It has been an uneasy year since Kobani, a border town in northern Syria, was liberated from the Islamic State group.
The liberation of the city was hailed as the first successful case of cooperation between the Western coalition, whose fierce airstrikes helped drive IS from the city, and Kurdish fighters, who pushed IS militants out on the ground.
But the slow recovery also shows how difficult it will be for cities in Iraq and Syria to return to normal life after they have been occupied and controlled by IS.
The air assault and four months of fierce fighting left the town of nearly 300,000 inhabitants in ruins.
Returning refugees came back with determination to rebuild even though most of the city's homes – as many as 80 percent -- were in ruins.
“Living in a tent was a humiliation,” a still fearful resident who spent months in a refugee camp in Turkey told VOA. “I chose to come back, despite knowing life would be tougher here.”
Soon after the liberation, a local commission was formed to help rebuild Kobani. In July, an international conference was held at the European Union offices in Brussels to discuss the rebuilding of Kobani and ways to aid the city.
Officials, however, complain that assistance from international donors has yet to be delivered.
"Unfortunately، no government or international body has so far stepped in to help us in our efforts,” said Choman Kaanani, who heads the engineers association in Kobani.
“Most [of the help] we receive is from non-governmental organizations and private Kurdish citizens. But this not enough to rebuild Kobani,” he said.
The private donations from organizations in the U.S., Europe and other parts of the world have made a difference in securing basic needs.
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