Music is a part of everyone's life.

“Growing up with a musical background, it was in my genes that I would be a musician. Playing music helped me become the person I am by being a release for my anger, and helped me make new friends.” This is how Riad described his relationship with music.

Riad’s family is filled with musicians and singers; he played while his brother sang with him before the war, making events together in addition to having their own band. When the war broke out, they fled their home but couldn't take the keyboard and other equipment, because they had left their house immediately and then returned after 6 years.

Due to the extremely high cost of the equipment that he needed, Riad couldn't afford to purchase them. He lost his job, and the events that he used to play in were all canceled which meant that Riad needed any work to face the difficult life circumstances.

With the help of the Micro Projects, Riad was able to purchase the keyboard and play again at events and will have more opportunities to work with his brother to increase their income.

Issues such as theft, crime, and immigration impact many people in their daily lives and push them to make life-changing decisions. When the armed groups kidnapped Jack's father, he paid the ransom and decided to flee to Latakia as it was safer at the time.

Jack followed in his father’s footsteps and worked in pastries and pies when they fled to latakia back in 2012, then after returning to Aleppo, they took his grandpa’s shop and worked together.

Due to the difficult economic conditions and the harsh war, Jack decided to have an independent place because the income was no longer enough for two families; especially after getting married and preparing to be a father after a few months.

By benefiting from his father’s experience and his work in Lattakia for 7 years, baking has always been Jack's passion, and now he wants to pursue his dream of being able to open his own bakery.

Since his project was accepted, Jack was able to open his own bakery place for pies and pastries and he became an independent business owner.

“After your bereavement leave is over, you still feel incapable to go back to work while you're still dealing with your father's death,” Gabi said.

The reason for his death was the impact of the carpentry career on his health, so Gabi decided to leave this profession.

Gabi,45 years old, is trying to find another job. He opened a sewing workshop and worked for more than twenty years. By that time, they had to sell the workshop after the death of his parents. Life was difficult for him, especially since he didn’t have a child, but he was thankful that throughout the war, they didn’t have any major losses.

In search of independence, especially after working in his brother's workshop, Gabi wasn’t satisfied with his work being an employee there. 

Gabi opened a mini supermarket in 2021 with his wife and it would be a good option to get a better income and sell some cold beverages. Having an espresso machine would increase his income and bring new customers to their shop.

Tony, a father of 3 children had to leave his house in Al-Sheik Maksoud when the fighting reached the area in 2013, leaving behind a life full of memories, settling down with his father and brother hoping to return home one day.

When he was young, Tony worked as a private driver between Syria and Lebanon for more than 15 years, in 2010 when he returned to Aleppo, he had to sell all the jewelry he had and he took a loan from the bank to buy a pickup truck to work in furniture moving with galleries.

When the war reached the city of Aleppo and it was completely besieged, there was no longer any source of fuel, so he had to sell the car and change his profession from driving a truck to recycling and selling glassware.

During the water shortage in Aleppo, he worked with the church in distributing water from a mobile water tank fixed on a pickup truck delivering the source of life to the elderly and the most in need for two years.

As a result of his tiring work for a long time, he suffered from severe aches in his back and neck, in addition to a lump in the stomach. He became unable to work in this tiring field again, "I know that working on the pickup truck is very profitable, but I can’t do it anymore because of my health condition, so I want to work in a taxi because it is suitable for me".

Today, after financing Tony with the taxi, he is very happy and ready to continue his journey to secure a better future for his lovely family.

It has been more than 9 years since Esper lost his private taxi. It was his main source of livelihood, and because the shells fell near his house, he had to sell it at a low price to live with the money due to the high cost of living and renting a new house after leaving his own due to the war.

The entire house was stolen, and he no longer owns anything but a mini pick-up truck, which has recently become his last source of livelihood.

Switching houses more than 7 times during the war was one of the hardest things he faced with his family and his sick brother-in-law.

Due to the many repairs that were made to the pickup truck it became worn out, Esper himself has been suffering from beaks for some time and this is affecting his health, he could no longer stay in this job, so he decided to sell it and apply to the Hope Center.

His experience is great in the field of driving, as he has been working with a taxi office for a long time and has old and new clients, and he will also teach driving cars as an additional income.

It is not about a car, but about a second chance in life for a family who has gone through so much suffering. He applied for this project so he could be able to improve his current situation.

Not having a mother while growing up can be a painful experience that Abdo faced when he was still too young.

“My mum left us when we were kids so my dad had to work and take care of us at the same time,” he said.

Abdo lives with his father and his younger sister, who is still studying. He learned a profession during his childhood rather than continuing his studies. He started it in 2014 after leaving his studies to support his father.

Starting a shoe-making business requires experience. To be successful, you need hard work, determination, and the desire to achieve greatness! Abdo decided to work and gained experience through his uncle's partner by practicing it in their shoe workshop in 2014.

After the shoe workshop closed in 2019, he began working as a seller in a shoe store. Nevertheless, selling was a good experience for interacting with people and meeting new customers in addition to gaining experience in selling too.

During the war, the family's house was damaged and needed repair, so they had to live in their grandmother's house.

Through the Hope Center. Abdo was able to buy the necessary machines and equipment in his rented workshop and this project will allow him to have his own shoe workshop and to be an independent person, as well as to have the ability to repair his beloved home.

Rimon is a 28 years old youth who wants to challenge the difficulties and prove himself in such a hard life, when he was just a kid, he used to go to his father’s shop who works in Conditioning Maintenance to help him, and year after year he loved this career.

He worked with his father for 6 years, in 2016 he decided to be independent and build his own reputation to continue the family occupation, he started to work in small maintenance tasks at the beginning and after a while, he became professional and made a good connection with many local organizations and NGOs, he made a long-term contract with Syrian Red Crescent to be the exclusive contractor in the conditioning maintenance benefiting from the experience of his father and his equipment.

During the war, their home was damaged due to a mortar shell explosion in the next building, and it was a turning point in his life because his father closed his shop and decided to travel to Latakia city to work there, therefore the father sold his shop leaving Rimon in a huge conflict between starting over in a new city or continue in Aleppo, especially he was engaged and about to get married.

But he didn’t surrender, he borrowed some essential equipment from his friends and worked with them.

"I started my career life as a self-made person, but unfortunately in these difficult circumstances, I need support in order to continue facing the difficult changes"

Today and thanks to the donor, Rimon was able to buy all the equipment he needs to continue in his career.

Losing your husband suddenly is shattering, life-altering, and indescribably painful.
After the sudden death of Rania's husband in 2013, her life changed, becoming the sole provider for her children.

Rania turned home sewing that she had learned in 1990 from her aunt into a profession in order to secure an income for her family, especially since her children were too young to work. Through her skill, she was able to prove herself and take responsibility with the help of her small sewing machine at home.

After that, Rania decided, in addition to the requests she receives from her clients, to join a sewing center and worked there for 3 years. She wasn’t limited to working at home but wanted to work in sewing workshops to gain more experience. She also wished to teach her daughter to sew, so she can join her to improve their returns.

Rania didn't expect one day that her talent for sewing would turn into a basic profession and the source of livelihood for her family. 

She wants to open her own workshop at home, her son works as a women's hairdresser, and through the Micro-project, she will be able to provide a good income for her beloved children.

Garo is 40 years old, father of one child, and expecting a second son, he used to work in his uncle's shop back in 1998 selling and repairing glasses, and he became an expert in the optics field.

During the war, the shop located in Al-Jabriyeh area was damaged a lot; in 2014 a shell exploded in front of the shop and hugely sabotaged the ceiling, smashed the windows, damaged the glasses, and destroyed the most important device for his work "the Focometer".

Garo decided to travel and leave the country, therefore he sold everything he had then and borrowed some money from his friends, and traveled to Armenia to settle there, unfortunately, he couldn’t adapt away from his country for more than one year especially since he had many new responsibilities.

He didn’t surrender, and he started immediately after he returned to rehabilitate his uncle's shop and reopened it. He repaired the shop and bought a used old manual Focometer to work again, after two years he was able to pay all his debts and start over.

Today, with the donor's help, Garo can improve his work through the new devices and his income will increase, in addition to strengthening his shop and saving time and money on maintenance.

“I've been dreaming of my own business for years, and in the past few years I've come up with an idea for a sewing project. I am finally ready to start renting a workshop and buying the necessary machinery and equipment” Fadi said.

Fadi's life was not stable at all. He was always looking for a suitable job for him; he moved around several regions, gaining experience in each place he worked in. 

Fadi is from Al-Hasakah, but because of the hard conditions there, he decided to live in Aleppo. His main occupation is sewing, and he had been working intermittently due to its poor returns. The best experience he gained was when he went to Lebanon and worked there for more than 15 years, in addition to his work in Al-Hasakah for 8 years, which helped him make a decision and open his own workshop.

The loss of his job during the war period prompted him to do anything to secure income for his family, and, therefore, he became an assistant driver for a bus. After his family left him, he decided to marry again, and now he has a one-year-old daughter.

Fadi wants a stable source of livelihood because he recently moved to Aleppo. this support will be an opportunity to achieve the dream that he has always looked forward to. 

“You never know until it happens to you”.

"Being a victim of theft is a tricky thing to handle. I have been a victim, and I feel empathetic for others who have fallen victim." This is how Ayman described his feelings, after all that happened to him.

Ayman’s workshop was fully equipped with all the necessary tools and, suddenly, he lost everything in addition to some money. He is the father of two young men. One of them is in the military. Starting this career in 1977, promoted him to gain lots of experience. 

He is well known for his career. He opened his own business in 2010 in his aluminum workshop. 
In search of safety, the family had to live in the workshop for one year because of the war and then rented a house for more than 5 years.

Ayman felt lost, and he had to figure out how he would get through, When he heard about the Hope center, he applied for it because it was his only hope after losing all his equipment, and obtaining a new one would save his career.

Edward used to work on a wire cutting machine since he was a child, he learned how to use it by helping his father during summer vacations, he loved this type of work especially since his father was one of the first people to obtain such a machine in Aleppo city, the family lived in prosperity for many years, until the war started and life became hard.

During the war, after 30 years of heavy use of the machine and due to the electricity problems, the machine was damaged. It couldn't be repaired anymore because of critical damage to the motherboard. Therefore, they had to sell it and stay without a job for a long time due to the lack of electricity.

But Edward didn’t surrender, he kept searching for a new source of income and worked as a Chef in a bakery for one year then he changed his career and opened a small shop selling fish aquariums and accessories for four years, but after the sanctions and their consequences, it became hard to import the equipment, therefore, he sold his jewelry and his car and took a small loan from the bank to buy a small house and a mini Wire cutting machine to stay in the work market.

Today after the improvement of the industrial section in Aleppo city, Edward decided to buy a big wire cutting machine and work again after his father retired and wanted to be independent to help his family and parents.

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.