New docs & specials from BBC World Service

May documentaries and specials feature selections from the BBC’s “Migrant Stories” series.

The world is on the move and very often we look only at numbers, laws and politics – but what of the individuals, faced with new dangers and opportunities as they make a new life?

Share the personal stories of those who have left their homes due to war, insecurity, poverty or just the desire to change their lives for the better. With stories from refugees, from those seeking better jobs, and from those left behind, connect your audience to the world with their unique stories and perspectives.

Coming soon to ContentDepot, complete with promos and billboards:

Left Behind

Available May 12-18. One hour.

Millions leave their homes each year as economic migrants, in search of jobs or a better life, but we rarely hear about those who stay behind. In Senegal, men leave behind large extended families that rely on remittances. In Guatemala, parents stay behind in hopes that their children will survive perilous journeys to the United States. In Indonesia, millions of women leave their children behind to become foreign workers, creating what have become known as ‘motherless villages.’

Presented by Jo Dwyer, with insights from international migration expert Ann Singleton.

Me, the Refugee

Available May 18-August 10. One hour.

Reporter Sahar Zand became an Iranian refugee at the age of 12. It was a devastating experience for Sahar, her sister and her mother, who had to leave after her father got into political trouble with the regime – and who had to fend for themselves as they sought a new life.

From months of limbo in a Danish refugee center, to days on the run across Europe, to life in the United Kingdom, Sahar explores the complex roles, deceptions and sacrifices she and her female family members experienced during those often desperate days.

Beyond Borders

Available May 19-26; May 26-June 1. One hour each.

British-Lebanese journalist Zahra Mackaoui has been following the stories of a group of Syrians who have scattered the globe in search of safety. She originally met and interviewed them in the early years of the country’s long-running civil war. In these two documentaries, she revisits the refugees to hear how they have coped – or not – often in conditions of incredible adversity.

Amar: Alone in the World?

Available May 25-August 17. One hour.

After a bombing in Iraq, an “orphaned” Amar is taken to the U.K. His mother Zahra survives, and her search begins.

One day, clutching a picture of her missing boy, she interrupts a live TV report to share her story, which generates appeals on social media and a message to Amar, who is living alone, unemployed, in South West England.

BBC News Correspondent Jon Kay joins Zahra and Amar as they search for the truth – and discover if they are really the missing mother/son they’ve each yearned for over three decades.

Visit BBC Partners for detailed program descriptions, new program rundowns, content downloads, and more.