Life of Syrian Refugees in Turkey
My name is Naz Gozalan. I am 17 years old and I am currently a senior at the Columbia Prep High School in New York City. I am Turkish-American. I speak Turkish and English fluently and I am currently learning French. I was born in Miami, grew up in Istanbul and later moved to New York with my family to continue my education there. I have been living in New York for 6 years now. I will be volunteering at Glocally Connected to learn more about the refugee crisis, and to raise awareness among my peers. At school, I am in the Current Events and Business and Economics clubs to stay up to date with the issues going on in the world. I also play tennis for my school’s team. Additionally, I enjoy spending time outdoors doing horseback riding. After high school, I plan to major in psychology and later attend medical school to pursue a career in psychiatry.
With the coronavirus outbreak and this lockdown period, I have been quarantining at home with my family, just like everyone else. With this immense free time that I have had, I’ve had a chance to sit back and reflect on some of my past experiences, how much life has changed, and how this crisis has impacted all people.
Around this time last year, in July 2019, I was in Nizip, Turkey, visiting the Syrian Refugee Camp there. I was a part of an amazing project that I orchestrated with the help of the Turkish Red Crescent and Evyap, one the largest fast-moving consumer goods companies in Turkey.
The Syrian Refugee Crisis has been a prominent issue in the Middle East since 2011. More than 6.6 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in order to escape the war, violence and persecution in their country. They have tried to seek asylum in neighboring countries. Turkey alone hosts 3.6 million refugees, the largest amount compared to others.
With the help of Evyap, I was able to obtain thousands of hygiene products and baby diapers that were sent to the Turkish Red Crescent to distribute. The Turkish Red Crescent is Turkey’s largest humanitarian organization and provides all forms of help to the disadvantaged. Me and my father travelled to the Nizip refugee camp to meet up with a group of people that worked with this organization.
Before heading to the camp, together we visited a few neighborhoods that hosted these refugees to distribute the products we brought. I had never been exposed to that level of poverty before. Most of the homes did not have roofs, solid walls or doors. One particular home stood out to me the most. This place provided housing for women and children who had lost their fathers/husbands in war or who had been incarcerated. I had previously recognized the absence of men and the abundance of children that lived in these homes. I haven’t forgotten the looks on the children's faces. Although they were happy to receive this help, most of them looked clueless and lost. The somber mood was no different in the refugee camp. Families lived in small tent-like homes, which were lined up together on the concrete floor. There was a recreation center for the children, which had game rooms and a gallery. The gallery was filled with artwork made by the children there.
Although it is considered the largest refugee crisis in the world, The Syrian Refugee Crisis is not talked about in mass media nearly as much as it should be. It is crucial to acknowledge this huge humanitarian issue, especially now with the other civil rights movements going on in our world. With the coronavirus pandemic, the situations of these people have only aggravated. While some of us have had the privilege to quarantine at home with our families, the rest of us have not been so lucky, and surely felt the impact of the pandemic. The refugee camps are especially at risk for an outbreak, because of the lack of cleanliness and space, which makes it impossible to socially distance.
This was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I could have never imagined the severity of this situation without seeing it for myself. It surprised me to know that I was living in the same country as these people, but had a completely different life. I could have easily been one of those children. This community service project was a real eye opener for me and has made me feel incredibly blessed, and most importantly, more aware of my surroundings.
I wanted to repeat this experience this year, but unfortunately with the coronavirus pandemic I am quarantined at home. Although I couldn’t be there to physically help, my family has sent masks to The Turkish Red Crescent, in the hopes that it will help those in need. I will continue to raise awareness on the Syrian Refugee Crisis, and I am looking forward to the day where I can go back out on the field.
