He thought he would be forced to leave his city, Homs, and his parents to look for work in another country. Instead, 22-year-old Saliba is about to open a minimarket.
Saliba’s father’s shop has been destroyed, the street where it was located is full of rubble with houses torn apart by explosions. But Saliba has not given up, and with the strength of his 22 years he has remained in the city of Homs, in the Bab Tadmor Wadi al-Sayeh area where he lives with his parents with a specific project in mind.
Yet Saliba Al-Khory had other plans for his future. After high school he was planning to leave Syria to seek new opportunities elsewhere. His father used to work as a glazier in Homs but lost everything during the war. The family’s only income was then the meagre pension Saliba’s father receives.
When the opportunity arose to start again from the rubble, Saliba did not shy away from it: he joined the RestarT (Restart to Restore) project aimed at unemployed people with experience in the production or commercial sector. 
With this support – which includes the supply of tools and anything else needed to start up the business – Saliba is already hard at work transforming an old shop into a mini-market where the shelves will also have space for cheeses, yoghurt and butter made by his mother. Thanks to RestarT, Saliba already has a refrigerator for the drinks and an electricity generator, as well as a range of products to sell like vegetables, oil, spices and coffee.
His elderly father is always at his side. However, since good things come with other good things under the banner of reciprocity, the boy has a special wish. On the days when the minimarket is closed, Saliba will distribute food baskets to families in need.