Mr. M N is a 42-year-old married man and father of three. He and his wife are currently unemployed, and he became unable to support his family after he fled and lost his former job.

Mr. M N was displaced from al-Bayda village in rural Banias. He is now living in a rent in Jleiti village with his elderly mother, which led to the family’s poverty and inability to provide the most basic needs.

Mr. M N tried more than once to improve his family’s life, but the exploitation and greed of his employers, and the expensive living costs stood in the way of his modest dreams.

During the ORV tours and monitoring in Jleiti village, Mr. M N was identified. After explaining his situation, he was told about the Small Business Grants Programme, which was offered to the most vulnerable groups in society.  He couldn’t conceal his immense joy and was eager to get the approval as soon as possible. Several days later, he came to the SSSD office and met with the specialized personnel. Once his needs were assessed, he was assigned a six-day course in project management so that he could manage his own project.

The Syrian Society for Social Development supported him both financially and morally, and funded his project __breeding birds__ based on his desire, as he had a long history and expertise in this subject.

The project changed greatly the life of the beneficiary and his family. Through the project’s income, they were able to secure their living needs and live a decent life without having to beg for money.

Mr. M N has also devoted all his time to take care of his project because he saw it as his salvation from poverty and need.

This was confirmed by one of the facilitators when he said that the project was a new beginning for a better life.

Mr. M M is a 50-year-old married man and father of thirteen__ ten daughters and three sons. One of his daughters had an eye injury, which led to the loss of her cornea and cost her dad a great deal to get the proper treatment. His wife has diabetes. As for his sons, his eldest is married with four kids, and can’t work because he’s wanted for military service, his second son is a soldier, and his youngest is still in school. 

Because of the crisis, he was displaced from Idlib to Hassakeh and was left unemployed.

Once he was spotted by one of SSSD’s ORV team, hope started creeping in all over again. And so, Mr. M M’s journey towards fulfilling his dream began. During his journey, SSSD supported him, and offered him a course in Project Management so as to be able to manage his own project__ a shoe store.

His life changed from a miserable one to a one filled with joy and hope.  He was finally able to sleep comfortably, reassured that he could finally support his family.

But Mr. M M’s life didn’t stop there, as he expanded his business, established contacts with the market and opened a new branch. All this was thanks to the efforts made by SSSD.

Mr. F S is a single man born in 1972. He lives with his ill brother and his wife, and is the sole breadwinner because of his brother’s illness. Like thousands of Syrian families, he headed for a future without any money or medicine for his brother, the thing that led to poverty, inability to provide the most basic needs and psychological stress. What made things worse was his brother’s health deterioration. Consequently, Mr. F S tried to improve their situation by finding a suitable job, but all his efforts went in vein due to his employers’ greed and exploitation. This left him exhausted and feeling hopeless.

Once he was spotted by one of SSSD’s ORV team, hope started creeping in all over again. Mr. F S’s life-changing moment was when his project was approved.

And so, Mr. F S’s journey towards fulfilling his dream began. During his journey, SSSD supported him morally and financially, and offered him a course in Project Management so as to be able to manage his own project__ a photography shop.

This project positively changed the lives of Mr. F S and his brother through the income it has brought them, which helped them secure their basic needs, get medicine for the ill brother, and have a sense of stability.  

The latter was confirmed by the beneficiary, as he said that this project helped him support his family independently.

“Don’t give me fish, teach me how to fish instead” is the principle adopted by Mr. F S and embodied by SSSD.

Mrs. R S is a 33-year-old married woman with no children and an unemployed husband due to his poor health condition. She and her husband were displaced from Deir Alzor and are living at a rented house along with her parents, brother and his family.

Like all people living in Deir Alzor, she fled to Hassakeh, leaving behind all her life savings and heading towards a mysterious future that lacks shelter and food. This has affected their lives badly and led to their disregard, subjection to psychological pressure, and deterioration of their living and health conditions. Attempting to improve their situation, R.S tried to seek help from several NGOs but all her efforts went in vein. Filled with despair, she went to try her luck at SSSD after being turned down from all the other NGOs. It was there that one of the outreach volunteers welcomed her with a heart-warming smile and brought back the hope she had lost. Once her project was approved, Mrs. R S’s life course shifted from pessimism to optimism and satisfaction.

After Mrs. R S took the project management course offered by SSSD, she began her project, a confectionery, with the moral and financial support of the SSSD and started rebuilding her life all over again.

"This project changed my life and brought back my optimistic view of life. I was able to support my family and unemployed husband and provide for their needs”, expressed Mrs. R S.

 Mr. A S is a 41-year-old married man who resided in Tel Baral city. He is a father of five, three of whom are with specific needs, and one of whom is a student. He currently lives with his family at a rent in Hassakeh after his house was completely destroyed during the crisis.

Like many Syrian families, Mr. A S fled with his family from Tel Barak and was subjected to severe psychological pressure because of the difficulties of displacement, securing the needs of his family and having to work at a minimum wage that wasn’t even enough to secure food and clothing.

After being spotted by one of SSSD’s outreach volunteers, he was hopeful to improve his and his family’s psychological and financial situation, and to secure work in the profession that he mastered.

And so, Mr. A S’s dream came true when SSSD supported him and provided him with a tire repair kit. This project was life-changing, as the project’s income enabled him to support his family and improved their psychological state. Also, Mr. A S was able to provide help to his children with specific needs, get his daughter back to school, secure food and clothing for the whole family, and consider renting a more suitable house.

With Mr. A S’s will to support his family, and with SSSD’s genuine will to help and develop the society, the desired goal was achieved with this family.

Mr. M.B  , 35 years old, is married and the sole supporter of his family consisting of his wife, three children, as well as his brother's widowed wife and two nephews. He has been displaced and lives now at al-Zahera in a rented house.

M.B  not only lost his home, but also his self-confidence, autonomy and sense of security with regard to the future. He used to own a large workshop for shoe mold manufacture, before the prevailing conditions made him lose it and all that he possessed after the family was displaced. After being self-employed, master of his own destiny and a supporter of the local markets with his quality products, he was now forced to get a job in a small workshop.

At that critical juncture, M.B  was monitored at al-​​Zahera. We met a man torn between illness, hopelessness and a faint glimmer of hope. M.B  was suffering from a brain degenerative disease that gradually erodes brain cells, in conjunction with years of hardship that flattened his hopes too.

After being selected as a Microenterprise Entrepreneur Program beneficiary, M.B  was assigned to a small-business management and entrepreneurship course. He was obviously very interested and demonstrated a great deal of excellence during the training, which made him duly qualified to run a project. Thus, his small project was eventually approved, which restored his hope for autonomy in this life, already made difficult for him in most respects.

In order to start, he was fully supplied with the project's hardware, machinery and tools, so that M.B  was able, within two weeks only, to render quality products and supply the local market. Very soon after, he expanded the area of ​​his work and began to export his quality shoe molds to other provinces.

The dramatic improvement, however, was not only economic. His health condition improved too, as he was now able to commit to medication doses, which stabilized disease progression.

Thus, hope and taste for life were restored to M.B , who said proudly: "I am now able to take responsibility for my children. I will never fear again as long as goodness exists on earth!"

L.B, 45, is divorced and the mother of two children. Her ex evaded responsibility, forcing her to become the household sole breadwinner. She is a displaced woman living in a rented house. Ms. L.B  was patient and struggled despite her difficult circumstances. She is now a living example that when good management is coupled with hope there will be nothing impossible.

L.B  was identified at al-Zahira district by ORVs who introduced her to the possibilities SSSD provides. She decided, according to her desire and experience, to work in a small "nouveautés" shop at the Ruknel-Din district.

Thus she underwent the community support project management course and was presented to a specialized committee in the presence of a UNHCR representative. She succeeded and her project was retained: a shop for the sale of women's underwear and accessories. The project took effect immediately: a shop was rented and the merchandise purchased, so that she was ready to effectively begin with Eid al-Fitr (22/06/2017).

Lena proved to be a very active woman, enthusiastic and optimistic, firmly believing in a better future. She began to work in her small shop relentlessly, increasing her working hours till late at night.

She was followed up in the shop at regular intervals. What the observers took note of were her diligence, the speed of her coping with the situation and the way she received and dealt with new customers. But this was not all. Working in her project impacted on her life personally, both economically and socially, and even on her outer appearance, particularly in a lovely smile that never leaves her face. This is how she expressed the dramatic change in her life:

"Work helped me to get to know people from various walks of life, to engage in society, to take responsibility, to feel self-sufficient, able to meet the basic needs of my home, to help my children in their homework and, most importantly, to pay off my debts, which had become a real burden. Dealing with ladies is a beautiful thing. I even changed my look, the type of clothes I used to wear. Work put me in a new milieu that requires me to always look decently elegant. All this made me a person happy with her life, someone more able to cope with life's difficulties."

This small project served as a gate of hope, a bridge through which Ms. L.B  gained a significant measure of autonomy, sought a means to earn a decent living and reintegrate into society.

This is how life is in times of hardship: from the heart of difficulties one can create hope!

Ms. Al al-Kh, aged 27, is married and the mother of two children, one of whom has speech disorders and learning difficulties. Her husband, the children's father, cannot work because he is listed as a conscript reservist. The family was displaced from East Ghouta and lives in a rented house with Al.KH's parents. Unfortunately for her, she is her family's sole breadwinner, as her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and her brother is still at school age.

Like innumerable Syrian families, Al.KH's fled to an unknown future in which they lacked shelter and everything. This led to poverty and the inability to provide for most basic needs, not to mention the psychological pressures associated with that. What made things worse for Al.KH was the deteriorating health of both her daughter and father. She tried more than once to improve her family's living conditions, but greed and exploitation of employers were unbearable for her, which strained her determination and failed her modest dreams.

When she was monitored by a SSSD ORV, a first spark of hope was ignited. The turning point in her life and the life of her family was when the project she had long dreamed of was approved!

Thus Al.KH's journey in realizing her dream began. During her journey, SSSD supported her both financially and morally. To begin with, she was offered a course in Small-Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Soon after, her project, a women's accessories and handbags shop, was launched.

The project has changed the course of life of Al.KH and her family. Thanks to a fairly handsome steady income, they are now able to provide for living needs and afford medical treatment for the family's patients. This has given them a sense of stability, which certainly changed their lives for the better. In Al.KH's own words, "This project is a new beginning for me. From now on, I can support my family and live independently."

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. How truly this proverb applies to Ms. Al.KH's case, reflecting on the ground thanks to the efforts of the Syrian Society for Social Development.

Kh al-N is a 44-year-old widow and the mother of two children. Her husband died 15 years ago, leaving her with the huge responsibility of raising the children and securing household expenses. Her daughter suffers from a congenital brain hemorrhage that has caused her serious learning difficulties. Kh, despite the difficult circumstances, refused to beg other people’s sympathy, trying to rely on herself by working in a shop selling underwear. The war, however, forced her to flee, so she had eventually to live in a rented house in Jaramana, Rural Damascus. Having to abandon work and finding no job opportunity in Jaramana made her condition all the more desperate.

Ms. Kh was monitored in Jaramana, then introduced to the SSSD community center and the services offered thereat, particularly the Small-business Grants Project. Having followed a course in small-business management and entrepreneurship, Kh appeared before a special committee in the presence of a UNHCR representative and obtained approval for a project of her own (a shop for selling underwear and women’s accessories). Shortly afterwards, a suitable shop was found and rented, all supplies were purchased and the small business was launched.

Ms. Kh proved to be an active, enthusiastic woman who loved her work and sought progress and self-realization. This was obvious from the fact that she changed the type of clothes on display in the shop. “As you can see, I changed most of the garments in the shop in order to meet market needs,” she said. When asked about the impact of the new job on her life she answered with a broad smile on her face: “So many things changed for me, in my life in general and in life with my children. First and foremost, I repaid my debt, which was really a heavy burden on me, and was able to provide for my children. I helped my son continue his education (he is a 2nd year student studying computer engineering); I can now afford the medicine for my daughter whose condition, thank God, has perceptibly improved; I no longer have those anger fits and I’m kinda-friends with my children. Gradually, I was able to engage in the community’s life and socialize with new people. To make a long story short, I’m in love with life again!”

At the end of the conversation, Kh thanked SSSD that brought her and her family back to life. This small business was a gate of hope and a lifeline that saved Kh and her family from drowning in debt and sinking into depression. Through it, Kh gamely stepped into autonomy and sought decent living and integration into community.

Mr. Z.S is 35 and married. He is the sole breadwinner for a family consisting of his wife, two children and his parents. The family has been displaced and lives now at al-Zahera district in a rented house. On top of that, he suffers from Bell's palsy (facial nerve paralysis).

He was monitored at al-Zahera and offered to go to SSSD to see what help he could be provided with.

Having extensive experience in the business, Mr. Zaher's burning wish was to restore his and his family's work in sheep breeding. He was first assigned to a small-business management and entrepreneurship course, before appearing before a special committee in the presence of a representative of the UNHCR. He then obtained approval for his project: selling sheep and dairy sheep products, to be implemented in conjunction with the holy month of Ramadan.

Mr. Zaher proved a very active, unperturbed person, very enthusiastic and persistent in making his project a success. His first step was to transfer his residence to al-'Adawi area, where there are orchards and land suitable for raising the sheep that SSSD offered him. During the follow-up of Zaher at his home, his diligence and keen interest in the sheep's health and wellbeing were evident. He secured a suitable shed for the animals, brought them the veterinarian on a regular basis and benefited from his father's knowledgeable advice in sheep raising.

The visible impact of his work on the project's turn has been observed at all levels of his life: economic, social and domestic. He has become financially independent and able to meet his family's needs, and is growing more optimistic about life, hoping that the future would be a tiny bit more beautiful.

Today, thanks to Mr. Zaher's experience and diligence, he managed to secure a way for himself and his family towards dignified living after much suffering and patience in the face of poor conditions and hardships. Their story is for sure an example to follow ...