Having a supportive partner can truly change your life.

The ambitious young Suzi, 34 years old, is a mother of a little girl called Elsa, she works hard to support her husband to buy a house.

Her husband works in selling and maintaining watches in his rented shop, it was no longer sufficient to secure his family's expenses, so he decided to work as an accountant to increase his earnings.
Before marriage, Suzi worked as a teacher in a kindergarten and after it was closed due to the war, she moved to an office as an employee for 4 years and left her job in 2016 to return to the field she loves.

Her work in a salon since 2016  made Suzi gain much experience. Currently, she wants to work alone at home, Because of her beautiful little daughter, Suzy can no longer stick to her shift at the salon she's been working at for 7 years, but at the same time does not have the equipment to be independent at work.

It was very important for Suzi to enhance her project and buy the essential requirements and through this support, Suzi became independent with her work, and now have her own equipment in addition she will have the chance to increase her income and thus enhance her family’s living situation. 

“Fathers are pivotal in children's lives. My father has always supported me in chasing my dreams and pursuing what interests me. He has always taught me to be independent and brave.” Jean said.

Jean,40 years old, the father of Antoni, works as a car mechanic in his father’s workshop, he gained from his father all the experience needed and has been working on cars for 22 years now.

During the war, the shells were fallen and their workshop was destroyed. He traveled for a short time to the village of Kafroun, and they worked there in the same profession, unfortunately, the project did not succeed there because of its rural nature, so they returned to Aleppo.

After making all the necessary repairs in order to return the workshop to what it was, Jean and his father are back at work.

His father passed away a year ago, and Jean wanted to continue his father's work. It was well equipped but his tools were too old to be able to continue his work so he applied to hope center to have new equipment in addition to a new car inspection device that would help him improve his income and have a successful project.

It all started when Youssef was wounded in a part of his lungs in the army; he was taken to the hospital and placed in a mortuary while he was in a coma for several hours after it was believed that he was dead.

luckily his friend who took him to the hospital assured the doctors that he was still alive when he rescued him, and he wanted them to make sure after placing him with the dead. He was able to move his finger, but he was unconscious.

After 9 days of losing consciousness and entering a coma, Youssef woke up trying to overcome all the difficulties that he faced during the recovery period. During those years he went through many challenging circumstances.

Youssef was no longer able to work in any field due to his health condition. Despite that, he tried to work in plumbing to secure an income for his family, especially since he is newly married and has a young son named Joud who is 5 years old. recently he began to work in a gold workshop, as he is the only provider for his small family. His house is small, with little furniture.

Youssef applied for a taxi at the Micro-Projects because it is a suitable job for him and has a good income, and he hopes to improve his living situation and move to a bigger and better house and be able to purchase all household basics.

George is 51 years old, lives with his family and his mother, he used to work as a blacksmith for a long time in his own workshop with his father who taught him this skill until he passed away and they had to sell the workshop. shortly after that he got a chronic pain in his back and he no longer could work after suffering from spinal disc.

In 1992, he worked as a car parts seller for 19 years, but when the war started, he had to stop working for more than 7 years due to the sanctions on imports and the rising of prices.

After the end of the armed battles in the city, George returned to selling spare parts for 4 years, unfortunately the situation made it impossible to work in trading because of the huge inflation and the decline in the purchasing value of the local currency.

Because of these challenges, the only source of income for the family became the wife's salary from teaching. Therefore, George decided to reopen his own place in Bustan Al-Basha area after repairing what was destroyed by the war.

Today, after the workshop has been renovated and provided with the needed equipment, George will depend on his experience to regain his old business and look forward for the future.

Many soldiers have returned from service with injuries, missing limbs, and mental trauma after fighting in the war. Riad, 41 years old, was one of them. 

After his treatment ended, he hoped that life will soon return to normal. Over time, he challenged himself to go back to work; as a result of a shell, the upper part of his body was injured, in addition to some damage to his stomach, he underwent many operations without being discharged from service until 2021 when Riad began a new chapter in his life.

"We owned a bakery before the war, and I was working with my father in Idlib for more than 13 years. Unfortunately, we had to flee at the beginning of the war to Aleppo, then I went to the army in 2013 for more than 6 years, after which I underwent treatment for 3 years due to my injuries in the war” he said.

Riad was left with painful scars and traumatizing memories, suffering from his inevitable condition. After the end of the treatment period, Riad returned to his work as a sales representative for a pastry factory in addition to working as an accountant to increase his income.

After losing the bakery they owned, Riad wanted to revive and reopen a bakery for them in Aleppo, and through his work in the field of marketing, Riad made many customers, especially as he distributes bread to customers; and now, he can secure a decent life for his lovely family.

Dr. Hazem, 50 years old, has been working as a general internist for more than 22 years in Aleppo city.

He is well known for his kindness, high morals, and his passion for humanitarian work, in addition, he is a loving father to three children.

During the war, many Christian families relied on him for their treatment costs, as he was fully dedicated to helping all the people in need, especially the elderly whose children traveled and left them alone, he didn’t take any money for his humanitarian work in most cases, he was happy with the kind words of gratitude, and honored several times by the churches and local charities.

Currently, in the morning he works at Saint Louis Hospital, and in the evening, he works in his loaned clinic by one of his friends, but like many others, he suffers from electricity blackouts, as most of his devices were damaged due to the many power outages.

During the Corona pandemic, he didn’t leave any of his patients alone, he visited them in their homes, risking his health and safety, all out of his love for humanity and belief in the principles of his career that he passionately practices. 

Today, after being funded with the appropriate equipment, Dr. Hazem is once again able to work overcoming all difficulties, in addition to saving fuel costs to run his clinic.

Elias 31 years old, lives with his wife and two sons in a small house, which his family bought long before the war, during the war he married and settled there. Unfortunately, since the house is on the sixth floor it was exposed to several mortar shells and explosive fragments and was partially damaged.

Elias works in the field of clothes prints; he learned this profession in 2010 and he worked in several workshops. But the bad economic situations that he experienced, like many other people, forced him to take extra work in order to secure a living for his family to survive, but the ferocity of the war and the deterioration of the security situation during that period forced many workshop owners to close and leave the country, therefore Elias remained without work for many months, but he did not give up and started working in different places such as dental laboratory, an accountant and also selling food in a supermarket.

After the end of the hostilities in the city, some of the workshops re-opened and he returned with great ambition and passion for his profession and worked as the main supervisor in the workshops and was able to enrich his experience.

Today, Elias wants to open his own workshop with the hope that the family's situation will improve and secure a better future for his children.

Aboud is a talented man who works in manufacturing wooden frames and lives with his wife and their three young children. Two of them study engineering, and the third is still in school.

After 4 years of training and learning the art of manufacturing wooden frames in addition to his work, Aboud and his brothers opened their workshop in 2010 to work in it after their work.

This workshop is currently a source of income for three families, especially after Aboud decided to leave his old job in 2015 and focus on his skills.

The brothers have some equipment that is broken and can't be fixed, and they are currently working with the carpenter to complete their work so that they won't lose their customers. In order to develop the work and to reduce time and increase productivity, Aboud needed to complete all the tools and equipment so that they could do all the work in their workshop without having to rely on anybody else. 

Aboud applied to the Micro-projects and was supported with the tools and equipment to revive his shop and give him a chance to maintain a business and improve his living conditions.

George, 29 years old lives with his parents in a rented house because the family lost their home in Sheikh Maqsoud area after it was controlled by the armed groups during the war.

George didn't complete his studies and left school at a young age to work in workshops and help with the family’s income in addition to his mother’s work, but during the war he was called for the military service, and during that service he was shot in the leg which shattered the bones and he was also injured in the hand with shell shrapnel so he could no longer work in the workshops after that.

Finally, after 7 years away from home and family, George finished his mandatory military service and decided to find his way back in life because he did not give up; he worked in several professions in order to get enough money to cover his own expenses and soon he will marry and start his own little family, that's why the taxi was a major reason for the improvement of his living situation to put him on the path of financial independence and secure a better income under these difficult circumstances.

"10 years away from home, everything has changed, and I don't know what to do anymore, all I need is a fresh start”,

Michael, 28 years old, married with two children and like many young men, he suffers a lot from the lack of job opportunities especially after being away for many years during the military service.

Michael did not complete his studies because he had to work at an early age to support his family; he worked in a pharmaceutical supplies company for 5 years until he was called for service. It was hard on him as he was injured three times during that period in the hand, chest and head which caused some difficulties performing complex operations and he became unable to work in many fields that requires great effort.

During that time, the family of his wife used to support the couple and provide them with their basic needs, especially as they moved between several houses seeking lower rent, and currently they are living in a crowded area and soon they will move again.

Michael wants to rely on himself to secure a better future for his children, and make up for what he missed during the past 10 years, the taxi is an opportunity to start again and fight against life's difficulties.

Death can sometimes break a family

“My father passed away twenty days ago unexpectedly and I have to be strong and work hard to provide for my family's needs”. Rober shared with us theses words with much sadness.

This talented young man ,26 years old, lives with his mother and his sister who works as a physical therapist. During the war in 2016, his father was wounded and became deaf.

Though he is still young, piano has been in all chapters in his life. When he was at the age of about eight years old, his parents bought him a small children’s piano keyboard and this keyboard was the beginning of his talent.

Turning his hobby to a career after growing up and practicing it was the best choice he made, his time and dedication to learning allowed him to become a skilled piano player.

Rober has been in the music business for six years and has a good reputation, and in order to realize his dream and open his own studio, he converted one of the rooms of the house into a sound recording studio and put the instruments needed for his project in it. He teaches music, records songs, and works as a music accompanist, programming music on the keyboard. But his instruments are old, especially the keyboard, and by the support of Micro-projects, Robert was able to expand his work and achieve bigger milestones on his career path.

Hope and dreams help people to survive

Nairy always dreamed of having her own beauty salon which would include nail care and makeup and her dream came true after applying to the Micro Projects. 

She is a 35 years old makeup and nail artist, who started working since 2009 in her house with some basics tools to help her mother because she is the only provider for her.

She learned the profession through her training with a beauty and nail expert and gained the necessary experience to be able to open her own business. Taking a rented beauty salon with all the equipment was her first step in 2013. Unfortunately after two years, she closed her salon because of the shelling and left to Latakia to work there in the same field. But due to the high cost of living and rent, she decided to return to Aleppo during the spread of COVID-19, so she had to work in her home.

"As a makeup and nails artist, I think the biggest challenge we face is staying up-to-date. we have to upgrade our expertise frequently in addition to buying the necessary new equipment.” 

Nairy currently owns simple tools that she works with, but order to expand her work and increase her income she needed new equipment and she was blessed to have this chance.

Fania's life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Bassam, fell ill, leaving him unable to provide for their family. With a studying son to support, her mother-in-law, and her husband's health deteriorating, Fania knew she had to act fast. 

Determined to secure a future for her family, she seized the opportunity presented by their small shop. With hope, She applied for assistance from the Micro Projects Program, seeking support to stock shelves, buy a refrigerator, and purchase goods to transform the shop into a mini-market and dairy shop, envisioning a lifeline for her family.

Her shop flourished and Bassam will find solace in being able to contribute as much as possible. 

Through her microproject and the support of the program, Fania not only sustained her family's livelihood, but also inspired others with her resilience in the face of hardships.

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.

Alaa is a talented young man in his twenties, he lives with his parents and sister in Jaramana after being displaced from their home in Harasta due to the armed conflict in the area at the beginning of the Syrian crisis.

Alaa was always passionate about photography so he trained at a young age at a Clacket studio to learn more about this career, then he got employed at the communication department at SSSD as a photographer until 2018 trying to find better income to match the increasing costs of living.

Soon after, he started working at an event planning office as a photographer and videographer, but at the same time he was dreaming of having his own equipment that would enable him to establish private work and develop his career.

With the help of Hope Center, Alaa was supported to purchase a camera which was a dream coming true for him as he is able now to have his own photography session, and at the same time add his own signature which will empower his name in the field and open the chance of developing his work and improving his living conditions.

In the heart of a bustling area nestled a home where dreams brewed and aspirations soared. Dhyaa Al-Btros, his wife, and his family members lived within its walls, each floor holds a part of his close-knit family.

Since 2004, he delved into the field of confectionery, honing his skills by working at various pastry shops. In 2008 he was called for military service until 2010. Upon discharge, he returned to his roots in Khabab, opening a pastry shop until 2014 when adversity struck, so he relocated his shop to the Al-Dukhanieh area in Damascus, but the situation wasn't any better there as violent incidents and armed conflict took place in the area which resulted in the loss of his shop.

Undeterred, he adopted a novel approach, distributing goods via electric bicycles until 2019 when he was called again for the reserve service for three years before resuming the distribution of goods and biscuits, using his brother's electric bicycle.

Presently, Dhyaa toils in the morning as a warehouse worker, and by dusk, continues his work on a bicycle, aspiring to have a pick-up truck for efficient distribution, which would improve his income and release him from the hard morning work. 

considering this tapestry of trials and challenges, Dhyaa was supported by the Micro project program to purchase his own pick-up truck hoping to empower his unwavering spirit in the face of adversity, improve his living conditions, and preserve his dignity.

Meneam Salloum's life was marked by hardships but with his strong determination he was able to rise above all the challenges he faced.

he is living in Al-Abbasein with his retired father and two brothers, and together they faced numerous setbacks from losing his mother to grappling with unstable security conditions during the crisis, but he never let circumstances define him. 

Before the war started, he was working at his own shoe-making workshop in Jobar, but after few months of the war, the area was subjected to numerous incidents and his workshop was burgled making him lose everything he worked for in the previous years.

unfortunately, when Meneam decided to move his work to his living area in Al-Abbasein, he was sniped in the flank which put him in bed for several months until he recovered.

after that incident, Meneam decided to quit his profession and started working at cars office and then as a taxi driver, and later becoming a salesperson at shoes store, trying his best to afford the livelihood demands for his family and preserve their dignity.

Despite all financial strains that Meneam and his family faced, Yet he refused to succumb to despair, so he applied for the pick-up project at the Micro Project center.

Receiving funding for his project marked a new chapter—one filled with possibilities. It wasn't merely about starting a business; it symbolized resilience, hope, and the triumph of the human strong will over calamities.

Rafy Al-Sahwy, born in 1982 and residing in Al-Dwalaa, faced numerous challenges in life. With his parents deceased and siblings married, he lived with his brother, striving to make ends meet. His journey through different jobs—from being a taxi driver to a private chauffeur and later distributing charcoal by bicycle—reflects his resilience amidst hardships.

The war and his father's illness forced Rafy to abandon his farming work at the village and return to live with his family in Damascus. Despite various setbacks, he ventured into charcoal distribution, utilizing a meager capital. However, soaring prices abruptly halted his work, leaving him with loss.

For Rafy, the taxi project he applied for, symbolized hope and stability in turbulent times, and having support to purchase his own taxi potentially rescued him from the brink of financial ruin.

It wasn't merely about financial gains for him; it was about reclaiming control over his life and promising a brighter tomorrow.

Jean Baghdady, born in 1997, lives with his family in Jaramana. His father, Antoun, works diligently as a maintenance worker at Saint Paul Monastery trying to put food on the table at the end of the day.

Jean's journey through work has been diverse; from volunteering at the UN in 2017 to becoming a photographer's assistant from 2018 until the present day, he has explored various professional avenues. Additionally, he has been employed as a receptionist at Alberto Monastery since 2021. Despite his workload, Jean managed to pursue accounting and marketing courses in 2019.

He commenced his career as a photographer in 2019, honing his skills and preparing to be an independent photographer full of ambitions to start his business alongside collaborating with other professionals, trying to gain as much experience as possible.

While their household and furnishings are modest, Jean's family supports him as he navigates his career path. Receiving support from Hope Center, marks a turning point for Jean, offering him the opportunity to expand his own business, enhance his skills, and elevate his income.

For Jean, this support isn't just financial aid—it's his life dream, propelling him towards independence and self-improvement to secure a better future for himself and his family.

A talented and determined man is the least that can be said to describe Samwel Skeif. He is in his fifties yet, he still has the will and strength to keep learning and investing in himself. He started at a very young age to support his parents with living demands and so he worked as a tailor assistant, but he was clever and skilled enough to learn the profession and start his own sewing workshop which he ran for years until the conditions worsened; his job was affected badly forcing him to sell the machines in order to afford his family’s living expenses then he started to work in drawing and manufacturing sewing templates for different factories. 

Learning has always been a passion for Samwel, and even though he couldn’t finish his schooling education, he didn’t hesitate to enroll in several life skills courses such as fashion design training - TOT courses - speed reading courses - body language courses - and neuro programming.

Samwel got hired as a trainer at a development institution for design and sewing courses and he was so excited to transfer his knowledge and talents to others.

However, with the increasing costs of living, he wasn't able to provide his family with a decent living and he was thriving to have his own sewing workshop with the idea of turning part of it into a training center for sewing and designing courses.

Today, after being supported to start his own project, Samwel is so grateful to have this opportunity that will enable him to fulfill his passion for work and teaching and at the same time increase his income and improve his living conditions. 

At the age of fifteen, Eva Alshehadeh started to work at a hairdressing salon to support her family, since then, she started to learn everything related to this career including hairdressing, makeup, and nail care which gave her good experience in the field. Her father was deceased and she was the supporter of her mother and siblings so she was doing her best to afford the living demands, challenging all the difficulties of work and her health condition as she was suffering from sideropenia which caused her several symptoms and continuous feeling of tiredness.

In 2019, with the help of the church, Eva underwent Glandectomy surgery and her health condition started to improve, unlike her financial condition as the salon she was working at was closed and she found herself jobless.

Eva didn’t accept being dependent on aids especially since she became the only supporter of her mother so she started to work at customers' houses, using her old inappropriate tools, and touring from one house to another to have an income and cover the basic living needs of her family.

After applying at the Micro project center, Eva feels delighted because she was supported to establish her own makeup and nailcare center which will be the means to have an independent source of living and improve her living conditions.

Although she is still 22, Valentina was overloaded with life calamities and had to hold the responsibility of her family and her younger sisters in addition to taking care of her sick and heartbroken mother.

Valentina was living in safety and security with her family while her mother and father were doing their best to provide the best living circumstances for their girls. 

In 2013, this reality changed into a nightmare as their father was a victim of snipping while he was driving his car to work and the criminals took his body and the car. His family didn’t just have to handle his death news but also they had to pay an amount of money to have his body and do a decent funeral for him.

After that incident, the mother’s health deteriorated so she quit her job to take care of her daughters while Valentina started to work during her study time to support her family.

She started doing makeup and nail care for her relatives and friends then in 2018 she enrolled in several courses to enhance her skills then she started to work in different beauty salons trying her best to afford the livelihood of her family.

With time passing, Valentina discovered that her work was so tiring, and with no proper income, she quit and started to work for a percentage of profits waiting for a chance to have her project.

With great faith, Valentina applied at the micro-project center for support and despite her young age, this strong-willed lady was supported with all the tools and materials necessary to start her project because after all those hard years she deserved to be independent and have a decent source of income to help her family.

With more than 40 years of experience, Riadh Al-zawahra, a loving husband and father of two daughters Nour and Niveen, was still working as a tailor at a sewing workshop in Jaramana.

He started to learn the career at the age of ten, the same age he started to work and support his family then when he became experienced enough, he implemented all the steps of sewing and many workshops dealt with him.

During his life, Riahd was able to establish a lovely family and support his daughters to finish their education and work but due to the difficult years of war and the deteriorating economic condition, he wasn’t able to establish his own workshop.

“ All i wish after those hard-working years is to settle down, be my own boss, and have the ability to increase my income”.

Riadh applied at the Micro projects center, and considering his long experience and need to improve his living conditions, his request was approved as he got the required support to establish his own sewing workshop with all hope that this project would be a turning point in his future life and will give him the independency he longed for.

Being a mother of three young kids never prevented Raheel from working and supporting her family to pass through the years of war, while still trying hard to support her husband during the deteriorating conditions.

Raheel is a determined lady who started working as a seamstress at a young age and even after she got married she kept working at her sewing workshop in Damascus, until 2014 when the security situation became critical so she moved with her family to live in Jaramana.

Despite all the dangers and the daily shelling over Jaramana, Raheel and her husband kept working together to secure the best living for their kids. Together, they started a small shop for sewing and renting dresses where she worked in designing and making the dresses and her husband supported her in dealing with customers and the finishing.

However, with time passing, the electricity condition worsened and the shop income was no longer enough to put food on the table, while her machines became too old to use for professional sewing. So her husband decided to work two jobs in order to meet the living demands but his salary was still not enough due to the high costs of living.

Now, after supporting Raheel with new sewing machines and an electricity resource, she restored the ability to increase her work and get a decent income good enough to secure her and her family with good living. 

From a very modest but close-knit family who works to live, Beshara Al-mhanna was raised to become a hardworking man who started working at a young age to support his family.

He used to work in delivering vegetables on the village-city road but during wartime, the road became insecure and he decided to move to Damascus to study and work there. Beshara was a big-sized young man and as a result, he was exempted from military service so he kept working as a driver on different vehicles delivering any order to afford his living and support his family in the village.

Beshara was good at what he did but the high car rent wasn't sufficient to cover the increasing costs of living so he applied to the Micro-project program for the pick-up truck project planning to use the truck to deliver furniture and goods.

Considering his health condition, and determination to work, Beshara was supported to have the project he sought and he is now working his best to have more orders so that he can improve his financial condition and secure his family with a decent living.