Despite her knee condition and the strain of her modest job, Firyal never faltered in her commitment to support her family. Living in a rented house in Qattinah village with her husband and two children, every penny counted.

Her dream of owning a business seemed distant until she heard of the Micro Projects Program. With the support, she finally opened her own cleaning and wrapping materials shop. This venture empowered her to contribute more substantially to her family's financial stability.

Now, Firyal's days are filled with purpose as she manages her shop, supporting her husband and securing a good life for her children. This shop isn't just a business; it's a symbol of hope and opportunity, allowing her to transform her family's circumstances and create a path to prosperity against all odds.

Fadila, a married woman and mother of four, lives with her family in Qattinah village. Her husband works tirelessly as an employee and a farmer to meet the family's needs. However, one source of income isn’t enough. Since 2018, Fadila has been running a dress leasing shop and working as a school teacher to contribute to their income.

She buys second-hand dresses and fixes them at a local sewing workshop before leasing them to women in her village. She dreamed of having her own sewing machines to repair dresses, as her manual machine is impractical. Owning the necessary sewing machines would allow her to work year-round, improving her business efficiency.

To make this dream a reality, Fadila applied to the Micro Projects Program for support as she plans to set up her own sewing business within her shop which would enable her to fix dresses, save time and increase her earnings. 

Securing better income through her shop would provide greater financial stability for the family, ensuring they can meet their needs and invest in their children's education.

Rasha is a single mother residing in Al-Sabeel neighborhood, she has been the sole caregiver for her ten-year-old son, Majd, who suffers from Children's asthma and Thalassemia. After splitting up with her husband, she took on the responsibility of providing for Majd's needs, including the costs of his treatments.

Since 2017, she has worked tirelessly in sales and at a beauty salon, but her modest earnings were barely enough to cover their living expenses and Majd's medical bills. Despite her brother's occasional support, Rasha knew she needed a more sustainable solution to ensure a better future for her son.

Determined to become financially independent and provide her only son with stability, she envisioned starting her own mini-market. However, the cost of launching such a business was beyond her means. That's when the Micro Projects Program in Homs stepped in, providing the necessary support to turn her dream into reality.

With the program's assistance, Rasha successfully opened her mini-market. This new venture not only improved their financial situation but also gave Rasha the independence she longed for. Eventually, Rasha remarried a man who embraced both her and Majd, offering a partnership built on mutual care and love.

Today, she looks forward to the future, leaving behind the struggles of the past and focusing on the promising opportunities ahead for her and her son.

Hanaa, a dedicated mother of six, resides in Qattinah village with her retired husband and four children, who are university and school students. Despite working in the health sector for over 30 years, her salary, combined with her husband's modest pension, was insufficient to meet their family's daily needs and cover the high costs of education.

Determined to improve her family's livelihood, Hanaa decided to start her own business; she opened a dairy shop, leveraging her skills in preparing dairy products and recognizing the high demand for these goods in her village. With the help of the Micro Projects Program, she launched her small business, with her husband supporting her in managing the shop.

This initiative transformed the family's life, providing a secure source of income and easing the financial burden. Her dairy shop not only supports her children's education but also ensures a stable future for her family. 

Nassrallah, a retired employee from Qattinah village, found himself grappling with financial strains despite his and his wife's pensions. With two sons to support; one in university and the other fulfilling military duty, his income as a farmer became indispensable. To alleviate some of the mounting costs, he sold his cherished land to his brother, but agreed to continue working on it.

The land, now under his brother's ownership, is rich with fruitful trees and seasonal crops. However, the expenses of agricultural activities, particularly the increasing fees for tractor rentals and other necessary equipment like spraying pumps, became daunting challenges for Nassrallah.

Despite the hurdles, he remains determined to persevere. Acquiring a mini-cultivator and a spraying pump, offers a glimmer of hope. With these tools, Nassrallah envisions a more manageable path ahead, one where he can sustain his livelihood and, perhaps, improve his family's prospects in the future. 

Khalaf Al-Bshara, 51, is married to Shireen Qabalan and lives in a humble house with his parents in Al-Tabbaleh neighborhood.

Despite being a skilled painter since 2003, life had not been kind to Khalaf.

At the beginning of the crisis, his painting work decreased so he started working on transferring vegetables and fruits between his village in Daraa and Damascus until the security conflicts reached the area and it was no longer safe, but he decided to challenge the situation and keep working until he was exposed to kidnapping by the armed groups, the three days he stayed in abduction shattered his stability so he relocated to Damascus to live with his family at his parents’ house.

With opportunities scarce, Khalaf found himself shuttling between different jobs: painting, construction, and even restaurant cleaning, he opted to do any available work to put food on the table but his situation was getting worse and the weight of responsibility pressed down harder in addition to having financial hardships, all of that led his marriage to collapse, as his wife took his daughter and moved to live at her parents’ house while he had to put his son at an orphanage.

Tears welled in Khalaf's eyes as he spoke of his kids, his dream of reuniting his fractured family stirred a deep resolve within him, making him apply for the pick-up car with one goal ahead, the reunion of his family.

The support that he gained from Hope Center isn't just about financial assistance; it symbolizes the promise of reunification, healing fractured bonds, and restoring Khalaf's family. 

Samaan Ashkar, a blacksmith whose life tells the tale of resilience against all odds.

From his humble beginnings in Kashkoul, Samaan started working as a blacksmith where he faced numerous challenges, including financial constraints and the loss of his beloved family members, but Samaan's spirit remained unbroken.

In 2003, he decided to relocate to Dubai and try his luck there, he worked in various capacities and experienced both triumphs and tribulations. However, with all the setbacks and financial strains that he went through in Dubai, Samaan managed to preserve, handle his livelihood, and save for his future, then after several years of working hard, Samaan decided eventually to return to Syria and start a new chapter of his life. 

Unfortunately, upon his arrival, he had to endure the loss of his mother, brother, and sister, which left him heartbroken and in poor financial condition as he bore the burden of their medical expenses and funeral costs from his previous work savings. 

With the limited tools and resources, he had, Samaan was not able to start his own business; he had to work at other blacksmithing workshops to get income and afford his living expenses.

Samaan longed to become independent and have his own blacksmithing workshop, which was achieved after getting support from Hope Center to buy electricity generators and necessary equipment and machines.

Today, Samaan is so grateful because having this project marked a pivotal moment in his journey, enabling him to overcome his adversities, and lightening his path toward self-sufficiency and decent living.

Elias Al-Ghabra is one of the minorities who are still interested in preserving the family profession as he began working in the field of manufacturing convection ovens with his father at a young age in a rental workshop in Jaramana and continued in the filed alongside his study.

The main field of work is manufacturing thermal ovens based on gas after the electric ovens stopped being demanded due to the terrible electricity situation in the country, their work increased and they also started to receive ovens maintenance orders. 

In 2010 Elias was called for military service and the war began shortly after he joined, so he was transferred to serve in Al-Hasakah Governorate until 2019, during which he went through difficult circumstances and faced many dangers. However, on his vacations, he used to return home and help his father in the workshop.

However, as a result of the significant increase in prices in addition to his mother’s battle with cancer and her treatment in Al-Biruni Hospital, their business deteriorated and the expenses became higher than the income forcing them to sell some of the equipment to cover the mother’s treatment expenses.

After Elias was discharged from service in 2019, he returned to work with his father, but the remaining equipment and materials were not enough to strengthen the work and have a proper income to cover the living expenses.

With the help of Hope Center, Elias was supported to purchase new machines to enable this intrepid young man to expand his work which will positively impact his living circumstances and help preserve the family's profession.

Hanna Al-Ajoury 31, resides with his parents and brother Jack, their father, who was employed at the Gas station for 13 years but is currently without work. His brother works as an employee while their other brother, Marhaf, has relocated to Germany.

Before the war, he had worked at his cousin's beverage shop in Zabadani for two years until 2011 when he was called for military service for the next nine years. however, during his military service, he also worked alongside his father at the gas station, to secure his expenses and save some money for the future.

After his discharge from the service, Hanna embarked on a new journey in his life, as he started working as a taxi driver, with the money he saved from his previous work,  got engaged seeking to establish his own family but he was shocked by the huge burdens of living and his endeavors started to vanish.

Seeking assistance from Hope Center in Damascus, Hanna was granted support to purchase a taxi, which significantly improved his life. The newfound independence and stability brought by this taxi helped Hanna support his family and nurture his dreams.

Despite the challenges he faced, Hanna's story exemplifies the human spirit's ability to rise above adversity and create a better reality, one step at a time.

Anastasia Haddad born in 1998, was working diligently as a makeup artist and nail technician, living with her sister Taj in a rented flat in Jaramana after the divorce of her parents as they found solace in each other's company, forming a bond of strength amidst adversity.

Anastasia and Taj's childhood was marked by tumultuous family complications leaving scars that only time could heal. Yet, their determination to carve a brighter future fueled their aspirations and their talents blossomed despite all the challenges they faced.

Anastasia managed to overcome the obstacles by working long hours daily at a Salon in the neighborhood, but the income didn't cover the living expenses and she wanted to expand her work and customers which wasn’t possible with the tools she had, so she decided to apply at the Micro Project program to start her own project.

Supporting Anastasia with a make-up kit including all the necessary tools to start, was a turning point in her life because it enabled her to become independent and enhance her living condition.