Syrian children pin hope on Turkey for survival

By Enes Duran

ANKARA

Nur Rasit, a 20-year-old Syrian refugee, says she experienced a bittersweet emotion when she gave birth to her first-born child in Turkey.

She was sad because the civil war in Syria had forced her to leave behind so much; happy because she was finally living in peace with her husband and baby girl.

“The war in our country has deeply affected us. We are at peace here [in Turkey],” she told Anadolu Agency.

Since the vicious civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, more than 275,000 Syrian babies have opened their eyes in Turkey.

The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions, according to UN figures.

For the refugees, Turkey has been a ray of hope.

Turkey hosts 3.2 million Syrian refugees more than any other country in the world.

Ankara has spent $25 billion in helping and sheltering refugees since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) is hosting 228,478 Syrian refugees in 21 temporary shelters in 10 provinces of Turkey.

Thirteen-year-old Ahmad Ramadan who stays in one such shelter says he longs for a world without war.

“I fell apart from my school, my friends and relatives. We live in peace in Turkey. I want the war in my country to end as soon as possible,” he told Anadolu Agency.

In addition to taking care of basic needs such as food, education and health, the shelters provide vocational training courses and run campaigns to raise awareness against child marriage.

Turkey’s Ministry of National Education and AFAD are providing education to more than 600,000 Syrian children.

Of them nearly half a million Syrian children have been integrated into the education system in the 2016-2017 academic year, according to official data.

In the southern Hatay province, 222 Turkish and 944 Syrian teachers are preparing Syrian children for a bright future.

Menekse Dalgic Guleryuz, a 30-year-old teacher, in Reyhanli district of Hatay said it was a joy to teach Syrian children.

“Here I try to teach them and make them smile. They need love and attention,” she said.

Selim Tosun, Turkey-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation’s (IHH) media adviser in Hatay told Anadolu Agency: “War affects children the most. Thousands of Syrian children have lost their limbs.”

Turkey is the second-most generous country in the world, only preceded by the U.S., according to a report by Global Humanitarian Aid.

Turkey spent $6 billion in humanitarian aid last year and the U.S. spent $6.3 billion, the report said.

*Cem Genco from Hatay and Fecri Barlik from Siirt contributed to this story.