We can only try to guess how Iraqi people whom we meet cope with the grief and loss, day in, day out. Although we laugh with the boys, we know clearly that their prospects are also bleak. They've each had a particularly rough childhood. We've winced as we've seen two boys and their family move from a pitifully humble apartment into an even worse hovel, as the boys' income just couldn't meet rising expenses. In a month, school will start.
Families sell belongings in order to get shoes, clothing and schoolbags.
Those with no more assets to sell must keep their children home. Even so, it's disconcerting to realize that they're in their early teens and still unable to read. The boys respect Ahmed, and he brings out the best in them. When one of the boys begins to frown and pout over some slight, Ahmed talks to him in a manner that is neither harsh nor condescending. He rarely becomes exasperated.