Education Versus Lost Generation!

MY DREAM IS TO STAND ON MY FEET

According to UNESCO’s data, 258 million children and youth are out of school, 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and even do simple math. Nearly 4 million children and youth asylum seekers cannot go to school. Turkey hosts hundreds of thousands of children and youth asylum seekers who have overcome their bad luck and aim to make their dreams come true by providing education opportunities. Sidra K. is one of these young people, 21 years old. She came from Syria to Turkey when she was 14. Sidra continues university for a better life with the support of her mother who was married at a young age. Sidra is a third-year student at Çukurova University Faculty of Economics, she would like to get a master’s and doctorate to have a great job.

Sidra was in Aleppo with her family when the Syrian War began. She had to study by candlelight for two years because of the war. After Sidra, her mother and her sister fled from Syria to Adana, she started to the second grade of High School. Sidra said that she got used to school and Turkish easily because she loved her Turkish teacher at school. Explaining that her mother is the biggest supporter in her education life, Sidra said, “My mother could only study until the 6th grade. She goes to language courses in Turkey. I learned a lot from her. One of them is not to give up. My goal is to enroll in a university. What my mother wants most is for me to stand on my own feet after completing my education. Her motivation in life and not giving up is an example to me.” Sidra works hard for the foreign student exam and she wants to buy a house for her family after she works.

She highlights that education has crucial importance in the life of refugees. She says ‘Individuals can cope with difficulties and become strong thanks to education. This is implied both for women and men. When you come here, you know nothing and you don't know anyone. Where will you stay? Where will you work? When you get an education and develop yourself, you can work and take care of yourself and your family, and you can do everything you need yourself.”

Seref Mert Yoleri, Director of Adana Al Farah Child and Family Support Center which run by the Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (SGDD-ASAM) partnered with UNICEF, said that Sidra has joined psychosocial events in the center since she came to Turkey, thus the center provides Sidra’s not only social cohesion with locals but also knowledge of a new country's trust. Yoleri, also attention to the importance of education for peace and development, said that Al Farah Child and Family Supports Center supports the enhancement of psychosocial well-being, social cohesion activities, and providing information and knowledge needed in life to asylum seekers and their families.

“We provide referral and counseling via Al Farah Child and Family Support Center in different cities in Turkey to provide education services to out-of-school children and enhance the rate of enrolment. Once a child began his/her education, we also give necessary referrals or counseling to adapt to the school and to refer for benefit from psychological psychological support mechanisms and counseling system. Yoleri also explains that they refer adults to educational training for their participation in employment and organize activities for parents to the importance of education.

Children on the move”

Following the declaration made on 28 February 2020 that “crossings into Europe would no longer be prevented”, thousands of asylum seekers started to move towards the Turkish-Greek border in February 2020 with their hope and stuff in their bags. Undoubtedly, the most affected group in this challenging migration journey was the children. The children, who had been waiting in the cold for days and nights, shared the fate of their families.

This picture tells us the story of a girl who came to the Turkish - Greek border with her family. She continued her difficult journey immediately after a short break near the wires. Nobody knows whether she achieved her dream or not. 

(Good People of Good Country)

Her name is Meryem, was born in 2011 when the Syrian Civil War erupted. While Meryem, now a fifth-year refugee student, has started a new life in Turkey, the Syrian Civil War at the 10th year of anniversary. One of the thousands of beneficiaries of the Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM) Ankara Al Farah Children and Family Support Center and its close collaboration with UNICEF, is Maryam whose biggest dream is to be a teacher and to drive a car.

The story of Maryam has begun in Damascus. Her mother and father continuously moved from one place to another to ensure her daughter Maryam’s safety. One year after Maryam, her sibling Rabee was born. The mother Afraa Baker, stated that at that time we spent difficult times, both us and our children scared of bombings. “We do not remember how to raise our children, we are not able to understand what we went through. It was enough for us if we just fed our children, says Mother Afraa.

After Maryam and her family struggled to survive in Damascus for a few years, they migrated to Lebanon but they still suffered from difficulties, and then, the family moved from Lebanon to Turkey. Her mother expressed her emotions in a way that although we were not speaking the same language with our neighbors at the first time of their arrival, we empathize and communicate well with each other. The mother Afraa stated that “God brought us, good people of the good country”.

After 1.5 years, she came to Turkey, she has started going to school near her house. While her mother states that they did not face any difficulties in school enrollment, Maryam learned Turkish at school. Her teachers supported Maryam in this regard. I have also started language courses initiated for women, my daughter and I helped and supported each other, Maryam speaks Turkish with me at home, and she has even helped me and her father speak Turkish Mother Afraa says.

Maryam’s mother is a homemaker and her father is a day laborer. Mother Afraa, I hope that the future of children would be better than ours, what the most important thing is that their attendance to school and reach a good position in their lives, their efforts should not go to waste. Maryam said that her most favorite courses are mathematics and English and added that mathematic is simple. Saying that she loves her school, "when I have started school, most of my friends were Syrians, then I have also made lots of Turkish friends". Saying that she gets along well with her friends, "I love my teacher, and that's why I want to become a teacher in the future." She speaks that “when I will be a teacher, I teach children many things." Her biggest dream is to drive a car, says Maryam. 

Center Manager of the Ankara Al Farah Children and Family Support Center, Emine Engür, states that since 2016, we have been working to provide a safe place and to enhance their mental, emotional, and psycho-motor development for refugee children and their families. Engür, our support center provides school-aged children access to the right to education and all necessary professional support by specialists to ensure that the dynamics of school children and family function properly and minimizes the problems occurred in the school registration period. At Al Farah Support Center, we provide Maryam and her family access to education and access to health services and livelihoods at the same time, he addresses. We have been often conducting workshops and training to empower social cohesion. Our goal with the works that we have done is to ensure that the children affected by the Syrian War which began 10 years ago, do not become a lost generation, he states. 

Due to the war in Syria Majid tookthe path of Izmir from Turkey through Idlib in 2017. Then his wife Eric and hisbrother, 14 years old Basel went to Izmir. Another member of the family wascoming. Cena joined the family, who were chasing a new life 5 months ago. WhileCena was dealing with ailments such as "metabolic disorder, prematurepostpartum visual impairment, epilepsy, developmental problems arising in thebuttocks", she began to suffer from breathing difficulties. Cena, whoneeded oxygen support, had a saturation value of 61.5%. His doctor prepared aprescription and report for Cena for the oxygen tube and oxygen concentrator. Thefamily, who earned 2 thousand liras a month as a plastic worker and paid 800lira for house rent did not have the power to afford it. The family applied theAssociation for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants Izmir Al FarahChild and Family Support Center. Father Macid explained that they needed theoxygen concentrator device because of insufficient breathing without oxygensupport and that they needed an oxygen cylinder so that Cena could continue toreceive support against any power outage. ASAM helped the family to supply thedevices. The family now wishes that Cena would recover as soon as possible,breathe comfortably, and grow by leaving other health problems behind. We are gratefulfor your donations as Cena can recover and thanks to your support she can havea proper future ahead of her. 

                                                On November 20 World Children’s Day Suhay’s little heart will beat healthier

On November 2020 International Children’s Day, a miracle happened. The family who escaped from the war took refuge in Turkey was dealing with the bustle of subsistence, on the other hand, their 3 years old Suhay was dealing with health problems. The family was desperate and hopeless about their child’s future. Suhay had heart disease and needed urgent medical surgery. Thanks to all efforts, Suhay had successful surgery in Gaziantep and gave the most wonderful gift to his family on International Children’s Day.

Suhay’s mother Ebdihal’s and father Bekri’s story goes back to Syria. The couple had their children Muhammed and Suhay after they fled to Turkey. His family learned that Suhay, whom they took to the doctor when he was 6 months old, had a hole in his heart. The family, who came as refugees in Turkey to escape the war for a new life, lived in troubled times, this time for children's health. Suhay had to undergo surgery immediately, after months of medication and days in intensive care.

Father Bekri who is working in one-day jobs was unable to cover the costs of the surgery of his son. Bekri knocked on the door of ASAM Center in Gaziantep and told his story. The center covered the costs of the surgery as well as provided interpretation services to the family during the surgery process. Father Bekri told us that “ASAM supported us in our child’s right to health. The most important rights of children are their needs to be met and their right to be happy. I wish all children’s needs will be met.”

ASAM Regional Coordinator underlines that the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child was signed on 20 November 1989. He emphasizes that the convention draws a universal framework for many fundamental rights of children, from the right to education, the right to play, from protection from wars to health. He adds that “ Suhay has the right to meet the basic health services like many other children and we made him reach this right.”

Everyone under the age of 18 is a child and has rights. In this direction, we are working to support refugee children's access to basic rights such as the right to health and the right to education. Thanks to your support little Suhay and his family now look at the future with hope.