Feature: Ducks, doves symbolize Homs survivors' efforts to rebuild their lives in Syria

by Qu Junya, Zheng Yihan

HOMS, Syria, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- After the rattle of gunfire and the deafening boom of bombs, there is now a more cheerful sound to be heard in Homs, Syria's third largest city that was ravaged by a civil war and attacks by the Islamic State terror group from 2011 to 2014.

It is the sound of quacks as a flock of ducks waddle by a puddle on the road, pecking for food.

They are an incongruous sight in a neighborhood marked by buildings ruined by bombs and fire. Homs used to be an industrial center in west Syria before the violence devastated it and displaced thousands of people.

Rabea Sahlool, a 43-year-old carpenter, is the first man to return home after the violence ended.

"It was a big blow, seeing (my) home all burnt when I came back," the bearded Sahlool said, standing in the main street in Al-Hamidiya district.

Sahlool had a two-story house. His workshop was on the first floor while his family lived on the second. The dogged hope that he would be able to come back one day sustained him through the four years of a hardscrabble life as he fled the violence with his family.

"But you can never come back to an old life destroyed," he said stoically. "I have to start all over again,"0 The first thing he did was to re-build his home. It took him more than a year to repair and build walls, the staircase, doors and windows. Now it is home again with his wife and four children having moved in. The aroma of food being cooked wafts out of the kitchen.

The place was deserted and eerily silent when Sahlool returned. So he decided to raise ducks for company. Their lusty quacks broke the bleak silence reigning on the street flanked by dilapidated, empty houses and made him feel less lonely, he said.

Later, seven families returned to the neighborhood. Today, in the old city of Homs, nearly one fifth of its population are back.

Sahlool is glad to see more new doors and windows appearing on walls blackened by gunfire. His workshop is running again. The delicate carvings on many wooden doors testify to his craftsmanship.

Water and power supplies as well as the communication network have resumed and the government said it would send engineers to assess the damage to the houses in 13 communities in the old city. Houses that are certified 70 percent damaged will be rebuilt.

But rebuilding is difficult. The government can't do it alone and the international community's support is needed.

In addition to ducks, Sahlool is now rearing chickens and doves as well.

"So that the street has a stronger (pulse) of life, and people here and passersby see more vitality and feel more upbeat," he said. Enditem