“I chose this kind of projects because I have a good experience in this domain and I worked in marketing for more than five years, also there isn't any sportswear stores in my area, but there are lots of young people who like to wear this style, I believe that this project would be very successful. Before the crisis, my siblings and I owned a sweets factory, Unfortunately, during the war, the factory was destroyed completely. However, we are still paying its installments for the bank. Right now, I am a teacher in a public school, my wife is an employee in an office, we are taking aids from MGO, as a family we have limited income. We didn't leave Aleppo, although we were displaced from our home in Midan area because it was dangerous; we moved with our relatives in Slemanyeh, I am the only provider for my mother. After the training courses that I took in the center of Marists, I gained a good knowledge on how to manage a successful project and now with this grant I can translate my ambition to reality.”

He is a father for two girls their ages are 13 and 10. They live in a rented house in Al midan region which they moved to during the crisis because their area was endangered by the shells. He is now an employee in an Aluminum workshop but there are some problems at work and the salary is low, not enough to provide the needed amount of money for his family. He wants to open his own shop because it is his main job and he has been practicing it for more than 30 years, but he is not self-employed until now. He has been away from this field and without work for almost 4 years because of the economic recession, but he has done some things to provide an income like distributing shampoos. They take aid from the orthodox social service. They were previously helped with the renting of the house by the orthodox social service. He hopes that someone somewhere will help him to achieve the dependency in his life.

I have worked in plumbing since 1992, I also worked as a blacksmith for a while but I got injured. Currently, I live with my wife, my daughter, my father and my mother-in-law and I’m the sole provider for the family. Earlier this year my mother passed away, she had a stroke and she was recovering from it in the village, her medicine was unavailable there so we called the doctor and he described another medicine which later turned on to be unfitted for her condition and led to complications and death. My father got robbed by armed men in Jdaydeh area, he is now unable to work due to cerebral ischemia. My mother in law lost her son as a martyr in the war, she had a house in Al Medan area that got burned and ruined and now she lives with us. She is bereaved and has no inner peace at all. My house was also in Al Medan area, fifth floor, we went through so much fear and stress during the time of war because of mortar shells and missiles that rained over the area, eventually we moved to Mhatet Baghdad and I put the house for rent. At the moment I live in my friend’s house. I suffer from a disc condition, I had a surgery that hasn’t been successful that’s why I need another one. My wrist is also broken and needs a splint; I don’t have the time or the money to have the surgery needed to fix it. During the crisis, my income dropped because my equipment was old and malfunctioning, which caused several losses for me. There are so many services that I can’t offer in my business due to the lack of the suitable equipment, I rented a shop to sell plumbing equipment trying to increase my income but the opposite happened because the rent was very high. Now I live day by day, my income isn’t equivalent with my family’s spending even with the helps I get. With this project I can start to have my life back together and help my family.

She is a single woman who lives with her brother and mother, and they are the providers for the family. Her brother fixes engines and dynamos. She has been working in a rented cotton underwear shop and it has been her job for 12 years. The main owner sold the shop to another person and now the new owner raises up the price of the monthly rent. The shop is too small and it is not enough for more goods which she needs to increase her income because she is responsible for her mother and the house. The mother has heart problems and she did an operation recently. She had been helped with her operation and medication by the Caritas. They also take a monthly aid from the Caritas. The new owner will not renew her renting contract so she rented another shop in the same street to keep her customers and in addition the new shop is bigger and better. The project will give her the chance to pay back all the money that she had borrowed from the traders as she knows the main traders very well and that will definitely affect her life in a positive way.

Kamel is the head of a big family of five that lives in Homs city, which includes his wife, two boys (Maher and George), and their daughter (Yara). 

He spent 23 years as an employee at Al-Forat Dam before retiring and returning to his family in Homs. Considering the economic crisis and the free time he had, Kamel made the decision to transform the hobby he has in the field of carpentry into a source of income. He began with basic tools at home, and with the help of his three children, he was able to open a modest workshop in 2018.

Maher, his eldest son, took on the role of marketing, while George and Yara joined their skills in painting with their father's artwork to produce beautiful handmade pieces. 

The acute lack of energy and the absence of key crucial machines that Kamel needs to ensure the quality of work were the main problems this hardworking family had to deal with. 

The viability of this workshop will be guaranteed through the efforts of the entire family, who are working hard every day to ensure a successful business.

Elias built a peaceful life in his small village Al-Dwair, without realizing that he would lose it all in a blink of an eye. 

The sole provider for his wife and their three children is a carpenter who opened his first workshop with his brother back in 1985. 

Elias's family lost everything they had and was displaced to the city of Homs, just like all the other families in this village who witnessed the horrors of the war, but, the skilled carpenter didn't let the difficulties get in the way of his work for the sake of the people he loves. 

Every now and then, Elias was able to buy a new machine; however, starting from scratch was not easy in a country that was just coming out of a war, and despite the fact that he worked nonstop, he was unable to afford the missing equipment, particularly the electric generator, that would have increased the productivity of his work.

Elias wants to develop his workshop and guarantee that it is equipped with everything needed to maintain his project successfully.

At the age of 16, Ayman decided to take responsibility and learn a profession; he worked for a hair salon in Al-Arman neighborhood where his family used to live before the war.

Unfortunately, their house was hit by a shell and it was severely damaged, which forced them to move and settle down in Fairouza village. Today, Ayman lives with his parents and only brother, and the two sons are providing for the family after their father had critical health condition that prevented him from working.

The young man worked in Lebanon for one year then when he returned, he continued working at home because he couldn’t afford to open his own salon.

Ayman applied to the Micro Projects Program aspiring to make his first step towards a better future, helping the enthusiastic hairstylist was the beginning of achieving his dream and he is ready to continue by himself depending on his talent and the skills he gained while working in several salons.

Milad's love for his family was his only source of inspiration when things got difficult.

He is a dentist from Homs, lives with his wife Julie, their two sons, Boulos and Nour, and their daughter, Angela, along with his elderly mother. He converted a room in his home into a dental clinic and began offering his services to the residents of the area.

His daughter Angela (24 years old) was born with Dandy-Walker Syndrome, which affected her mental abilities and she requires special care and when his life partner was tragically diagnosed with colon cancer, Milad had to work alone to support the family who relies on him.

The growing responsibilities stopped him from enhancing his work, and all of his income was hardly enough for basic needs and the monthly cost of his wife and daughter's treatment. 

Milad applied to the Micro Projects Program in the hopes that he would be able to renovate the old dental chair that he had been using since 2000. Now that his clinic is fully equipped, he has everything he needs to raise the quality of his work and increase his income. 

A few years ago, some friends asked Reem to help them with their nails designs and that's how she discovered her special talents and gained the needed skills and her family encouraged her to follow her passion. 

At first, she offered her services at minimal prices and worked at home just to acquire experience and create relations with the ladies in her neighborhood. 

She is a married woman and a mother of three beautiful daughters; her husband Firas works as a government employee and when his salary became barely enough for their needs and the financial burdens increased day after day, Reem decided to open a shop and work to help her family.

She applied to The Micro Projects Program where she found support to continue and improve her project, and now, the hard-working woman has all she needs to run her small business and guarantee its success. 

Hassan chose to stay in the country where he grew up and lived, while his wife and children traveled abroad seeking a better future.

Hassan is a barber who started his career as a barber back in 1990 and he managed to ensure his wife and their three children a dignified life through it until the cruel war started. He went to Lebanon and worked there for ten years then returned when the deteriorating economic situation affected all aspects of life. 

His house was severely damaged and he spent all the money he saved during years of hard work in order to repair it and settle down. Hassan's shop lacked some new tools and a battery to improve the lighting condition, which is essential in such a profession.

Supporting his shop with all the requirements made a positive change and lit a new hope inside the darkness that the war has left behind. 

"I have lost nine years and a half of my life in the army!" Bassam said, sharing his experience during the cruel war.

He was called for mandatory service back in 2011 and when he was discharged, he found himself responsible for a family of four, since his father passed away while Bassam was absent, and his only brother had an accident that affected his ability to walk, and he is now working in a vegetable shop. 

Today, Bassam lives with his mother, sister, and brother in Fairouza village and he works in construction because he didn’t have the chance to have a former job before the military service. 

This work didn’t ensure a sufficient income and Bassam started to think of another source of livelihood, which is suitable for his condition and enough to cover his family's essential needs. The mini-winch was his choice due to his work in the construction field and the good relations he created with many craftsmen. 

This support will guarantee an independent business and better income for this family. 

The economic situation in the country imposed a new reality where the family's main provider has to find more than a source of income to secure a decent living.

Fadi has been working as an employee for an oil factory since 2002, he lives with his wife and their two children in addition to his mother and sister and he is the sole breadwinner for the big family. 

While the financial burdens were increasing, Fadi's salary wasn’t sufficient at all to cover the essential needs, he decided to focus more on agricultural work as a sustainable source of livelihood. He used to work in the family's land in Maskanah village and he made his decision to prepare the land and improve its crops of grapes.

Planting new vines required setting iron stands, which he couldn’t afford due to the high prices. Now, Fadi planted the land and he is working hard to ensure a successful crop, waiting impatiently for his land to start producing and generously provide him and his family with a dignified living.

Maskanah village has main wells to irrigate its lands by pumping water through a network of tubes around the village. Farmers receive the water at a specific time each week and they already had prepared their lands with ponds to store the water and organize the irrigation process. 

Antoun and his brother Nayef work in their father's land of grapes and depend on that for a living. The two brothers share the land and each one of them is responsible for his part in addition to working together to guarantee the best conditions and production of good quality crops.

However, they created a pit but couldn’t afford the high costs of building it; they covered it with a plastic sheet, which was impractical and got worn out causing water loss, on the other hand renting a tanker for irrigation cost them a lot and became a heavy financial burden.

Antoun is the only provider for his wife and three children, enhancing the situation of the land will help him secure a decent income for them. With this initiative, he managed to prepare the needed pond that will enable him and Nayef to store water and take better care of their beloved land. 

Johnny is a young man who runs his own workshop of Electronic Devices Maintenance with a great reputation and special skills that enabled him to be a strong competitor among the other craftsmen. 

He studied at the electrical institute for one year, and at the same time, he was learning maintenance, by working for workshops, until he obtained the needed experience, so he bought some equipment and started his project back in 2021. 

He lives with his parents in Fairouza village; his father works as a government employee and Johnny's income is considered the family's main source of livelihood. 

The situation of electricity was getting worse and one hour of electricity per day was not sufficient, especially for Johnny's profession, which heavily depends on the availability of power.

The enthusiastic young man made his first step and needed support to continue; equipping his workshop with the needed equipment and the electric generator will improve his condition and allow him to go forward. 

Haifaa is a young lady who moved to the city aiming to work and help her family during the hard circumstances. 

She left her parents' house in the village to a rented an apartment she shared with her cousins in Al-Hamidia neighborhood, where she worked in the field of marketing just to cover her own expenses as a beginning.

Haifaa didn't stop at this point; in 2020, she started as a trainee in a nail care center, besides attending a specialized course that enriched her skills and provided her with the necessary experience to work by herself at home using some simple tools she managed to buy. 

In June 2022, she visited us at the center with great enthusiasm and lots of creative ideas for her project and needed support to launch her nail care salon that will improve her profession and ensure a better income. 

Haifaa's ambition of working independently has come true thanks to the Micro Projects Program, and she is now ready to offer her clients the finest service, wishing to maintain a great business as an independent working woman. 

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.

Like most young men of his age, Murshid did not have the opportunity to complete his education or learn a profession as he was called up for military service in 2012 and stayed there for nine years, after which he was discharged to face the difficult conditions of life without any profession or career, which formed a heavy burden on him, especially since he had to find a proper job with good income quickly because he became the only responsible for his family after his father's death.

The financial situation for Murshid and his family was affected greatly by his father's sickness; they used to have a pick-up car and a piece of land in Hama which they had to sell to afford the costs of treatment and Intensive care.

His mother also went through bad health condition; as she suffered two blood clots, after which she was forced to undergo surgery and permanent treatment and his brother Elias was called for military service, so Murshid was fighting the harsh living situation alone.

He decided to work in a restaurant in Ain Tarma and as a pickup driver so he could be able to secure medicine for his mother and his brother’s expenses in addition to household demands. 

The challenge was very difficult under the harsh economic situation and no matter how hard he worked; his income was barely enough to secure the daily basics.

Through the micro-project program in Damascus, Murshid was funded to buy a pick-up car, which will provide him with a sustainable income suitable to bear the high costs of life and fulfill his family obligations.

During his life journey, Pier Haddad 42, has proven that "Service is what life is all about and great acts could be made from small deeds."

Pier spent his childhood between catechism activities and church service dreaming to grow up and become a part of this great message, which he achieved during the past years as he became a piano teacher and he invested his talent to give free lessons to the children in the neighborhood.

After that, he started cooperating with the Franciscan Music Center, Saint Musa Al-Habashi Monastery, and the Jesus and Mary Sisters Center for Music in giving music lessons to the kids for very low wages because all he cared about was that each child has the right to learn music no matter what his financial situation was.

However, Pier was living in a modest house in Al-Dwalaa area but during the wartime his parents were deceased and his siblings traveled abroad and tried to take him with them but he refused to travel because he was very passionate about his service so after staying alone at the house, he decided to turn it to a music teaching center for the poor kids in the area and with the help of his friends he could teach them Piano, Oud, and violin. 

Although Pier was doing a great service for the area and the church, he wasn't getting any income and in the past couple of years he started to suffer from financial hardships so he decided to start a recording studio to get some income but he didn’t have the needed equipment so he applied at the Micro-project center asking for support.

Pier has surely deserved to be supported by the Micro-project program and he was funded with all the equipment that will allow him to start his own recording studio that will provide him with a reasonable source of income and at the same time continue his message in teaching music for the kids and achieving his dream in recording hymns for churches, assuring again that “Goodness is the only investment that never fails”.

At the age of 17 Elie Hannoun decided to leave school and start working at a hairdressing salon in his hometown Saydnaya to support his family and handle his own expenses.

soon he became very skilled and well-known in the town but he couldn't expand his work because after the war outbreak, the devastating impact spread to Saydnaya region, and all its residents became living under danger and threat, which led to the cessation of work in most professions, including Elie’s work, as he was forced to move with his parents to live in Damascus.

unfortunately, their displacement synchronized with the deterioration of his father's health as he was diagnosed with cancer which forced Elie to stop working and support his father throughout the treatment period, which lasted for four painful and harsh years and ended with his father's death in 2014.

Elie and his mother remained alone living in a small and poor flat in Jaramana and he became the breadwinner of the house, so he started working at a hairdressing salon in Jaramana to cope with the difficult circumstances but with the Corona pandemic and the quarantine started which affected his work and forced him to stay jobless for a period until he was able to continue working trying as much as possible to provide the simplest requirements of life and even his mother started looking for a job to help he son.

Elie was seeking to have his own salon, through which he could be independent and obtain a stable income matching the high cost of living.

Therefore, as soon as his friends told him about the Micro-projects program in Damascus, he immediately applied for the hairdressing salon project in Jaramana, and today, after his project was approved, Elie regained his energy and enthusiasm for work and he is opening his salon from the early morning with all faith that this opportunity he got will change his life for the better and help him secure a decent life for him and his mother.

Being a child in a large family was never easy for Nahi, he was a brother of eight siblings and a child of loving and caring parents who did their best to secure a proper livelihood for their kids which wasn't available for them especially since they were living in a small village that didn't have enough resources or work opportunities so most of its villagers were forced to move to secure their future.

Nahi and his siblings left the village as soon as they turned 18 heading to the city, trying to work and secure their own expenses. In 2008, Nahi started working as a maintenance worker and for the following six years, he was able to send money to his parents and sick sister in the village.

However, during the war, his income started to decrease and he became unable to match his expenses so he quit his job and started working as a pick-up driver delivering goods and products between the city and village, but during the economic collapse and the fuel crisis, his job became unprofitable especially since he had to pay a huge rent to the pick-up owner so he started to learn the sanitary maintenance profession from his cousin and during the year 2022 he was learning and working with his cousin who unfortunately passed away leaving Nahi in sorrow.

He felt that all paths are closing one after another so he turned to God praying for his great mercy.

Through the Micro-project program, Nahi was funded with the Pick-up, hoping that it will form a new start and allow him to work independently with a sustainable source of income.

“This support has renewed hope in my heart and it assured me that true faith means holding nothing back, it means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to his promises”

Raymon Al-Badawi, 30 years old, is married to Yara Haddad, and they have adorable twins, George and Charbel who were born in 2021.

Raymon, his family, and his old parents live in a small rented flat on Al-Qurayyat Street, Jaramana city. his father works as a tailor and his mother is retired so basically Raymon is also the responsible for their expenses.

At the beginning of his twenties, he started working at an aluminum workshop and soon after he was able to learn the profession and became very skilled in it, he wanted to empower himself more so he could have his own workshop in the future because he found that this profession provides stable and sustainable income that will secure his livelihood.

However, during the years of war, life became very difficult and despite all the hard work he was putting in, he was only earning 20% of the workshops income, while the rest was going to the workshop owner which made his wages barely enough to cover the daily food and he started to suffer from financial distress and became unable to meet the household demands.

Raymon was certain that if had the chance to have his own workshop, things will get better especially since he got the experience, acquaintances, and the demanded skills to run the project.

With great faith, Raymon applied at the Micro-project and his request was approved as he was funded with all the machines, tools, and equipment to start his own workshop which he considered the lifetime chance that will give him a strong push to be independent, have a better income and help to secure his family's future.

For the last 15 years, without missing a day, Munir was touring streets from behind his steering wheels, disciplined and determined to secure a decent living for his family.

He is married to Reem Al-labed and they have three adorable daughters Caroleen, Valentina, and Mary rose. Munir worked as a taxi driver, and during the crisis in Syria, he struggled a lot to afford the living obligations and his family's livelihood without needing anyone's help.

Unfortunately, that situation changed in 2019, as his daughter Carolyn started to feel sick, and after undergoing several tests, she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in the brain which was devastating news for Munir and his family.

Since then, Carolyn had to go through two surgeries and a long and painful treatment journey which exhausted her body and her family, especially Munir whose health also deteriorated as a result and had to undergo heart surgery but he was always holding strong faith in his heart that his daughter will overcome this experience and be cured eventually. 

At the same time, Munir was working hard to cope with the increasing costs of living especially in the last couple of years during the terrible economic and fuel crisis, but no matter how hard he worked, his income was still not enough to afford the living expenses, his daughter’s medication, and the taxi rent.

they started to suffer even to afford their daily food and he had to ask for support from charities and churches to help him survive during these critical circumstances.

Munir was in dire need of having an independent project that will preserve his dignity and help him pass through these dark days which he got after applying to the Micro-project program as he was approved to be funded with the taxi project with all hope that this project will form a positive outcome in his life.

For most of his life, Jerious's main concerns were his family's comfort and safety; he never minded working hard for long hours for the past twenty years for this aim.

Jerious is 55, married to Taghreed Alabdoun, and has two sons Fady born in 1997, and Rami born in 2000.

They were living close to Al-dkhanieh area in the countryside of Damascus where he was also working at his carpentry workshop.

This all changed after 2011 as the armed conflict that took place in Al-dkhanieh forced them to be displaced from their house for many months, staying at their relatives' house, with no work or income.

however, when the security situation settled down, they returned to their area but found the house and workshop damaged which affected their living conditions as Jerious's work wasn't as profitable as before and his income was barely meeting the high living expenses.

Jerious tried his best and made an extra effort to improve his work which led to deteriorating his health condition as he had to undergo heart surgery which he couldn't afford so he sold his machines to cover the surgery costs.

After his recovery, he was forbidden to make any physical effort which made him unable to return to work in the carpentry workshop but he didn't accept to stay jobless so he rented a mini pickup and started to work as a driver delivering goods, vegetables, and products trying to secure the basic living needs for his family.

Nevertheless, the high rent of the pickup made all his work seems worthless and the only solution was to have his own pickup car in order to make a difference in his life.

Through the Micro-project initiative in Damascus, Jerious was able to buy the mini pickup that will enable him to work independently and open the way to develop his work and increase his income so that he could improve his living conditions.

Aleen Salhani, 31 years old, lives with her parents and sister in a modest house in the city of Jaramana, Damascus countryside. She graduated from the Agricultural Technical Institute and started working as a seamstress assistant in a workshop, then she worked several jobs, trying as much as possible to earn enough money to afford the house demands because her parents suffered from several health problems and were unable to work which made Aleen and her sister responsible for the household expenses. 

This responsibility became heavier during the difficult years of war, especially after a mortar shell destroyed their car and ruined a part of their house. Even though the family survived but they had to pay a lot of money to repair the house which overwhelmed Aleen with more obligations. 

Aleen has always had a passion and talent for decorations and handicrafts, so she started working with her relatives and friends and tried to grow her talent into a project with the deterioration of the financial conditions in the past years, because her job was no longer providing her with sufficient income to meet the house needs, and wanted to use her talent in handcrafts to start her own project.

Every success in life starts with a small step, and Aleen took that step when she applied to the Micro projects program. Now, after being funded with all the materials and tools, she was able to have her own handicrafts shop, which made her full of determination and hope to enhance her work so she could improve her living conditions.