worn out over years and negatively affected his work, however, what made things harder for him was not having an electric generator that is necessary for his work. At the same time, he couldn't afford to buy new equipment being the sole breadwinner for his family.

Samer applied for new equipment and an electric generator to improve his business productivity, which will enhance his income and allow him to ensure a better life for his family. 

Elias is a young man who was compelled by the cruelties of life to abandon his childhood and school to support his family when his father was diagnosed with a psychological disease.

The 11-year-old boy was forced to find a way to support his parents and sister; his mother used to be a seamstress, but she was sadly diagnosed with cancer, which stopped her from working, since her profession was tiring and she underwent a critical surgery.

Elias found that the best solution was to learn his uncle's profession; he stayed for 2 years in a village near Homs where his uncle lived and worked with him in his car repairing workshop.

Being the only son, he returned to the city of Homs to take care of his family, which counts on him; Elias had one goal that he focused on throughout the years, which was ensuring his family a decent income. 

He moved between many workshops and traveled to Lebanon to acquire the needed skills, which helped him a lot, but again, he couldn’t leave his family for a long time.

The difficult financial situation was the obstacle that stopped him from launching his own project; he worked for a workshop in Fairouza village, and his sister Mary left her university to work and support him. The Micro Projects Program was a great chance to take his first step, which will allow him to support his family. 

Elias's heart was full of hope that this project would be the light in his family's life and the way to improve their living conditions.

Antoinette played the roles of both a father and a mother for her children and carried the entire burdens by herself.

Her husband died after 11 years of suffering from cancer and kidney failure; she is the mother of two children, a boy named Rami, who is 14 years old, and a girl named Naya, who is 15.

She worked as a cleaner on a farm in order to provide for her children's needs and secure a place for them to live when they were forced to leave their home in Wadi Al-Sayed neighborhood due to the war in 2012, and everything she did was in an effort to ensure that her little family lived a decent life. Antoinette took care of the farm for eight years until its owner sold it, posing a new challenge for the mother and her two children.

However, being a strong woman, she didn't give up and moved with Naya and Rami to a rented apartment in Fairouza village, where she worked in the preparation and sale of homemade meals, and later, with the aid of her brother, she was able to rent a small shop and open a modest mini-market, providing for her and her family with a source of livelihood.

Inflation had a bad influence on Antoinette's mini-market, and sadly, her brother, who used to assist her, is now battling cancer.

The Micro Projects Program gave this hard-working woman new hope for the future by giving her the necessary support to revive her project.

Ghada is a strong lady who bravely faced the hardships of life on her own after losing her husband, who was her only family. She overcame throat cancer and went through a long treatment journey.

She has worked as a seamstress for more than 40 years, and thankfully, when her health began to gradually improve, she was able to resume her work. Also, for 29 years prior to her retirement in 2011, Ghada worked as a school bus assistant.

However, she wasn’t spared the calamities of the devastating war, and her house was destroyed in Bab Al-Sebaa neighborhood. Today, she lives in a small rented apartment and relies on her simple pension, in addition to sewing for a living, but the bad situation of electricity decreased her productivity and sometimes, she had to borrow her relative's manual machine to finish on time.

Helping her to solve this problem by providing the suitable batteries guaranteed the continuity of her main source of livelihood and ensured this woman, who has always depended on herself, a life of dignity.

Simon's story with this profession began back in 2000, when he learned all about sewing from his wife Amal, converted a room of their house into a workshop, and worked for more than 20 years.

The couple were specialists in producing women's pants, and their small business was flourishing, which allowed them to ensure a decent living for their family, which consists of two children and Simon's mother, who lives with them.

The simple workshop was impacted by the war, particularly the economic crisis and the severe lack of electricity, which hampered productivity for the past three years.

Simon and Amal were left with no choice but to switch to a different energy source in order to save their project, and for the family providers, who barely had enough money to cover the necessities, that was almost impossible. 

With this initiative, Simon managed to buy sewing machines powered by batteries, which will guarantee sustainable work and a better income for the family.

Since he was young, Nader tried all the fields of construction work but the main profession that he loved and mastered was renovating old houses, in addition to his special skills in decorating and stone carving. 

In 2011, he had to leave his house in Homs due to the vicious war and moved to "Mashta Al Hilu" town where he continued working with other craftsmen despite all the difficulties, 2014 was the year when he managed to return home; unfortunately, his house was damaged and he didn’t find most of his equipment, which forced him to work for others. 

Nader lost his chance of working independently after losing his equipment and being the sole provider for his wife and their two lovely daughters, he was in real need to improve his work conditions and income, especially since he has all the required experience to achieve complicated work. 

With more than 20 years of hard work, Nader deserves all the support to go forward and develop his work.

When things got tougher, Mounzer, who is the only provider for his wife and their three children, had to find additional sources of income to guarantee that all of their needs would be met and that his kids would have a proper education.

The hardworking man works as a government employee besides working in the field of floor grinding and polishing, which has been his main occupation since 1991. 

Before the disastrous war began and had a negative impact on everything, Mounzer's work was thriving and everything was going well. He lost all of his equipment in 2013, and in order to support his family, he worked as a wall painter until he was able to save up enough money to purchase a new grinding and polishing machine, which allowed him to restart his business. 

Yet, the majority of the craftsmen who largely rely on the availability of electricity have found it to be a tremendous challenge. 

Equipping Mounzer with an electric generator will improve his income and alleviate the financial burdens of renting one, resulting in a better  livelihood conditions for him and his lovely family.

Sami has been working in the construction field for 25 years and this is his source to provide for his wife and their three children. His older son Jalal went for his mandatory military service, his daughter Jackie repairs dresses to cover her own expenses, while Elie, the youngest is a school student in the 7th grade.

During the chaotic situation of the war, Sami lost his equipment that was stolen twice and suffered a lot to compensate for a part of his loss. As the provider for a family of five, he thought of increasing his income, which became hardly enough for the essential needs and since his main work is building concrete blocks, he wanted to add the service of lifting blocks at the construction site, but securing the requirements for this process, especially the mini-winch was difficult due to the severe inflation, and in order to buy the equipment, Sami would have to borrow money and fall into debts.

The Micro Projects Program was his last hope to develop his work and ensure a decent living. Today, Sami's work opportunities will be doubled after having the needed equipment, and he will be able to guarantee a dignified life for his family. 

John had always been the man of the house. With a great reputation and skills, He had built a successful aluminum workshop with all the equipment needed, but tragedy struck in 2011 when he lost everything, leaving him with huge losses, he could never recover any time soon. 

Devastated and unsure of what to do, he decided to travel to Lebanon in hopes to provide a better life for his family. Unfortunately, financial issues prevented him from making a living and he ultimately had to return to his home country with nothing left to start over with.

When he arrived back in Syria, he had no place to go. He had sold all his furniture to pay for his travel expenses and was forced to live with his wife and two kids in a small, poor room since 2012. Determined to provide for his family, he learned how to build graves to make a living and worked with his career as much as he could. However, he didn't have any tools or a proper place to work, making it challenging to progress further.

Despite the harsh living conditions, John's children remained resilient and focused on their studies. They were emotionally and socially damaged by the environment they had to grow up in but refused to let it hold them back from accomplishing their goals.

Just when John thought he could never overcome his unfortunate circumstances, he received a life-changing opportunity. He was funded by the micro-project in Damascus with all the tools he needed to start a new workshop. Finally, he had a chance to reclaim his life and provide a better life for his family.

John, his wife, and his children all worked together to survive. With determination and hard work, they were able to pass the years living in very bad conditions. While they may have faced unimaginable hardships, they refused to let their situation define them and instead focused on building a better future for themselves as a family.

Diab had always been a hard-working man. He supports his parents not just his small family. It is his duty to take care of them after all they had done for him growing up. He is a loving husband and father of two children, but life had not been kind to him; he lost his parents’ house in Maaloula by a mortar shell, leaving them with nothing but clothes on their backs.

Diab had heart issues and asthma, which made it difficult for him to work in stressful situations. But he had no choice, he had to support his family. Before the war, he used to work as a sales representative, traveling between cities. But he had to quit his job with the danger on the roads.

He then started working as a private driver for a businessman. It was not the safest job, but it paid well. However, when the war intensified, the businessman stopped traveling, leaving Diab without a job once again.

He had no prospects and started working as a rented taxi driver. It wasn't ideal as he had to pay most of his profits to the taxi owner, but it was the only job that suit his driving experience and health situation. He would often work long hours just to bring home food.

With the support of the Micro-project in Damascus. He was funded with a taxi that changed his life forever. He was able to provide a better life for his family and parents. He could finally breathe easy knowing that he could support those he loved.

Diab's story is a tale of resilience and determination. Despite the circumstances, he never gave up. He worked hard and took every opportunity. He is a true hero, providing for his family even in the hardest of times.

Nabil was a man who had experienced both hard work and tough times. He lived in a small three-room house with his wife and children, but they could only afford to use two of the rooms. The third room had been rented out to help make ends meet.

Nabil's son knew the necessity of contributing to the household income, so he dropped school to work and help his family. He also had two daughters in college. One of his daughters used to tutor to make extra money to ease the financial burden on the family. However, she had to stop due to surgery in her ear, and the family couldn't afford to provide the additional medical assistance required.

Nabil's wife worked as a government employee, which helped ease some financial pressure, but it was still not enough. Nabil had been an employee for over 15 years, but after he retired, he couldn't work due to his poor health. He had high blood pressure, heart, kidney, and nerve issues, poor vision, and diabetes, which limited his employment options, and cost him a lot of money for daily treatment.

Determined to support the family, micro-project Damascus funded him with a mini-market, which he will operate from the rented room in their house. Although his health is declining, Nabil's son has some experience working in retail, and he will help his father. Together, they will set up the mini-market, to become a source of income for the family.

Despite their hardships, Nabil and his family believed in the power of family and resilience. They pulled together to overcome the obstacles they faced each day and celebrated every hard-earned success that came their way.

Nasim was a professional house painter for 10 years before everything started going downhill, which forced him to change careers. He started working with motorcycles alongside his father in his hometown.

Regrettably, financial issues led to the retrograde of the family business and relationship, which forced Nasim to leave his job and his hometown and move to Damascus with his wife and kids to start a new life. He rented a small room until he could find an affordable place for his family to stay. But as soon as he arrived the rents started getting way higher, and he ended up moving to his in-laws’ small house to keep a roof on his family's head.

With no tools or good opportunities to support his family, Nasim took up a job in a supermarket. It was not enough, but it was the only option available to him at the time. In the afternoon he fixes motorcycles as a side job to make more money.

Nasim's luck took a turn for the better when he heard about the Micro-project program in Damascus. If he could obtain the tools he needed, he would start his own business and provide the life he yearned for his family.

He applied for the program and was accepted. He was overjoyed when he received his tools and started working tirelessly on plans to start his own business. Owning the tools gave Nasim the break he needed. With sheer grit and determination, he started his own motorcycle repair shop. 

Nasim's journey was not easy, but he persevered with his dreams and family in mind. He is a testament that with tenacity and a little help, anyone can turn their life around.

Samir was a man who had seen too much of the world's cruelty. He lived with his father and sister in his grandparents' house, which was a safe haven for his family. However, life was not easy for them; his father suffered from heart disease, and his sister had stomach cancer, which needed regular treatment.

Samir used to work as a tourist guide, which helped him earn enough to support his family's needs. He was fluent in four languages and volunteered as a special needs guide. However, his life changed when he had to serve in the army for nine years. During his service, Samir was surrounded by danger in one of the most critical areas. His family's lives were at risk, and he had to move them to a safer location.

The trauma left Samir with communication problems, which affected his ability to work. When he finished his service, he found himself jobless. He worked in a small restaurant owned by his friend to make ends meet. With time, he learned the skills necessary to run and manage a restaurant in a different area.

Samir's hard work paid off, and he was funded by the micro-project in Damascus with all the equipment and tools he needed to open his own small restaurant. He is determined to provide for his family and make a better future for them

Despite Samir’s hardships, he never lost sight of his goals. His determination paid off, and he is managing to make a better life for his family. Samir's story is a testament for the power of hard work and perseverance.

Maher Morany has always been trying to work hard and provide his family with a decent living but life was never easy for him and he went through many hard days that exhausted him and led to his deteriorating financial situation.

Maher is 43 years old, married to Mary Bahho and they have two kids, Rojeh and Ghazal.

After their son’s birth in 2007, Maher and his wife decided to start their own sewing workshop at their modest house in Kashkoul, where they could work and support each other to secure their obligations and expenses. They were able to manage their work and started to have many customers in the area but unfortunately, after the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011, Maher was called for reserve military service which affected their job greatly because his wife couldn’t handle all the house and work responsibilities alone.

During that period, his son Rojeh was diagnosed of having growth hormone deficiency due to hypothyroidism and needs needles and vitamins daily which overloaded Maher with extra expenditures and loans because he wasn’t able to secure the treatment for his son and he had to ask the church’s support.

However, in 2019, Maher was discharged from the military service and he wanted to get his work back but the sewing machines were broken in addition to the terrible electricity situation in the area. 

he needed a lot of funding to restore his job which he couldn't secure so he started working at a laundry shop in the morning and at the sewing workshop in the evening trying his best to afford the daily living demands.

Through the Micro project program, Maher was supported with new sewing machines, an electricity generator, and all the tools and equipment that will enable him to have the sewing workshop and with the help of his wife to have a sustainable source of income and improve their living conditions

Dany Qarrout, 34, graduated from the Electrical Engineering Institute in 2009 and started working in the field of camera installation and maintenance but unfortunately, he lost his job after the war outbreak because he was called for military service in 2012.

Dany spent 9 sever years at the service, during which he survived constant dangers, and ended with a serious injury in the back after an armed attack, he was discharged in 2021 to find himself starting from scratch and responsible for his old parents’ expenses at the village.

He started working as a maintenance engineer at a printing machines factory and after a short period, he was able to handle all the maintenance work for the factory and other factories. He realized that he could have his own industry line with the help of his employers because he was the only one in the area who had such an experience but this project needed a lot of money to be established and he wasn’t able to afford such amount especially since he got married a few months ago and became responsible for his family and his parents at the same time.

With the help of Hope center, Dany was able to start his own production line workshop and he chose to open his project in the industrial area of Erbeen to be close to the factories so he could have customers and improve his work in a short period.

Milad Dawood is a 36-year-old man, married to Laura Toma, and has a son named Eliea, born in 2011, the family lives in a small two-rooms flat in Kashkoul, Damascus countryside.

He was born into a modest family and since he became an adult he had to work and support his parents with the living expenses. The hardworking man was able to handle the house obligations and save some money to get married and start his own project in selling eggs in 2010.

However, a year after he was exposed to fraud by his worker who stole all the products from the shop which made Milad lose all that he worked for in the previous years. Yet, he didn't hesitate to overcome this incident and returned to work as a pickup driver, delivering products to the shops until the beginning of the war when he was called for military service in 2012.

his service was in the most dangerous places and soon after he was exposed to shooting; the bullet penetrated his body from his stomach to his back. his condition was critical and he had to go under treatment but he was kept in service until his discharge in 2022.

Milad returned to his family in a difficult psychological situation and started to do freelance jobs to secure the livelihood demands but his financial conditions were very bad which forced his wife to take their son and live with her parents until he could manage the living expenses again which was a devastating point in Milad's life because all he was dreaming about in his ten-year service was to go back to his family and make up for his absence years from his son's life.

Milad visited the micro-project office in Damascus and applied for the pickup car looking for any ray of hope to achieve his dream of having his life back.

Indeed, he deserved this chance because he was a self-made man seeking for a chance to work, restore his dignity, and reunite his family.

Anton tried to overcome all obstacles to provide his wife and kids with his care and love and worked hard to secure them a decent living. 

the 43-years-old man is married to Diana Shamoun and they have two kids Elias born in 2005, and Polin born in 2009, the family live in a rented small flat in Jaramana, Damascus suburbs, under very bad circumstances.

Many years ago, Anton started to work as a valet parking at a hotel until the start of the crisis as he had to move to a safer area but with a lower salary because of the security conditions.

In 2013, his wife Diana was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo surgery and long treatment sessions which affected their psychological and financial conditions especially since Anton had to work for more than twelve hours daily far from his house and family. However, Anton was still unable to match his income with the increasing costs of living so he decided to quit his job and with the money he saved, he started his own Mini-market in Jaramana trying his best to secure a better living for his family.

Anton's shop was poor in materials and equipment because he started it with a little amount of money which made its income lower than other shops.

Supporting Anton with the necessary equipment and proper amount of goods and products was a strong push for his project hoping to enable him of having a better and sustainable income to improve his living conditions.

George Shamma is 30 years old, living with his mother in a modest rented flat in Al-Dwalaa area but before the war, he used to live with his parents and seven siblings in Daria town in the countryside of Damascus in peace and security. 

When he was seventeen, he started working with his father at his carpentry workshop in order to support him and learn the profession. George was full of hope and energy, trying to establish a career for his future but unfortunately, with the war outbreak in 2011, he was called for military service, and for the next nine years he had to serve in the most intense conflict areas, Daraa and Alqaboun.

During that period, George has been through many difficult incidents that affected his life, but the most painful one was in 2012 when the family was gathering to celebrate his brother’s wedding in Daria, his father was exposed to sniping that led to his immediate death and the wedding turned into a Funeral.

This devastating incident affected the whole family especially since soon after, the armed groups entered the area forcing George and his family to be displaced from their house and they were informed later that their house and his father’s workshop were completely destroyed.

Those terrible losses led to spreading the family members on many parts of the country and George ended up alone with his old mother putting him under great responsibility since he became the breadwinner of the house.

However, after his discharge in 2019, George started to work as a taxi driver because he couldn’t learn any profession during the years of service but the taxi rent was very expensive and his income was barely matching the high costs of living.

With the help of Hope center, George was able to purchase his own taxi which will enable him to be independent and have a sustainable source of income to secure his future.

life is based on the fight for survival, especially in a country that witnessed ten years of a brutal war that drained every opportunity of decent living. Fadi Albadeen is one of those fighters who went through many hardships in his life and kept his strong faith.

He is 29 years old and lives with his parents and his brother’s family in Kashkoul area in Damascus.

In 2008, Fadi started working at a hairdressing salon at a very young age in order to support himself and help his parents with the living expenses as they were living in poor financial conditions. He learned about this career and became good at it and was dreaming to establish his own salon, but in 2013 after about two years of the war outbreak, he was called to serve in the military service which made him lose his job.

Fadi stayed in the service for nine years, during which his family went through many incidents as his father had a car accident that caused him three fractions and made him disabled from doing any job and his brother was shot in his hand which caused the amputation of his fingers, and Fadi himself was hurt greatly due to his severe service which made him undergo critical back surgery.

Fadi was discharged from military service in 2022 and he didn’t hesitate to start working at a hairdressing salon to handle the living expenses but the salary was very low and didn’t match the increasing costs of living especially since he was responsible for his family and his brother’s family because his brother is at the military service in Edleb city.

Fadi found his way to the micro-project office in Damascus where he applied for a hairdressing salon and was funded with all the equipment and tools needed to start his project hoping that he will be independent and have a proper income to secure a decent living for him and his family.