When his home in Damascus was destroyed by bombing Sam knew that he should leave and follow his family to safety in exile, but his work helping refugees was too important. When his activities brought him to the attention of the authorities he was faced with the hardest decision of his life. To stay and risk his life, or to leave and lose everything he’d worked so hard to build. 

Anywhere but Home is a six-episode audio drama brought to you by Save the Children. Special thanks to Mutasem (Sam) for sharing his amazing story and providing the inspiration behind this episode. To find out more about Mutasem and the crisis in Syria go to: www.savethechildren.net/anywherebuthome

Written and created by Alexia Singh; directed by Alexia Singh; produced by Natasha Coleman; sound design, editing and music by Nikky French; casting by Meryl&Leslie. Recording and editing by Nathan at the Blue Studios.

Sam - Nick Khan

Ahmed and Militia Man - Basel Abbas

Abdullah and Smuggler 2 - Mahmoud El Faituri

Sisters 1 and 2 - Ahd Kamel and Juliana Yazbeck

Smuggler 1 - Richard Pepple

Arabic voice - Bashar Akaak

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Ayan’s world was shattered when war came to the camp in Yemen where she lived. At fifteen years old she was separated from her family and left with her two younger siblings to look after. With no possessions, no money and no one to help, they fell in with smugglers and young girls like her were highly prized. But Ayan was descended from Somali nomads - storytellers and poets - skilled orators with a rich oral history and like them she had the gift of language. 

Anywhere but Home is a six-episode audio drama brought to you by Save the Children. To find out more about the real people who inspired this story and their incredible journeys go to: www.savethechildren.net/anywherebuthome Written and created by Alexia Singh; directed by Alexia Singh; produced by Natasha Coleman; sound design, editing and music by Nikky French; casting by Meryl&Leslie. Recorded and edited by Nathan at the Blue Studios.

Ayan - Ahd Kamel

Francesca - Emma Cunniffe

Mike - Nick Khan

Arabic voice - Lubna Fakhry 

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Samira’s father knew he was taking a risk by allowing girls to study at his school. In their village in the north west of Nigeria, just teaching the western alphabet could get you killed. When the insurgents came for her father and he paid the ultimate price, Samira swore that she would never go to school again. But a chance meeting with a boy soldier gave her the courage to fight back. 

Anywhere but Home is a six-episode audio drama brought to you by Save the Children. To find out more about the real people behind this story go to: www.savethechildren.net/anywherebuthome

Written and created by Alexia Singh; directed by Alexia Singh; produced by Natasha Coleman; sound design, editing and music by Nikky French; casting by Meryl&Leslie, script editor Ben Lambert. Recording and editing by Nathan at the Blue Studios.

The teacher - Richard Pepple

Samira - Rhoda Ofori-Attah

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A family fleeing conflict find a sick baby hidden under a pile of leaves deep in a forest. With gunmen all around the race to get her to safety and find her family begins.

Anywhere but Home is a six-episode audio drama brought to you by Save the Children. To find out more about the stories that inspired this episode and learn more about what’s happening in South Sudan go to: www.savethechildren.net/anywherebuthome

Written and created by Alexia Singh; directed by Alexia Singh; produced by Natasha Coleman; sound design, editing and music by Nikky French; casting by Meryl&Leslie, script editor was Ben Lambert. Recorded at One Louder Studios.

Gabriel - Richard Pepple

Young Gabriel - Rhoda Ofori-Attah

Sylvia, Rose and the nurse - Anna-Maria Nabirye

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In a town in Syria, surrounded by minefields, with bombs exploding overhead, an elderly woman sets out on an epic journey to bring her grandchildren across the border to safety. But even if they make it will they ever recover from the horrors they’ve witnessed?

Anywhere but Home is a six-episode audio drama brought to you by Save the Children. Special thanks to Cat Carter for sharing her personal story and providing the inspiration behind this episode. To find out more about Cat and the Syrian children who inspired this episode go to: www.savethechildren.net/anywherebuthome

Written and created by Alexia Singh; directed by Alexia Singh; produced by Natasha Coleman; sound design, editing and music by Nikky French; casting by Meryl&Leslie, script editor Ben Lambert. Recorded at One Louder Studios.

Grandmother - Amira Ghazalla

Cat - Zoe Tapper

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Jacob had been working onboard the Search and Rescue ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea for several months and rescued thousands of people. But that night when two children came onboard searching for their mother he knew something had gone wrong.

Anywhere but Home is a six-episode audio drama brought to you by Save the Children. To find out more about the real people who inspired this story go to: www.savethechildren.net/anywherebuthome

Written and created by Alexia Singh; directed by Alexia Singh; produced by Natasha Coleman; sound design, editing and music by Nikky French; casting by Meryl&Leslie. Recording and editing by Nathan at the Blue Studios.

Jacob - Michael Smiley

Narrator - Juliana Yazbeck 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anywhere but Home is a six-episode audio drama brought to you by Save the Children - based on true stories of incredible journeys. Deep in a forest in South Sudan a sick baby is found hidden under a pile of leaves. With gunmen all around, the race to get her to safety and find her family begins. A teacher risks everything to give the girls in his village a proper education but when he pays the ultimate price his daughter cannot forgive herself. Until a chance meeting with a boy soldier gives her the courage to go on. In a town surrounded by minefields, with bombs exploding overhead, an elderly woman undertakes an epic journey to bring her grandchildren to safety. But if even if they make it, will they ever recover from the horrors they’ve witnessed?

To meet the people whose journeys inspired these stories go to: www.savethechildren.net/anywherebuthome

Stories read by actors including Michael Smiley (Kill List, The Lobster, Free Fire), Amira Ghazella (Games of Thrones), Zoe Tapper (Mr Selfridge and Liar), Emma Cunniffe (Royal Shakespeare Company), and Ahd Kamal (Collateral, Wadjda).

Written, created and directed by Alexia Singh; produced by Natasha Coleman; sound design, editing and music by Nikky French; casting by Meryl&Leslie; script editing Ben Lambert. Recorded at The Blue Studios and One Louder Studios. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.