LocationsThe Tools to Start Again: Khaled Rebuilds His Livelihood
October 14, 2026
“When I know my work will help me provide for my family and buy my medicine, I forget how tired I am and keep going.”
For Khaled Al-Sous, 37, furniture carpentry is more than a profession. It is the trade he has practiced for nearly 28 years and the work he relies on to support his wife, son and two daughters in Kafr Batna, Rural Damascus.
The years of conflict left deep marks on both his livelihood and his health. Although Khaled’s disability is not immediately visible, he lives with the lasting effects of multiple injuries to his right hand, left leg and head, including a serious head wound that required 73 stitches. His injuries affect his mobility and stamina, and he cannot work for long periods at a time.
Kafr Batna endured years of siege, when access to bread and other basic necessities became extremely difficult. Khaled was also detained for more than a year and a half in Saydnaya Prison. Of all the injuries and hardships, he experienced during the conflict, he says it was his time in detention that affected him most, both physically and psychologically. He was never the same afterward.
His workshop was destroyed by shelling, but through those years, he held on to the trade that had sustained him and his family for most of his life.
Despite the conflict, detention and destruction, Kafr Batna remained home.
Eventually, Khaled learned about a livelihoods project supporting persons with disabilities through a local association in Kafr Batna.
His participation began with business management training. He learned how to better organize his workshop, manage finances, calculate equipment depreciation, deal with customers and plan his time.
“The training taught me how to manage the shop better and how important it is to deliver work on time,” he says. “That builds a good reputation and brings more customers.”
But the biggest change came when he received his own tools.
Before that, Khaled regularly had to borrow or rent equipment. Every new order came with uncertainty: whether the tools would be available, whether they might break, and whether he could finish the job before having to return them.
“The day I received the tools was one of the best feelings,” he recalls. “As we say, the tools are two-thirds of the craft. Without the right tools, even a skilled carpenter can only do so much.”
For Khaled, ownership brought more than convenience. It brought peace of mind.
“I do not worry about the tools anymore,” he says. “I can accept a job knowing that I can finish it and deliver it on time.”
The impact quickly became visible. He began taking on more work, attracting more customers and earning more income, helping him cover household expenses and the medication he needs.
Khaled was among persons with disabilities supported through Empower Ability: Inclusive Livelihoods for All, implemented by UNDP with Première Urgence Internationale and supported by the Government of Finland. The intervention combined business training, entrepreneurship support and productive assets to strengthen economic self-reliance. In southern Syria alone, the project supported 95 persons with disabilities with sustainable livelihood opportunities through small grants and entrepreneurship support. The initiative formed part of UNDP’s broader work to strengthen social protection, reduce barriers to disability inclusion and enable persons with disabilities to participate more fully in economic and community life.
The support has not erased the effects of Khaled’s injuries or the difficult years behind him. But it has given him greater independence and the ability to work with more confidence.
His advice to others facing similar circumstances is simple:
“The opportunity may come only once, so you have to be ready to make the most of it. Keep trying and do not lose hope. There is still a lot in life, and we have to keep pursuing our dreams, whatever happens.”
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