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IRAQ / REFUGEES
STORY: IRAQ / REFUGEES
SOURCE: UNHCR
TRT: 2.04
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC/ NATS
DATELINE: JULY, AUGUST 2009, BAGHDAD, IRAQ
1. Tilt down, destroyed building
2. Wide shot, two men walking into destroyed home
3. Med shot, child
4. Pan right, women
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Jaafar Kadhum, Owner of Destroyed Home:
“The bomb exploded at the door, damaging the whole house, our car and furniture. More than four or five other houses were also damaged.”
6. Med shot, rubble
7. Wide shot, rubble
8. Car going through military checkpoint
9. Pan right, destroyed building
10. Med shot, women walking through front gate
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Najlaa Kadhum, Owner of Rebuilt Home:
“It’s an indescribable feeling. I’m lost for words. We did nothing wrong, our house was blasted and we were uprooted but we had done nothing wrong.”
12. Various shots, family members inside rebuilt home
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Fatima Muhammed, Returnee:
“We are as happy as when we first moved into this house 12 years ago when we first bought it – thanks for reconstructing it, because we couldn’t have managed to do it on our own.”
14. Pan right, rebuilt home
15. Med shot, woman up in a balcony
While the situation in Iraq has stabilized substantially in recent months there remains a significant problem of displacement. It’s estimated that more than 1.5 million Iraqis remain in exile in neighboring states and that 2 million Iraqis are displaced from their homes inside Iraq.
Despite increased stability there are still random acts of violence throughout the country, and many families do not feel safe enough to return to their homes. Those who do decide to go back sometimes find their houses are damaged or destroyed.
The UN refugee agency is helping some of the most vulnerable families to repair and renovate their damaged homes so they can return. The agency aims to rehabilitate a total of 20,000 by the end of 2009.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Jaafar Kadhum, Owner of Destroyed Home:
“The bomb exploded at the door, damaging the whole house, our car and furniture. More than four or five other houses were also damaged.”
After several years in exile the Jaafar Kadhum family decided it was safe to return. But they were obliged to rent a house, as their own had been bombed. On a recent visit the extent of the damage was obvious. Their home was in ruins; it had been burned and gutted. They didn’t have the money to repair it and went to UNHCR for help.
Getting around Baghdad is still a security nightmare. There are roadblocks and security forces on every corner. After more than 6 years of violence thousands of homes have been destroyed and returning families don’t have the means to rebuild. In many cases it means the family won’t return at all.
About 6 weeks after their initial visit the family returned to find their house fully renovated. They weren’t able to hide their emotions.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Najlaa Kadhum, Owner of Rebuilt Home:
“It’s an indescribable feeling. I’m lost for words. We did nothing wrong, our house was blasted and we were uprooted but we had done nothing wrong.”
The Iraqi government compensates returnees – but the amount is nowhere near enough to repair most houses. The UN refugee agency feels that Iraqis are more likely to return if they have a home to come back to.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Fatima Muhammed, Returnee:
“We are as happy as when we first moved into this house 12 years ago when we first bought it – thanks for reconstructing it, because we couldn’t have managed to do it on our own.”
The project is a small but significant step to help Iraqis restart their lives. If calm prevails, it’s hoped that the project could expand to help a larger number of Iraqi families in the future.
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