IRAQ: Government works to support newlyweds

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

BAGHDAD, 25 Apr 2005 (IRIN) - Newly married couples in Iraq are being given a helping hand from the Ministry of Trade (MoT) in starting a new life.

Couples are being offered building materials for homes at a reduced cost to local market prices, as well as the chance for them to pay in installments.

This comes at a time when rents are double, or in some cases triple or more, what they were during Saddam Hussein's regime. For example, a rented two bedroom house in Baghdad, which used to cost US $20 per month, is now around $300.

Since the fall of the regime an influx of foreigners who can pay higher prices and a lack of regulation in the sector has seen rents soar, causing people to either delay marriage or live in overcrowded homes.

"I can say that it was one of the best decisions made by this government. I have been waiting for more than three years to get married because my family asked for my husband to provide a home and today we can afford it and build the house of our dreams," Mayada Abdu-Lattef, 29, told IRIN in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The materials come from the state company for construction, which is part of the MoT. In order to qualify, the couples have to prove that land, which they want to build on, is registered in their names.

"It's a chance for Iraqis to have their own home and not have to waste money on rents or delay marriage. The MoT is proud to help them and we hope that we can still offer these supplies in the coming years," Farouk Issauye, a senior MoT official, told IRIN.

There is a 60 percent reduction in the price on the materials offered by the MoT, compared to the market cost.

The low cost items include wooden blocks, electrical and water systems, paint and roof materials. According to the MoT's department of registering, the process takes less than two months to be approved.

More than 150 newly married couples are applying to be part of the project each month. Established in Baghdad, the project is now being replicated in other provinces under the supervision of the local governorates.

According to Issauye, the MoT is also looking to implement a similar project for people who want to open small businesses or shops. "By doing that you are improving the economy and pushing fast development in Iraq," he explained.

Security has prevented more projects from being developed as most of the drivers that bring materials from outside the country have received threats from insurgents, as they are accused of carrying products for the Iraqi government which will support US troops and not Iraqis, Issauye said.

During Saddam Hussein's regime, the MoT offered a similar scheme, but there were fewer items on offer and the payment could not be made in installments.

"I'm a policeman and couldn't offer my wife a new house. But today with this project I can start building my house with good quality materials at a very cheap price. If everything in Iraq was like this project, for sure there would not be people begging in the streets anymore," Ali al-Rabia'a, 31, told IRIN.

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