05/19/2003

“We have nothing, we have lost everything, we have no money, no car, no work, only the poor suffer and we will suffer the most. Before we could afford some things, but now the prices are too high.” One woman that RI interviewed has a husband and six children. She and her family have been living here for one month. She is originally from Al Kubla, a neighborhood in Basra, but was forced out by the landlord when he found out her family had no money.  Her husband, who used to own a car and earn money as a driver, sometimes performs daily labor to earn an income.Her children used to go to school before the war. Unfortunately, their old school is too far away for them to attend and the nearest new school is not open. Even if it were open, she says, she has no money to pay for school, and her children have no shoes and no clean clothes. “My kids are ill sometimes and it is always the stomach problems. We go to the hospital if we can,” she explained to RI. She boils water for her kids to drink because she does not want them to get sick; the water is contaminated.

One family told RI that the war hasn’t improved their lives. Economically, there were no businesses working in Iraq and still there are no businesses. Prior to the war there was no work and, now, there is still no employment. The only difference is that previously they had a central government and now they have no government.The British have told these families to vacate the premises or they will be forced out. “If I am thrown out, where will I live? In the street? We have suffered for many years and we are hurt. They should not force us out.” Soldiers, the media, and the Hezbollah have visited them. The Hezbollah is a religious organization that wants to take over this building and remove the families. They offered the families about 1-½ million Iraqi dinars, approximately $830 dollars or 83 dollars per family. The families all refused. “We want stability, peace, a good life. We need a government, a good government.”