Enab Baladi – Besan Khalaf
Khadija, who lives in the Jdeidat Artouz area, was forced to work in house cleaning for a daily wage after the death of her husband, in order to pay the rent, while her daughter works in the field of online marketing.
“I worked with my 20-year-old daughter for three years to secure the costs of restoring one room in my house in Moadamiyet al-Sham,” said Khadija, who was displaced along with her family of four from Moadamiyet al-Sham after the Assad regime besieged the area for years following the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011.
Khadija added, “For three years, I bought small quantities of building materials, and last March, I finished restoring one room that shelters me, my daughter, and my little son.”
Moadamiyet al-Sham, located west of the capital Damascus, suffered extensive destruction and a complete siege by the Assad regime, which implemented a policy of destruction, siege, and starvation in various areas that revolted against oppression and demanded freedom.
Searching through the rubble of homes
Mamoun al-Sherawi returned to the Jobar neighborhood of Damascus, which suffered systematic destruction that altered the geography of the area, with most buildings reduced to rubble due to shelling.
Al-Sherawi, who returned from Jordan, recounts to Enab Baladi his efforts to identify his home and begin restoration after being overwhelmed by the high cost of living in Amman.
Al-Sherawi worked in a ready-made clothing factory in Amman, earning a modest salary, as he describes it, which was not enough to support his family of four.
“It took an entire day, relying on my memory, until I recognized the ruins of my home, and I discovered it needs to be rebuilt, not just restored,” said al-Sherawi.
In Jobar, residents continue their personal efforts to clear rubble from side streets to facilitate vehicle passage and provide returning displaced individuals the opportunity to identify their homes.
In order to rebuild his house, al-Sherawi decided to sell his commercial shop in the devastated region of Arbin, as he needs approximately $15,000 for his home due to the high costs of building materials in Syria.
“We are paying the price for Assad’s bloodshed and his revenge on the people,” said Saeed al-Wakeel to Enab Baladi, who returned from Lebanon to find his home and shop in the al-Qaboun area of Damascus destroyed.
He added, “Restoring my home and shop in al-Qaboun has so far cost me $10,000.”
Al-Wakeel has not visited Syria since 2014, when he had to leave the country after being detained in the al-Khatib branch due to his revolutionary activities at that time.
Destruction hinders return
Qusay Abdul Bari, a journalist activist from the al-Qaboun neighborhood, discussed with Enab Baladi previously that between 550 and 700 families in al-Qaboun can’t return from their displacement locations in Idlib due to the complete destruction of their homes, not to mention those who fled to neighboring countries like Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.
Abdul Bari mentioned that 80% of the buildings in al-Qaboun are completely destroyed.
Surrounding areas of Damascus, including its suburbs, villages, and cities, have been subjected to systematic destruction and barrel bombing, turning thousands of homes into rubble, as seen in Daraya city, Eastern Ghouta villages, Yarmouk refugee camp for Palestinians, and a-Hajar al-Aswad.
Due to years of war, many Syrians suffer from the loss of their homes and properties, and thus they view reconstruction from an individual perspective, with the need for housing becoming a top priority for them.
Moreover, most citizens do not realize that reconstruction is an economic process that involves infrastructure, productive sectors, and public services, and is not solely about rebuilding homes. Therefore, many Syrians have a misconception that reconstruction funds will focus on restoring their damaged homes.
International organizations and the government will not be able to assist those whose homes were damaged due to shelling and war over the past 14 years, as the priority will be given to severely deteriorated infrastructure sectors.
Regarding the reconstruction file, the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment in the Interim Government of Damascus announced plans to assess the extent of the damage in Syria in preparation for starting the rebuilding process for homes destroyed due to bombing by the former Syrian regime and its allies.
The former Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Mohamed Muslim, stated on January 2nd that massive destruction has been recorded in all Syrian provinces, both in cities and rural areas, through preliminary aerial surveys of several destroyed regions.
Muslim told the Syrian news agency (SANA), “We are still in the stage of assessing all sectors that need reconstruction, acknowledging that the former regime did not carry out any accurate assessments of the provinces previously.”
He clarified that the ministry will rely on specialized, professional teams for the assessment and will incorporate them into practical workshop teams to commence accurate assessments in all provinces for various affected facilities needing reconstruction.
The Ministry of Local Administration confirmed its determination to establish a clear database regarding the extent of the destruction and to set plans and objectives that align with it for the upcoming phase, aimed at providing a safe return for the displaced.
Restoring homes: A grueling priority for residents of war-torn Damascus suburbs Enab Baladi.
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