Elia Wanessian is a 41-years-old man, who takes care of his mother, aunt and wife. Elia Chose to be a blacksmith from an early age, pursuing a better career options, in 1990 Elia went to Lebanon and stayed there until 2017.

When he returned to Syria, everything was changed, he first settled in Al-Salamieh, a small town near Homs. However, a rift between him and his business partner, costed him the loss of all his machinery which he worked hard his whole life till he was able to get them, it was a heartbreaking thing for him and the family lost their only source of income.

Without any equipment, Elia came to Aleppo and had to start from scratch. He rented a workshop and slowly started purchasing the machines he needs. The problem was that with his limited finances he couldn’t buy the heavy machines that are essential for the work, that’s why the funds were crucial to him. With the money he was able to complete equipping his workshop, which reflects directly on his production and on the profits. 

In order to financially support his family of four and take care of his mother, George had to work many jobs from sales to metal spraying to even working in a gas station. George has always been a hard-working resilient man who always managed to be good at whatever he does.

Now that the war is over, the hope of going back to his old house in AL-Sheikh Maksoud was revived. George and the family had suffered a lot, Michelin, his wife, was about to give birth to their daughter Miriam, when they had to flee from their house leaving behind all their belongings. The church helped them restore their house by cleaning the rubble and installing doors, windows and basic furniture, so that George and the family can finally move back to their home. 

This comeback revived George's hopes and made him determined to build his own business path. That’s why he chose to open a sandwich shop in the same area which is witnessing the return of many families each day. George purchased all the equipment needed to launch his shop and deliver the best food to his new customers.

The harsh circumstances which Mirna was exposed to during the prolonged war, made her search for a way to contribute to the family’s income along with her siblings since she and her son live in her parents' house. The family's house was damaged severely and they all feel lucky enough they weren't physically hurt from the many tragic explosions and bombings that occurred in their neighborhood.

Today Mirna utilized her talents in making handmade souvenirs, and turned it into a business. With the funds she got from the Micro Project program, she purchased all the primary materials needed to create her beautiful art, which she will display in her sister’s store in addition to the exhibitions held in the holiday season that she will contribute in and display her beautiful crafts and skill.

After Hanna lost his house and his pick-up truck in Al-sheikh Maksoud, life became much harder for him and for his family. Since 2012 they have been living in a rented apartments, due to the constantly rising prices of rents, every now and then they are forced to look for a new more affordable place to live in. Hanna’s current salary as a driver for a telecom company, in addition to his wife’s income are both barely enough to put bread on the table. Hanna’s previous work as a driver gave him an insight about choosing this profession as a career. 

This new chance as a taxi driver will give Hanna a more stable income, and a more flexible schedule to be around his family to take a good care of them and of their needs. this support is a kind of compensation of all the things they’ve lost because of the war.

When Gabriel’s family lost their business, car, and their house was hit by shells twice in Midan area, they were very devastated. They fled to Damascus and later returned to Aleppo, and because they were still homeless, they had to stay in the church for a while (until they managed to repair their house to a habitable status). When all of that was happening Gabriel and his family were losing all the hope they had. Gabriel, being a hardworking and ambitious man no matter what circumstances he was in, he was always improving himself. He learnt from a friend of his the skill of electronics maintenance, he worked in surveillance systems and mobile phone maintenance and gained a lot of experience in the domain.

Now Gabriel took advantage of his many acquaintances in this field of work, he rented a space in one of the popular areas and with the tools he purchased from the Micro Project support, he will offer maintenance services to customers making his way in this profitable business with steady steps and this way the family will secure a good income. 

Tony Saeed, the father of two is an example of resilience in times of war. On both safety and financial aspects Tony and his family have suffered for long time. Their house in Al Midan was extremely dangerous, the falling shells had their toll on the family specially the children, it got to a point where they were forced to leave their home (and ever since they have been living in rented apartments). 

Before the war, Tony’s job was going good, he used to work partially in different clothes’ manufacturing workshops but with the increasing expensiveness and the economic depression Tony’s income became insufficient, not only that but he also stayed unemployed for a long period of time.

Tony refused to give up on the future, with the sewing machines he purchased with the support of Micro Projects initiative, he is going to establish his own workshop hoping that the odds be in his favor and this new step bring him more stability and success.

Theodora lives with her mother and takes good care of her. Being single and the only working member in the family, the burdens of financially supporting the livelihood fall completely on Theodora’s shoulders. 

The war years was hard for the two ladies, their house and the sewing workshop that she used to work in, were both in Al-Midan, which is a considerably dangerous area in Aleppo. But Theodora and her mother managed to survive safely throughout those dark days. 

In fact, Teodora has always been thinking about improving her income, thus she has attended a tailoring course a while ago, in order to be more independent by opening her own small workshop. Although, her plans have slightly changed (as she now will work from home) but her determination to succeed is still the same if not stronger than ever.

Annie’s family suffered a lot during the war, first their farmland in northeast of Syria got confiscated, which was devastating for the family, specially for Annie’s husband Antoine who had a heart attack due to the overwhelming news of losing his lands and crops. Then one of the many shells that were falling on Aleppo city hit Annie’s building, the incident resulted in the injury of a family friend who was rushed into the ER to get the needed stitches. All those bad circumstances forced Annie’s family to leave their damaged house and move to a rented place.

When she was still a young girl, Annie learned how to sew, which she found as a good chance to use this skill when the situation was worse and  she opened a small workshop, but the business took a huge hit due to the economic crisis. Annie couldn’t handle the burden of rising the rent and the employees' salaries so she had to close.

Today Annie is not giving up at all, instead she is opening a workshop inside her house, this way she can ensure a maximum profit and flexible work environment where she can keep taking care of her husband and be with her children. 

Saad is a 37-years-old man who chose to make a risky decision of changing his career more than five years ago. Originally Saad was working in retail business, but after loosing his shop and the merchandise in Al-Ramouseh, he found himself without any job for more than two years, he decided to begin a new career in tailoring. He started this path by taking a course to learn everything related to this new domain, then he borrowed his uncle’s old sewing machine and hoped for the best. 

This hardworking man managed to succeed in his job despite all challenges, he recently relocated his shop and with the new location he felt the need to expand his business (specially that his current machine is warn-out and not sufficient anymore to satisfy customers’ needs). 

Saad’s ambition needs help to be turned into reality, the additional machines he wishes to obtain are necessary to raise the quality and variety of his production, but he doesn’t have the sufficient resources. With the help of Micro Projects program, the chance of improving the lifestyle for this hardworking man and his family . 

Akram, his wife Claude, son Salim and daughter Dalal have witnessed the war in Aleppo and suffered immensely of its consequences. The constantly falling shells during the first few years affected Salim and Dalal’s mental health greatly, the explosions and the horrors pushed them on the verge of a breakdown. Specially when one of those shells hit Akram's car that was parked in front of their building.

Akram’s business was also affected, when his partner decided to leave the country, they had to sell all the machines to separate their finances. All that left Akram with an empty workspace with no sewing machines to work and make an income. 

Since safety is back to the city of Aleppo Akram was encouraged to start over and reopen his workshop, but with no financial resources or help it seems impossible. He needs support to buy the sewing machines that will ensure an efficient work flow for Akram’s business. Hoping that this step will Help Akram provide a decent life for his family in the future. 

Just with the start of war, Shadi was called to serve his mandatory military service, Shadi went to his assigned position in Damascus without knowing that this period of his life will extent to over than nine years. 

During those years he went through many hard and challenging circumstances, he overcame many dangers and dodged many explosions, and finally was discharged in April 2020. His wife and two daughters were very excited for their father coming back home, they were united again and moved back to their old house (during Shadi’s absence his wife and children were staying with her parents).Being away for so long Shadi had to establish a business of his own, and with no financial resources the only solution he found was to transform a small part of his 32 m2 house into a plumbing shop where he can receive clients and store all the equipment and spare parts. 

Today shadi needs support to purchase the tools needed for his job, in addition to some merchandise like pipes to be able to work properly and maintain a decent income for his family. 

Aboud, his wife Huda and his two sons Nicholas and Carlos (12 and 6 years old) live together in the family residence in Aleppo, along with Aboud’s mother Mouna.

At the beginning of war, Aboud couldn’t reach his carpentry workshop in Handarat area, all the roads were cut off and the armed groups took complete control of the area. When dangers of mortar shells became closer and more severe, Aboud took his family and fled to Marmaritta village far from the war beaten Aleppo. 

Eventually Aboud couldn’t stay away from his hometown. So, in 2018 he made the decision of coming back and settling in his parents’ house. In order to financially support the family, he rented a modest carpentry workshop. The problem is that the workshop lacks many important equipment and machines that Aboud can’t purchase on his own.

With your help, Aboud will be able to obtain all the tools to upgrade his production and thus, his profit will increase significantly in the future. 

Life was not easy at all after Sahar’s husband death, who was the sole provider for the family when suddenly she found herself responsible for her two daughters Mary and Sarah.

Sahar made her decision to fight for the sake of her family and worked in making pastries for four years; this job was very difficult and tiring for a woman of Sahar’s age that forced her to think about another possible choice which provides her and her daughters with a dignified life.

Her husband had a small grocery shop that was completely stolen during the war, Sahar used this shop and opened it to sell wool with a little help from the church, and she also sold many hand-made pieces such as: scarves, hats and gloves. As a seasonal shop, Sahar also thought about selling cotton clothes during summer time in order not to stop working.

With the needed support, Sahar became able to provide her customers’ requests, and now she will ensure that her daughters have a good life with the stable income from her project.

Issam is an enthusiastic and energetic young man who lives with his parents and two sisters.

He works in his own Aluminum workshop that he opened in 2017 by borrowing some tools from his relative, this young man became well-known for his good reputation and his wide experience in this field among the other craftsmen.

Issam remembers very well his tough experience during the war which made of him a stronger person; In 2011, Issam and his father were kidnapped and the hardest thing they faced was witnessing the killing of a person in front of their eyes! they remained in captivity for 24 hours which were the longest and the most difficult hours in their life.

After this horrible incident, the family decided to flee seeking safety so they went to a village near Homs and stayed there for 6 years, through these years Issam worked in an Aluminum workshop and learned this profession very well.

When the situation improved in Homs city, they came back home and Issam started working immediately after he rented a workshop and hired a worker to help him.

The frequent electricity blackouts negatively affected his productivity. in addition to the need for some equipment that he was forced to rent from the other workshops which reflected of decrease in his profits.

With the help of Hope Center, Issam has the chance to improve his business and continue his career more successfully. 

Issam works in plumbing and solar system installation since 1984, he lives with his wife Lama, his son Fouad and his daughter Katia. The family went through many hardships during the war as they were living in Al-Hamidia which was a main battlefield back then, so they moved to a village called Mashta Al-Helou.

Issam didn’t stop working while staying in the village, but living away from home was not easy on the family, so when the situation became better in Homs Issam and his family decided to go back. Their house was robbed and Issam’s shop was empty too so they had to start over from scratch.

Issam is working now in his shop with minimum tools, but his income dropped due to the economic crisis which made him unable to buy all the equipment needed. All these hard circumstances affected his business and there were so many services that he couldn’t offer as a result to the lack of equipment and tools.

Today, Issam has all the equipment he needs to work properly and ensure a decent life for his family.

Wadih is a hairdresser who lives with his family of four; his wife Marilyn, his daughter Angy and his son George.

He learned this profession in Lebanon and he became famous for working with television presenters, Wadih went back to his city Homs and opened his own salon in 1996 which was one of the first salons in Al-Hamidia; his wife also helped in the salon for 16 years until the war forced him and his family to flee in 2012 to Mashta Al-Helou.

Leaving Homs was a very hard decision, but Wadih continued working in his field during that time among his clients' houses for almost a year, then he rented a salon for another year. In 2014, Al-Hamidia neighborhood became more safe; when Wadih heard this great news he hurried back with his family to their home where he helped in cleaning the streets and removing the ruins which the war had left behind, then he repaired his house and salon and started all over again.

Post-war results started to appear, most notably the economic crisis which affected Wadih's job and made him unable to provide some services to his clients. When Wadih has the sufficient support for his salon, it would improve his income and help him and his family to continue their life during these hard circumstances.