Since The Islamic State (IS) began its military campaign against Ayn al-Arab (Kobane in Kurdish), Northern Syria, more than 200,000 Syrians have crossed the border and fled to south-eastern Turkey in a month (UNOCHA, October 24th, 2014). Suruc County in the Sanliurfa Province, Turkey is an area, which has had a refugee influx AAR Japan has been conducting survey for families, who are taking shelters outside refugee camps and distributing food and basic necessities in this area. Yuichiro Yamamoto, AAR Japan staff member currently carrying out on-site activities in Turkey, has filed this report on newly-arrived displaced Syrians.
Relief Goods not Reaching Those who Take Shelter outside Refugee Camps
Many of the displaced people are taking shelter in abandoned buildings or warehouses with several other families. The floor is either bare ground or concrete slabs. The families cover the floor with blankets and sleep, but chilly winds and rain blow in through drafty walls and leaky roofs. The situation is dire for many families as relief goods have not yet reached most of them. Without any aid, some dig into their savings to get by, while others receive food and water from local Turks. In response, AAR Japan has distributed food and basic necessities to 50 families with the cooperation of Support to Life (STL), a local partner organization. AAR is now conducting survey on demographics and whereabouts of refugee families to prepare for the next distribution.
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Yuichiro Yamamoto (left) is interviewing the Borohs who crossed border from Kobane to Suruc County in Turkey (November 6th, 2014).
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Mr. Wael Boroh (34 years old, left in the picture above) and Mrs. Dilo Boroh ( 30 years old, right in the picture) owned a grocery store in Kobane, but they had to close their store and flee their home at the end of October due to the fierce eruption in fighting. They, together with their seven children, walked three whole days toward the Turkish border, and entered Turkey five days ago. A primary concern was making money with which to get by, and so they got a job of picking cotton in the town of Bozova through a contact of relative. Then, on November 6th, the Borohs hopped on a track with other families to the heart of Suruc County. During the interview, Mr. Boroh seemed exhausted, and said “I’ve lost everything; any help is now indeed appreciated. We are uncertain about what will happen tomorrow, even in a few hours ahead. I worry about what lies ahead.”
The destination that refugees reached was already jam-packed….
Among the refugees fleeing to the center of Suruc County, some were unable to find even abandoned houses or warehouses, and therefore must stay at buildings, which used to be funeral homes or wedding halls. A funeral home we visited on November 6th during our survey was filled to capacity. Three families including the Borohs (pictured below) who had just arrived there had no other choice but to seek another place to shelter. A woman who have been leading a refugee life at the funeral home watched them walk off with tears. No doubt she was trying to say, “Sorry I couldn’t be of any help to you. I hope you find safe place to refuge as soon as possible. Good luck!” It was really heart breaking. Every day, ever growing number of refugees are crossing the border into Turkey.
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| There were some one hundred refugees taking shelter in the funeral home at the time of our survey. During the daytime, many people go out, and thus the actual number of people taking refuge there is much higher (November 6th, 2014). |
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| The refugee families finally got to a shelter, only to find no room left to stay. They had go elsewhere. Most families have many children (November 6th, 2014). |
※Considering the political situation the refugees are in, the characters in this report are mentioned by pseudonyms.
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【Reporter】Yuichiro Yamamoto, AAR Turkey Office.
Yuichiro is a Program Coordinator, posted in Turkey since October 2014. He worked as an educational consultant in Indonesia, and has bachelor’s degree from a university in the US and master’s degree from a postgraduate school in the UK. The Great Tohoku Earthquake brought about a certain spiritual change, and Yuichiro decided to join AAR Japan. Since then, he got involved in programs to support the disaster victims of the Great Tohoku Earthquake, as well as programs in Cambodia and Myanmar. (Profile at the time of posting) |
