THE UN ESTIMATES THAT 870,000 CHILDREN HAVE LOST ONE OR BOTH PARENTS IN IRAQ. THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT PUTS THE NUMBER AT 5 MILLION.
[ Children ] My motherland, my motherland…
Will I see you? Will I see you,
See you safe and prosperous, successful and esteemed?
Oh, my motherland, my motherland.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] The very first child I brought home suffered because his father wasn’t around,
his step-dad was cruel, his mother indifferent and society rejected him.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] He saw children walk to school before his eyes every day.
He saw fathers with their kids, buying them new things at the market.
[ Hicham Al-Dhahabi, Director, ‘Iraqi Safe House For Creativity’ ] So, he decided to get himself three grenades:
the first to kill his step-father.
The second to blow up the market, where everyone bought new clothes but him.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] And the third one for the school where all kids went but him.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] He was prone to violence.
Once, he even stabbed me with a broken bottle here.
I ended up getting stiches.
That was for taking him off the street.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] But, thank God, I managed to reach this child,
and turn him into a decent man who believes in the future and wants to be someone.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] He’s inspired me to work with other kids.
AFTER SUCCEEDING WITH THE FIRST CHILD, HICHAM OPENED THE “IRAQI SAFE HOUSE FOR CREATIVITY”, THE FIRST PRIVATE ORPHANAGE IN IRAQ.
IRAQI SAFE HOUSE
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Have you got a belt on?
[ boy 1 ] No belt.
[ boy 2 ] No belt.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] If you’ve been given a belt and not lost it, go over there.
[ boy 3 ] Mine’s in my locker…
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Those with belts are getting gifts.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] We’ve had over 150 children in 14 years.
At the moment we have 39.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Mohammed Imad…
One day a family called me: ‘Mr. Hicham, we have a child we’d like you to see.’
So they brought him here.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I said, ‘If you leave him now, don’t come back for him. Only his real family can have him.’
Then we found out that his mother had died,
and his father, though still alive, was a mentally incapacitated street beggar.
[ Mohammed ] My name is Mohammad Imad, I'm 12.
I'm from the city of Fallujah.
[ Mohammed ] My mother took me to another town where I stayed with my aunt.
[ Mohammed ] My family stayed in Fallujah, where they died.
FALLUJAH WAS ONE OF THE CENTERS OF INSURGENCY AGAINST THE US OCCUPATION OF IRAQ.
COURTESY OF SWPICTURES
[ VO ] When you enter this city, one of the first signs you see reads,
‘Welcome to Fallujah, the burial ground of the Americans’.
These soldiers have just put up posters, asking people to inform on insurgents attacking US troops.
They had barely left the scene before the locals tore the posters down.
[ man ] Tell them, if somebody loves his country then they won’t betray the Mujahideen,
as it’s them who’ll get rid of the Americans.
In 2014 Fallujah was overrun by ISIS.
[ Mohammed ] ISIS… they simply burnt my heart down.
[ Mohammed, 12 Years Old, From Fallujah ] They killed my family, my brothers, all my relatives.
I’m not only angry, I'd also want to kill them,
and watch them die before my eyes, but I can’t.
[ Mohammed ] I called my aunt ‘mother’ and my uncle ‘father’.
[ Mohammed ] My uncle had a car. Its engine was running.
All I did was pull the gear stick a little and it ran into the wall.
That's when they told me the truth:
I wasn't their son and they didn't want me anymore.
[ Mohammed ] ‘Why are you saying that, dad?’ I asked.
And he said, ‘You're not our real son.
You parents left you with us when you were very little.’
[ Mohammed ] It turned out to be true: my real mum and brothers had died,
while my father lost his mind and memory.
[ Mohammed ] They abandoned me because of the car.
I got really mad at them and stopped loving them.
[ Mohammed ] I stayed with my father for a while, tried to get used to him, but then…
but eventually…
Then…
Eventually he left me, I don’t know where he went
and I spent four months on the street.
[ Mohammed ] The people on the street were really cruel.
They'd run away from their parents to go drinking.
[ Mohammed ] They'd call out my name at night, beckoning me.
Whenever I heard their voices, I'd run towards the police patrol.
[ Mohammed ] I didn't understand anything and was covered in dirt.
Mr. Hicham took me in, bathed me and gave me shelter.
[ Mohammed ] I was afraid I’d make problems and be abandoned again.
But, thank God, Mr. Hicham forgave me for everything I'd do.
If we fell out, he'd apologise and take us somewhere nice.
[ Mohammed ] They taught me how to behave with a father, with a brother and people in general.
[ Mohammed ] They taught me about morals, manners, things I had no idea about.
[ Mohammed ] Here, I started school for the first time ever.
And now I teach those who can’t read.
[ Mohammed ] I think I would be dead by now, that's it.
When Mr. Hicham appeared in my life, I came to my senses.
And I've been here at the orphanage ever since.
[ actors ] I don't want this life.
I want to live for history and my motherland.
No, impossible!
[ actor 1 ] I want to leave! [ actor 2 ] Impossible! Here’s where our loved ones died.
[ actor ] War, war… Who is it that perishes in war?
Friends, old men, young men, children and women.
Everything sacred!
[ actor ] War, war, war…
[ teacher ] Open your history books and tell me about Saddam Hussein.
[ student 3 ] Was Saddam a good man, loved by all?
[ teacher ] No. If he was, things wouldn’t have happened the way they did.
[ teacher ] First, he dragged us into wars. [ student 3 ] With ISIS?
[ teacher ] No, an 8-year war with Iran. Then he invaded Kuwait in 1991.
[ student 3 ] Why did he attack Kuwait? [ teacher ] He said it was to defend Iraqi provinces,
but in fact he wanted to scare the Gulf states.
[ teacher ] And then the Gulf states, USA and the UK banded against him.
[ student 2 ] So, did the people support Saddam? [ student 3 ] Well, they followed him.
[ student 3 ] He held power by force. [ teacher ] Yes, by force.
[ teacher ] In elections Saddam was the only candidate.
Imagine, a ballot that read ‘Saddam’ with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ underneath.
[ student 3 ] Who ticked ‘no’? [ teacher ] No one.
[ student 1 ] What about the alternatives? [ teacher ] They were slaughtered, along with their clan.
[ student 1 ] Where did he get his support? [ teacher ] They say, from America.
[ student 1 ] How did they hear of him? [ teacher ] He was their agent.
[ student 1 ] He was a US agent? [ teacher ] Yes.
They taught him how to carry out a coup.
[ student 3 ] You said that Saddam was backed by the Americans at first.
So why did they overthrow him in the end?
[ teacher ] He acted against their interests. [ student 1 ] He stopped listening to them.
They claimed that he had chemical weapons as the pretext for war.
[ students ] So did Saddam have chemical weapons or not? [ teacher ] No, he didn't.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] My father was a taxi driver and my mother was a housewife.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] The best years of my life were spent in wars, sanctions and injustice.
For instance, I joined the army aged 18.
I finished military service at the age of 24.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Immediately after the war we got the economic blockade.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] The European Union and America agreed
to place an embargo on the Iraqi government.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] The pretext for the embargo was to prevent Iraq making weapons.
However, it included food items, clothes and even baby formula.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] It was unjust because it only hit the common people,
while the government had all their privileges as before.
[ VO ] Everything that goes to Iraq must be approved by a special Sanctions Committee.
This Committee has consistently blocked the restoration of basic services in Iraq:
power, light and clean running water.
ITEMS BANNED BY THE UN INCLUDED:
ELECTRIC LIGHT BULBS
SOCKS
WRISTWATCHES
OVENS
VEHICLES PARTS
SEWING MACHINES
MIRRORS
DISKETTES
NAILS
SOAP
PAPER
PENCILS
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Of course, lots of children lost their lives during the blockade.
Due to shortage of food and medication, until its complete disappearance.
[ VO ] 10 years ago, Iraq was a developed country, whose oil had brought great wealth.
Today, the death rate of children under 5 is over 4,000 every month.
That’s 4,000 more that would’ve died before sanctions.
THE UN ESTIMATES 500,000 CHILDREN DIED DURING THE SANCTIONS.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] At the same time during the sanctions we lost a real gem – a true teacher.
Most teachers quit because they were paid 3000 dinars.
That’s $1/month.
[ Hicham Al-Dhahabi, Director, ‘Iraqi Safe House For Creativity’ ] The illiteracy rates soared because many children
stopped going to school, simply because they couldn’t afford it.
[ Leila ] We just have to wait a bit to open a new file.
[ Leila ] Can you read, dear? [ student ] No.
[ Leila ] Not at all? [ student ] No.
[ Leila ] Not a single word?
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] The blockade was never lifted.
They just made a dirty deal: oil in exchange for food.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] They took our oil in exchange for supplying food to the Iraqi people.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Bit by bit we stopped feeling the blockade… Until the American troops invaded.
ARCHIVE
[ VO ] This building has simply been left to burn because there’s no fire service available.
[ VO ] You don’t think there’s a risk going into people’s houses like that
that it might make them more scared of you and sort of more, you know, anti-American?
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I started working with street kids in 2003, after the Americans invaded Iraq.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I decided on this category of children after seeing how many were in the streets.
Most of them were sniffing acetone.
and their hair was matted.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] The economic hardships that shook the country meant
many couldn’t maintain their responsibilities to others.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] The family institution is in crisis. Divorces are on the rise.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Some children lose their families to terrorist attacks.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] We used to have roots:
our large families would include uncles, grandfathers, and so on.
That’s been destroyed. Now, people only care about their immediate relatives.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] So people started to see Hicham as a safe haven for children and asked me for help.
[ Um Muktada ] Hello, hi. [ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Hello.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] This is Hicham al-Dhahabi. Tell me your story.
[ Um Muktada ] God bless you.
I divorced my husband and am now staying with my brother.
He has children of his own and doesn’t want my son to stay in his house.
My ex-husband suffers from schizophrenia and beat the children up all the time.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Do you have a divorce certificate? [ Um Muktada ] Yes.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Bring your child’s papers, your divorce certificate and a witness.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Alright? We'll bear the cost of his education, upbringing, spare time and so on.
[ Um Muktada ] My son is completely not used to that…
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Like most of the children who come to us.
[ Um Mutkada ] Are you very strict?
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] No, we don’t torture them.
We teach them to be orderly, we educate them and organize their lives.
[ Um Mutkada ] I have no choice but to bring him to you.
[ Um Mutkada ] God willing, we’ll come tomorrow. [ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Ok, see you then.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I've never left this country.
I lived through all of this country’s tough times.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I’m from a poor neighbourhood,
one with many widows, orphans and poor people.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I’ve been disciplined by the hardships and suffering I've been through.
All that became just my day-to-day life.
THE ORPHANAGE WAS STARTED IN HICHAM'S OWN HOME, WHERE HE LIVES WITH HIS WIFE AND 6 KIDS. IT HAS RUN SOLELY ON DONATIONS FROM ITS INCEPTION TO TODAY.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I worked in the streets for three years,
and developed a good rapport with many kids.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] It was something of a challenge.
Taking a street kid into your own home,
back then, society wasn’t ready for it.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I even received death threats.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] There were people profiting from these children's hardships.
Some even wrote, ‘You'll see what I’ll do to you" on my Facebook wall.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Our goal is to make children forget everything they've been through.
[ VO ] Did you ever think you’d be doing this?
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Never in a million years.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Turn off the lights!
Sit still and listen.
Today I'll tell you a story called ‘The Iron Mask’.
Once upon a time, in a faraway place,
there was a king and a queen.
In the olden days there were no Presidents or Prime Ministers.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] The king and queen had two children,
twins like Musa and Sajad.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] And people said, ‘You must get rid of one so there will be only one heir.’
So they stole one child and took him to a faraway land.
So, let’s say they stole him in Iraq and took him to Turkey.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] So who was meant to take the throne when the king died?
[ children ] His son!
The son who remained in the palace.
But he was very cruel to the people.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] And then the new king heard of a man who looked very much like him.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] So he ordered that his brother be done away with,
so there would be no other contender for the throne.
[ children ] Why didn’t his father do something? [ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] His died of old age.
[ children ] And his mum? [ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] She was still around, but what could she do?
The king was very hostile.
He hated everyone and had no respect for his mother, father, his country or history.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] This is how this story ends. 00:19:08.294 00:19:12.654 [ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] No, what shall we do now? Everyone goes to bed.
On my count: one… two…
...three!
[ Teacher Samir ] One word is missing from this sentence. What should you add?
[ children ] The noun! [ Teacher Samir ] The noun.
[ Teacher Samir ] Pick one: Wants, Iraq, Freedom. [ Naif ] Iraq.
[ Teacher Samir ] Naif. There’s a missing word. Something – ‘is part of the Arab world’.
What is part of the Arab world?
[ Naif ] Iraq.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] From the day I took him in, Naif spoke of wanting to find a place he can have peace.
In his video he kept saying he hoped to find a school or kindergarten.
That was his dream.
[ Naif ] I came here hoping that maybe Allah…
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Maybe Allah what?
[ Naif ] Maybe Allah could help and enroll me in a school…
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] He followed me on errands, and got involved in running the orphanage.
That’s all he wanted. He needed to regain confidence.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] These are little things that anyone can do.
[ Naif ] My name is Naif Navaf, I'm 13. I lived in Fallujah.
[ Naif ] I don't remember my father, I remember my mum a little.
I remember helping her about the house, with cooking.
If she started cleaning, I'd do that for her.
When the protests and unrest began, ISIS came and occupied Fallujah.
[ Naif ] My father died before ISIS came.
We couldn't stay there because they'd kidnap children and strap explosives to them.
[ Naif, 13 years old, from Fallujah ] There was a bridge called Hadid under their control.
[ VO ] Under ISIS control? [ Naif ] Yes.
They put suicide vests on children under that bridge.
[ Naif ] When I first saw them I thought it was a gang, but then I saw their weapons.
I realised they were with ISIS.
I took a closer look at one, he had a long beard,
then I saw the rest of them.
[ VO ] Did you see the child? How old was he?
[ Naif ] About this tall.
[ teacher Samir ] I caught you!
[ boy 2 ] You were caught!
[ teacher Samir ] Now I caught you.
[ boy 2 ] Mr. Samir, we all made a mistake in the sentence about the hen.
[ teacher Samir ] Instead of ‘the hen walked into the cage’,
it should say ‘the rooster walked into the cage’.
[ Naif ] I was afraid they’d put explosives on me, too, so I and told my mom about it.
Soon after that she died.
[ Naif ] My uncles joined ISIS and I didn't want to stay with them.
If I stayed, I'd be one of them.
[ Naif ] After they joined ISIS I realised that I have no one left.
[ VO ] Do you remember a time in Fallujah when there was no army or militants?
[ Naif ] No. When ISIS came, the army left. But there was ISIS.
I don't like war.
War is lies.
We must stop and become brothers
in order to overcome evil, lies, and those who say that war is not lies.
[ Naif ] What is evil? It's ISIS that blows up children,
it's the terrorists that kill people for no reason at all.
I saw ISIS enter houses,
take women, call them their wives,
and then burn their houses.
[ Naif ] And when you reach a certain age, you must become one of them.
[ man ] Caring for orphans under the wing of the Islamic State.
The work of the brothers in our orphanages includes constant Sharia lessons.
And praise to Allah, the Merciful, for using us in caring for this part of society,
to make it a thorn in the side of the enemies of the Believers.
[ Naif ] I decided to go somewhere where there was no ISIS.
I decided Bagdad was such a place.
[ Naif ] No one gave me food.
I'd eat scraps from restaurants.
[ Naif ] Then a man saw me. He said he had three sons,
and I could live with him if I wanted.
[ Naif ] And then he told me I had to work. I said I didn't know how to.
So he gave me 1 or 2 thousand dinars, told me to buy chewing gum and sell it in the street.
I brought him the money. If I didn't, he’d burn me with a hot blade.
He'd tie me to a chair first and then burn me.
[ Naif ] I brought 10,000, then 15,000.
They said it wasn't enough.
[ Naif ] They burned me when I brought them 10,000. [ VO ] Where?
[ VO ] Alright. [ Naif ] And here as well.
[ Naif ] I was always on the street.
I’d always see people, holding their kids’ hands, going to amusement parks.
And I’d walk to work, think of Mum and Dad, and cry.
[ Naif ] He kicked me out of the house.
Then came a man called Ibrahim. He brought me here at 1 am.
[ Naif ] I didn't want to come.
I thought they'd beat me here, too, like at the man's house.
When I woke up I saw kids in school uniforms. They asked why I wasn't wearing one.
I said I wasn't one of them. They replied, ‘you are now’.
[ Naif ] Then Mr. Hicham came.
As soon as I saw him I sensed that he made all the children smile.
He made us forget that we were kids who had no one.
He made us feel like we were a family and not alone.
[ Naif ] I started drawing and going to parties.
I never went to parties before, I'd stay at home and help my mother.
I didn't know what parties were and how much fun they are with other people.
[ Naif ] When I grow up I'd like to become a building engineer,
and build a big house for our orphanage.
[ Naif ] Big enough for Mr. Hicham to bring in everyone he finds,
so there wouldn’t be a single child left on the street.
[ Leila ] Where's the box? Bring it here.
Gently put the kittens in the box, one by one.
Careful. There you go, good job.
Put it here.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Let me disinfect your hands.
[ child ] Bring some milk.
[ child 1 ] Where did you find them? [ child 2 ] In the street.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] There’s a difference between orphans and street kids.
Iraqi people are very compassionate to orphans,
because they are mentioned in the Quran.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Before I started working with them,
people viewed street kids as inferior.
[ Hicham Al-Dhahabi, Director, ‘Iraqi Safe House For Creativity’ ] They were subjected to violence, scorned and insulted.
It’s as if they’re criminals, not victims.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Have you ever run away before? [ Muqtada ] Yes.
Hicham al-Dhahabi ] So, it happens all the time.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Have you called his father?
[ Um Muktada ] Yes, he said he doesn’t want him.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] What's happened to your arm?
Stand up, let me take a look.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] That’s a fresh bruise. Does it hurt? [ Muqtada ] Yes.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Is this a new one?
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] When were you hit? [ Muqtada ] This one’s from yesterday.
[ Um Muktada ] Why did I send Muqtada to the orphanage? I had no choice. Would he do better on the street?
They said Mr. Hicham would be really good for him.
I cried from the house all the way here,
but when I saw the great conditions here, I calmed down.
[ Um Muktada ] Here, in Iraq, for a woman to be without a man… it’s very, very hard.
[ Um Muktada, Muqtada's mother ] That's because a woman here is fully dependent on a man.
[ Um Muktada ] I know many women who abandon their children so they can remarry.
[ Um Muktada ] They say I should do the same, but I say, ‘No’.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Have you got anything to say?
They say you can be cheeky.
You'll have to sign a disclaimer:
‘I, so and so, have placed this child in foster care here.’
‘Should anything happen, I won't hold the orphanage responsible…’
We often organize excursions, go to exhibitions, meals out,
and, as you know, anything can happen here, in Iraq.
[ Um Muktada ] I told Mr. Hicham that my son behaves badly sometimes.
[ Um Muktada ] He’s always on the street, the street.
[ Um Muktada ] There’s no one to show him right from wrong.
And there are so many temptations on the street, kidnapping, terrorism.
[ Um Muktada ] If someone suggested it, he'd embrace the idea.
A gang was arrested recently, and all of them were kids.
[ Um Muktada ] They kidnapped children for ransom.
[ Um Muktada ] The parents told the police.
When they heard about that, they threw the child out. His head hit a post and he died.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] He may leave if he doesn’t like it.
The door is always open. It's not a prison.
[ Um Muktada ] Come on, son.
[ Leila ] First, you’ll go to school, get a good job,
then get a house and get married.
What is there for you on the streets? Why go back there?
[ Um Muktada ] Come on, son. This is school.
[ Muqtada ] I don't want to, don't you understand?
[ Um Muktada ] You can call me every night. I'll be back for you, I swear.
Have I ever lied to you?
Power’s off again.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] What are you afraid of?
Tell me, what are you afraid of?
[ Muqtada ] I don't want to sleep in a school. [ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Is this just a school here?
We've got a hairdresser, drawing and music classes, we’ve got all you want.
What do you like the most?
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Come, look.
Go around back and you'll see a door.
walk in and ask, ‘Where's Mr. Samir?’
[ children ] Come on, give me your hand.
Mr. Samir?
There's a boy who wants to see you.
[ Teacher Samir ] Let's go.
[ Teacher Samir ] This is the canteen where your mates have lunch now.
Here’s Hasan, Musa and Sadjad.
[ Muqtada ] I’ve lived on the street awhile.
[ Muqtada ] I've seen drunks get into knife fights.
[ Muqtad, 13 years old, from Baghdad ] Once a drunk man with a knife chased me,
but I ran to where there were more people.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Come here.
These guys are the two most dangerous.
Come here, open your mouth.
Open your mouth.
I'm afraid they might take up smoking.
[ Muqtada ] We've got ISIS, the damn murdering terrorists, here, too.
Mum said it’ll be better for me here.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] If you don't come back tomorrow, don't come back at all. Alright?
See you tomorrow.
[ Muqtada ] If I stayed in the street, ISIS would capture me.
They'd use me and teach me how to handle guns and bombs.
[ Naif ] Is that enough?
One of us will be on duty tonight, telling them fairy tales.
They’re just babies. No one should touch them.
He's their Mum now.
[ children ] Where is their Mum? [ Leila ] Their mother was run over by a car.
[ Naif ] Sadjad, why are you crying? Why are you crying?
They’ve joined our ranks.
There’s more of us now.
They’re orphans like us.
[ Leila ] Is this computer not working? [ Mohammed ] No, teacher.
[ Mohammed ] My name is Mohammed, I’m 13.
I'm from Syria, Damascus.
[ Mohammed ] My father died trying to save my uncle.
He was shot by a sniper.
I was little, four years old.
[ Mohammed, 13 years old, from Damascus ] If I knew who did it, I'd go and kill him.
[ Leila ] Only one computer’s working.
[ children ] No! [ Leila ] Well, no power means no computers.
[ Mohammed ] I try to calm down, to relax,
but then I start thinking about the family I no longer have.
[ Mohammed ] We were in the street with no shelter.
[ Mohammed ] There are horrible, evil people.
People who beat and torture us because they only want us to bring them money.
[ Mohammed ] People who want children to bear their responsibilies.
[ Mohammed ] I'm furious for being treated like this.
I resent them all, except Mr. Hicham and those who take care of us.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Go away.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Everyone says you’re a bully. [ Muqtada ] Me? A bully?!
Why do they say that?
A bully or unruly? A bully or unruly..!
[ Mohammed ] I was playing with my friends when I saw Mr. Hicham.
He approached me and said, ‘Come with us.’
And so I did. I was six.
[ Mohammed ] My mother said, ‘Let him stay with you. Send him back to me when you see fit.’
[ Mohammed ] When I came, I couldn't read or write.
But I studied diligently and, God willing, I’ll make the next grade.
[ VO ] How do you think we can solve the problem of Syria and Iraq?
[ Mohammed ] It will never be solved.
Backstabbing will prevent a solution.
[ Mohammed ] I see everything crumbling.
We keep running from one house to another, but can't find a place anywhere.
If we stay in one place, we soon get kicked out,
and we are mistreated.
[ Mohammed ] If I had a magic lamp I'd make three wishes:
I'd like to give Mr. Hicham the kind of life he’s given me.
I want to help people, and a big house with lots of people in it.
[ Mohammed ] I want to grow up and, with my mother's blessing, become an architect.
And then I can rebuild Iraq and Syria.
[ Muqtada ] Drop the pen.
[ Naif ] Can I throw it out the door? [ Muqtada ] No, don't.
[ teacher ] Now, stop fighting.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I have a BA in psychology.
I started a Master's, but couldn't finish because I was busy with the kids.
[ Hicham Al-Dhahabi, Director, ‘Iraqi Safe House For Creativity’ ] I can’t assess a child based on first impressions.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Researchers in Iraq and all over the world make this mistake,
basing assumptions on the child’s story.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I don’t diagnose based on what the child says.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] But having worked with these kids for so long,
I was able to diagnose a set of issues that they all have to some extent:
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] for example, lack of affection, absence of parents or guardians.
Perhaps a tough transition period,
especially if they're victims of physical or sexual violence.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] At the start, I gathered children with similar backgrounds,
and run group therapy sessions, where each child shared his problem.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] After that I'd stage plays, performances or movies based on children's issues,
which would be resolved in the finale.
[ boy ] Which of you are Mohammed and Ali Shaker?
[ boy 1 ] Are these your sons? [ boy 2 ] Yes.
Hamudi, I've changed my ways!
I won't drink anymore!
I'll take you back home! You can count on me.
Come here, dear boys.
My dear boy! Samir repented.
I’ll take you home.
We'll go shopping and I’ll take you to school. Alright, dear boys?
[ boys ] Please, take us with you?
[ boy 3 ] Mister, can we take them, too?
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] The difficulties I faced in the first 4 or 5 years
allowed me to create an orphanage that, I believe,
is a healthy place that heals their psychological issues automatically.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] When a new kid arrives he isolates himself from the rest.
Gradually, he adapts and becomes more like the others,
with no external interference.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] I'm going against the tide in a way, so my methods are constantly criticised.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] If a conflict arises, or one of them annoys me,
I get into my car and drive around for a couple of hours.
And as I do, I find a solution.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] If there's a general issue at the orphanage, I take some kids in the car,
turn the music on really loud,
the kids sing and dance, and I go really fast. Then I calm down.
And then we go back to the orphanage.
[ shop-assistant ] Try this one.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Tarek. His father died and his mother is mentally disabled.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] He comes from a disadvantaged background.
I saw him in the streets all the time.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] He is very talented and intelligent.
[ boy 1 ] Number 5, what's your name? [ Tarek ] Tauk!
[ boy 2 ] Tauk… Sir, it's Tarek, not Tauk.
He just can’t pronounce the R sound.
[ shop-assistant ] When’s the wedding? [ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Two days’ time.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] He couldn’t settle at the orphanage,
just because he would always visit his brother, who exploited him.
It was quite a challenge, because Tarek was the youngest one on the street at that time.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Each time he’d run away, I’d bring him back.
Until one day, I told him:
‘I’ll quit the orphanage for good, unless you change and stay here.’
And that's how I got this scar.
[ Tarek ] When I was little, I broke Mr. Hicham's nose.
[ Tarek ] I had a row with the former director,
and Mr. Hicham came and tried to calm me down.
And that was my first response.
I hit him on the nose.
[ Tarek ] He should have punished me. Anyone else would’ve kicked my butt!
[ Tarek ] Mr. Hicham… I could never speak highly enough of him.
I came to him in 2004 and stayed until 2017.
It's been 14 years.
WHEN THE KIDS COME OF AGE, HICHAM USES HIS CONNECTIONS TO SECURE THEM A JOB AND SPOUSE. TODAY, IT’S TAREK AND MOHAMMAD’S TURNS.
[ Tarek ] I remember the fall of Saddam.
Some people were happy about it, others were sad and afraid.
Murders, burglaries and explosions followed.
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[ Tarek ] 2004 followed and mum sent me to Mr. Hicham's orphanage.
[ Tarek ] My mother didn't have a choice.
[ Tarek, 25 Years Old, From Baghdad ] First of all, life was hard.
After the fall of Saddam it became even tougher. She couldn't provide for me.
[ Tarek ] I was too small to understand.
I was attached to my mother.
[ Tarek ] I was scared, but he started to change my life,
when outside the orphanage murders were happening daily.
Gradually, he gave me a sense of security.
[ Tarek ] He was like a father and a mother to me, although I do have a mother.
But I got more tenderness and care from him than from my mother.
[ Tarek ] I started school thanks to him.
I didn't go to school before.
[ Tarek ] Today I work at the oil ministry, I'm a computer engineer.
[ Tarek ] I'd probably be in a terrorist group or criminal gang now otherwise.
[ Tarek ] Maybe in ISIS, or whatever you call them, which recruits children.
[ Tarek ] Any street child who doesn’t get enough care and attention
will join these groups sooner or later.
For the money, mostly.
[ Tarek ] If they'll pay you 1,000 or 10,000 dinars,
you’ll do what they ask because you have no other income.
You can’t refuse because the temptation is too strong.
[ Tarek ] I wish every child in Iraq could have a father like Hicham al-Dhahabi.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] We'll reap what we've sown.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] You can't expect children who grew up without rights to respect those of others.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] Kids like that would become criminals.
Robbers or ISIS or organ dealers will exploit them.
They’d use all those children, who live on the fringes of society,
with no one to care for them or stand up for their rights.
[ Hicham al-Dhahabi ] If, in the 90s, under Saddam, we’d had the freedom we have today,
we could’ve saved many underprivileged children who were led astray.