#8 Holding On: Their Most Cherished Possession

From the fires of California to famine and war in Yemen and South Sudan, every year millions of people are displaced by natural disasters, violence and extreme climate. Around the world, the number of people forced from their homes and neighborhoods has more than doubled in the past twenty years. The current official estimate of displaced persons is more than 68 million. In this episode, we ask: What would you hold onto if you were forced to flee your home and had only moments to decide what to take with you? A landap, a pot and a government-issued health card are three of the answers from three internally displaced people, who fled Marawi City in The Southern Philippines during intense fighting in 2017. We hear their personal stories as they explain why these items are their most cherished possessions. Our interviews are part of the global art exhibition and digital campaign, "Holding On: Symbols of Displacement." “Just like a refugee just like any other human being, someone who has been forced to leave his own home will have exactly the same vulnerability as any other person", says Mohammed Abdiker, Director of Operations and Emergencies at IOM- the UN Migration Agency. In this episode, we learn more about internally displaced people, and why 192 nations have agreed to a global migration pact, which is set to be formally adopted weeks from now at a meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco.