İhh İnsani yardım bülteni 49 english

IHH Van earthquake relief efforts

Emergency

relief activities for

Syrian refugees

04

20

Orphan Solidarity

Days

humanitarian

49

APRILMAYJUNE

(16-31 March 2012)

FICTION CATEGORYWhite Pigeon best fiction film prizeSony NEX-FS100K video camera

DOCUMENTARY CATEGORYWhite Pigeon best documentary film prizeSony NEX-FS100K video camera

ANIMATION CATEGORYWhite Pigeon best animation film prizeApple iMac 21.5-inch computer andWACOM Cintiq 21UX Pen Display drawing screen

CONTACT

Büyük Karaman Cad. Taylasan Sok.No : 3 PK. 34320 Fatih / Istanbul-Turkeywww.beyazguvercin.org • [email protected]

CONTEST PRIZES JURYSPECIAL PRIZES

SPECIAL JURY PRIZEA trip to Africa to visit orphan childrenand a Sony HXRNX70U Video Camera.

HONORABLE MENTION PRIZESSONY HDR-CX550VE video camera to six participantsIntuos 4 Large Pen Tablet drawing screen to three participants

DERVİŞ ZAİM

İHSAN KABİL

RIDVAN ŞENTÜRK

SEMİH KAPLANOĞLU

ÜMİT SÖNMEZ

YUSUF KAPLAN

ORPHANSHOLY TRUSTS

Application Deadline: May 21, 2012

THE WHITE PIGEONI N T E R N A T I O N A L SHORT FILM CONTEST

FICTION CATEGORYWhite Pigeon best fiction film prizeSony NEX-FS100K video camera

DOCUMENTARY CATEGORYWhite Pigeon best documentary film prizeSony NEX-FS100K video camera

ANIMATION CATEGORYWhite Pigeon best animation film prizeApple iMac 21.5-inch computer andWACOM Cintiq 21UX Pen Display drawing screen

CONTACT

Büyük Karaman Cad. Taylasan Sok.No : 3 PK. 34320 Fatih / Istanbul-Turkeywww.beyazguvercin.org • [email protected]

CONTEST PRIZES JURYSPECIAL PRIZES

SPECIAL JURY PRIZEA trip to Africa to visit orphan childrenand a Sony HXRNX70U Video Camera.

HONORABLE MENTION PRIZESSONY HDR-CX550VE video camera to six participantsIntuos 4 Large Pen Tablet drawing screen to three participants

DERVİŞ ZAİM

İHSAN KABİL

RIDVAN ŞENTÜRK

SEMİH KAPLANOĞLU

ÜMİT SÖNMEZ

YUSUF KAPLAN

ORPHANSHOLY TRUSTS

Application Deadline: May 21, 2012

THE WHITE PIGEONI N T E R N A T I O N A L SHORT FILM CONTEST

Esteemed reader,

In its 20th year, IHH is operating in five continents in 130 countries and regions, and is providing protection to orphans, refugees and people in need. The chain of donors and volunteers supporting our activities is expanding everyday and tens of thousands of people are changing lives and alleviating the sorrow of those in need in different parts of the world. Serving as a bridge between the charity-giver and the needy, IHH is contributing to the dissemination and increase of goodwill with its volunteers.

We are carrying on humanitarian assistance works in the city of Van, which suffered an earthquake in late 2011. IHH teams, on one hand, are distributing, together with our volunteers, basic necessities such as hot meals, food items, drinking water and hygiene kits, and installing prefabricated houses and container shelters, and on the other hand they are providing psychological counseling services to earthquake survivors, particularly to women and children. You can find detailed information regarding the funds raised within the Van aid campaign which was launched with the slogan “Be the epicenter of aid!”, along with volunteer activities in the region and distributions of in-kind aid, in this issue.

We gathered with thousands of orphan children during Orphan Solidarity Days, which were organized for the first time the previous year. Between 16-31 March, we undertook a number of events that brought together our donors, volunteers and orphan children in 36 countries covered by IHH Sponsor Family System. We as teams of staff members, volunteers and donors, health personnel and press members visited our countries of operation as part of Orphan Solidarity Days, whose primary objectives include creating awareness about the hardships facing orphan children in regions devastated by war, disaster and internal conflict. Information regarding activities carried out during Orphan Days is also included in this issue.

You can also find in this issue details on aid distributions realized in countries and regions that underwent extreme winter conditions, updates on water well digging and cataract projects as well as activities of our volunteers.

Enjoy your reading.

humanitarian editorialApril-May-June 2012

Issue: 49

Owner on behalf of IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation

Atty. F. Bülent YILDIRIM

Executive EditorÜmit SÖNMEZ

EditorAmine TUNA ERTÜRK

Editorial BoardHafize Zehra KAVAK

Zeliha SAĞLAMİslam ARSLAN

Muhammed Kerim AYRANCIMustafa ÖZTÜRKYusuf KORKMAZ

TranslationAdnan DEMiR

Corrector Rifat Audeh

DesignCEMRE AJANS

Printingİhlas Gazetecilik

Phone: +90 (212) 454 30 00

AddressBüyük Karaman Caddesi

Taylasan Sokak No: 3Fatih-İSTANBUL/TURKEYPhone: +90 (212) 631 21 21

Fax: +90 (212) 621 70 [email protected]

www.ihh.org.tr

humanitarian

49

APRILMAYJUNE

Emergency relief

activities for Syrian refugees

“Forget your children!”

All I could see was

utter darkness…

White Pigeon Short

Film Contest

5th International

Children’s Get

Together Program

If you see them,

they will see the world!

AGENDA INTERVIEW INTERVIEW

AGENDAAGENDA ACTIVITIES

04

40 4252

1014

Orphan

Solidarity Days

Barefoot on blood diamonds Atsushi Miyazaki

East Africa relief efforts

IHH Van earthquake

relief effortsAGENDAAGENDA SPOTLIGHT

VOLUNTEER

ACTIVITIESIN THE FIELD

PEOPLE OF

GOOD DEEDS

60 68 76

16 20 26

ACTIVITIES: IHH opens school for mentally disabled and 3 health clinics in Sri Lanka 44

Nazr slaughters scheduled for January-February performed 46

Quran copies distributed in Ethiopia 46

IHH provides winter assistance to Tajikistan 47

Bosnia-Herzegovina covered in snow 47

Winter clothing aid delivered to Bangladesh 48

Winter relief to Albania 48

Winter clothes provided to Afghan orphans 49

Clothing aid delivered to Kyrgyzstan 49

Health screening conducted at Aceh Istanbul Orphanage 50

Training provide to Libyan and Tunisian NGOs 51

You, too, open a waterwell 54

Flooding disaster in Tanzania 56

Philippines battered by typhoon 56

IHH teams receiving search and rescue training 57

Domestic assistance 57

Panel marks 20th anniversary of Karabakh massacre 58

Mavi Marmara in 5 books in 3 languages! 59

FUTURE PROJECTS IN BRIEF: Pakistan – School renovation project 64

Gaza - Vocational training center project 65

Jammu Kashmir – Intensive care unit project at Islamabad State Hospital 65

Pattani – School construction project 66

IN THE FIELD: One-square-meter prison Burj al-Barajneh 72

EMERGENCY RELIEF ACTIVITIES FOR

SYRIAN REFUGEES

Large numbers of Syrian refugees have sought shelter in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since popular protests broke out in March 2011 against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has been materializing a number of humanitarian activities to meet shelter, food and health needs of Syrian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries.

4 5

agenda agendaRelief activities for

Syrian refugees

4 5


Syrian refugees

Emergency relief zones Six refugee camps (Reyhanlı, Altınözü, Boynuyoğun, Apaydın, Yayladağı 1, Yayladağı 2) and two villages (Nişrin and Güveççi) in Hatay on the Turkey-Syria border Influx of refugees from Syria to the Turkish border began in June 2011. IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has been closely following developments inside Syria since the start of the protests and as an initial step dispatched a mobile soup kitchen to the border to distribute hot food. In the following days, refugees were provided cash assistance and in-kind aid as well as health aid. Syrian patients treated at various hospitals were visited and their needs were met, while certain patients were assisted to be transferred to hospitals outside Antakya Province and their treatment expenses were paid. The patients and wounded refugees discharged from hospitals were assisted in returning to their camps and some of them were provided with regular medical checks and basic necessities.

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Syrian refugees

Distributions of in-kind aid to refugee camps in Hatay

Type of Aid Contents

1 Dried food Pulses, cooking oil, breakfast food, drinking water, sugar, rice, bulgur, beans, instant soup, canned food, etc.

2 Fruits Watermelon, melon, banana, cherry, grapes, plum, etc.3 Child pack Fruit juice, biscuit, milk, infant formula, baby biscuit, etc.

4 Clothing İUnderwear, pyjamas, clothes (children, men, women), slippers, shoes, etc.

5 Hygiene kit Diapers, sanitary pads, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, detergent, razor blades, comb, napkin, wet wipes, etc.

6 Health Wheelchair, medicine, crutches, etc.

7 Miscellaneous necessities Tent, bed sheets, pillow, blanket, straw mat, mattress, etc.

8 Vegetables Tomato, onion, lemon, cucumber, parsley, etc.

9 Suhoor pack (Ramadan 2011)

Olive oil, za’tar (a thyme blend of herbs), tahini, jam, molasses, cheese, olive, types of halwah, etc.

10 Prayer set Holy Quran, rosary, skullcap, prayer rug, etc.11 Kitchen set Tea glasses, water glasses, teaspoon, spoon, fork, tablecloth, etc.12 Eid set Eid candy, rosewater, cologne, etc.

13 Newborn set Baby sling, baby bouncer, shampoo, soap, napkin holder, underwear, bag for baby clothes, slippers, hygiene pads, etc.

6 7


Syrian refugees

Akkar, Wadi Khaled, Arsal areas on the Lebanon-Syria border We have been distributing aid to Akkar, Wadi Khaled and Arsal areas on the Lebanese-Syrian border since May 2011. The distributions worth nearly 450,000 USD primarily included supplies of cooking oil, rice, sugar, tea, salt, fish, canned food, pulses and similar food items. Clothes were distributed amongst children aged 0-14 and hygiene kits and cleaning materials were provided to sports halls and other facilities where refugees were staying in groups. With the latest distributions in March 2012, 330 families in Wadi Khaled were provided packages of vegetables, fruits and meat, while 100 families in Arsal were provided with three blankets and three mattresses each, and 60 liters of diesel were distributed among 80 families.

Syria Within the Syrian borders, citizens displaced by the fighting and Palestinian refugees living in Syria were provided with relief supplies. In the town of Deraa, astringent drugs and foodstuffs were distributed and a number of families were given cash donations.

On the first anniversary of popular protests, reports from the region suggest, despite all censoring efforts of the Syrian government, that the number of people affected by violence is in the tens of thousands. According to reports, the number of people killed in the ongoing conflict in Syria has reached 11,000 as of March 2012. No news has been heard of another 11,000 people who were detained or went missing during the crackdown by the Syrian army. Approximately 70,000 people were detained and imprisoned in the operations of the army. There is serious fear for the life and security of these people considering Bashar al-Assad regime’s treatment of opponents. So far 270,000 Syrians have been displaced and 30,000 have fled to neighboring countries. Of those refugees, 16,000 are staying in Turkey.

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Syrian refugees

Assistance to Syrian refugees (Last update: March 2012)

Number of beneficiaries Amount (TL)

1 Aid distributions in Hatay (in-kind) 23,000 3,426,617

2 Aid distributions in Hatay (cash) 10,000 140,000

3 Aid distributions in Hatay (in-kind and cash) 15,000 400,000

4 Aid distributions on the Lebanese-Syrian border (in-kind and cash) 12,000 449,650

5 Aid distributions inside Syria and in Palestinian refugee camps 10,000 899,300

6 Aid distributions on the Jordan-Syrian border 3,000 44,965

Total 73,000 5,360,532

8 9


Syrian refugees

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interview

“FORGET YOUR CHILDREN!”

Inte

rvie

w: H

afize

Zeh

ra K

avak

, Mer

venu

r Lü

leci

We talked to a Syrian opposition figure that has been in exile for 30 years, leader of Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Muhammed Riyad Sufta, on the developments in Syria.

Security forces gathered children

and tortured them in unimaginable ways.

“Forget your children; make new ones,” they

told the parents.

Mr. Sufta, mass killings that broke out in Syria in March last year are still happening. How did everything start?

What is happening in Syria now is not something new. Syria has been ruled with a state of emergency since the military coup in 1963. The Hama Massacre occurred in the 1980s. Numerous other massacres were committed in various regions, particularly in Tadmur (Palmyra). The people had been intimidated for years and the Arab Spring contributed to the awakening in Syria. As you know, the incidents began in Syria with an eight-year-old child writing a slogan on a wall in Deraa. After the child was detained and tortured in custody, his peers started writing on school walls slogans that read “We demand freedom, democracy.” Security forces rounded up children and tortured them in unimaginable ways.

“Forget your children; make new ones,” they told parents. This

made people outraged and protests broke out. As the people reacted angrily, the government sent in the army and directed

the troops to shoot protesters. And the ring of protests expanded rapidly.

The day protests erupted in Deraa people demanded the release of children and a number of reforms. What about now? What do the Syrian people demand?

What the people demanded was bringing the officials that tortured children to justice. It did not happen because those responsible were relatives of the president. Incidents went on. The pressure of the regime increased day by day. In the beginning people were demanding reform but as mass killings spread they started to directly demand a regime change. This is because the killings amounted to genocide. People now want the government to step down.

Then when the events first started people were not for armed struggle?

Neither scholars nor people want armed fighting. When mass killings increased people were forced to get armed in self-defense. People expect Arab countries and Turkey to do something to end the oppression. They greet the fact that nothing has been done so far with sadness. However, no-one wants to see NATO in the country.

Isn’t the Free Syrian Army a weak match for Assad’s army?

Yes. The Free Syrian Army does not have adequate arms. It is weak. They need arms and equipment. Syrians have

Gönüllü Faaliyetleri

10 11

interview

We urge Turkey, Arab countries, the entire Muslim world to do away with conferences, promises and take action right now.

learnt from regional conflicts in the near past, and therefore they do not want to push the country into a sectarian conflict. The people are only fighting against the oppressive Syrian military, definitely not against another sect or group.

Then what do the people want? Do they have demands such as opening a humanitarian aid corridor or strengthening the Free Syrian Army?

A major massacre is being committed in Syria. We are talking about a bunch of people, Bashar al-Assad and his family, who have caused nothing but trouble for the people. This small minority is oppressing the people in unimaginable ways. Our demand is that the Islamic world be united and if they can, stop Assad if not, support the Free Syrian Army. We urge the Islamic world to do

away with conferences, promises and take urgent action. We hope they will close down Syrian embassies in their countries, deport Syrian envoys, and withdraw their envoys from Syria. The Syrian people are under great pressure. They need urgent assistance. Regime forces are destroying houses in towns they occupy, burn household goods, food and beverages. This has been the case for a year. People cannot work and the unemployment rate is rapidly going up.

What do you think about opening a humanitarian aid corridor?

We do not think an emergency relief corridor would help. It would be better to bring humanitarian relief into the country via unofficial channels, because the regime is relentless. It might waste the aid delivered. We are delivering

emergency relief through unofficial channels. We are transferring medicine and blood to conflict zones. We are also providing cash for blankets, food and beverages’ needs. The cash donations that we sent through trusted organizations are distributed to people so that they can buy what they need.

The uprising in Syria is claimed to be supported by USA and Israel. What do you think about this claim?

These claims are groundless. This is truly an uprising by a people that has been suppressed by the regime for many years. Israel is directly supporting the regime let alone backing the uprising along with the USA. When the protests first began, Rami Makhlouf, Assad’s maternal cousin, made a statement saying, “The fall of the regime is a grave

12 13

interview


12 13

interview

danger for Israel. We are protecting Israel.” As you remember, the Golan Heights was handed to Israel years ago by Hafez al-Assad without firing a single bullet.

How do you interpret Iran, China and Russia’s support to Assad regime?

Iran views the problem from a sectarian standpoint. It is supporting the Syrian regime by providing both arms and troops. Russia and China, on the other hand, are only pursuing their interests. That’s why they are backing the Syrian government. Arab countries should definitely take a stand against Russia and China, and downsize commercial relations with them.

The UN could not adopt any sanctions against Syria for its suppression of uprising due to stance taken by Russia and China. Kofi Annan visited Assad, and urged him to stop killings and negotiate with the opposition, but Assad rejected his offer. What is your opinion of the UN stance on this matter?

This is a deadline set for the regime. The Syrian regime does not listen to such offers. The only option left is to use force. Such talks have no benefits at all.

When did you last go to Syria?

I was deported from Syria in 1980 after the Hama incident. I entered the country illegally in 1982, but have not been able to go there again. I have been away from Syria for 30 years. I came to Turkey after staying in Iraq, Sudan and Yemen. I lived in Iraq for 26 years.

What does the current popular movement mean to an individual who has not been able to enter his country for 30 years?

We have been longing for our homeland for many years. Allah willing this regime will fall and we will be able to go back to our country.

What is the number of Syrians living in the diaspora?

It is difficult to pronounce a definite number. It is said to be around 4 million people. In addition to those who had to leave the country for political reasons, there are also people who left the country for economic and other reasons. The actual number can surpass 10 million.

What are the losses of Syrian people since the uprising began?

The current death toll is believed to over 10,000. The real number, however, is much higher. The same thing happened during the Hama Massacre. The death toll was 25,000 but an equal number of people were also detained. These were later executed. It is hard to come up with a number since we know there are a lot of people currently in prison. We know that 13,000 have been wounded, 35,000 detained, and 80,000 fled the country. Of the wounded people, 700 women and children are in critical condition.

Will Assad’s fall benefit the US?

The US wishes the fall of Assad regime, because it knows the Syrian people will no longer put up with Assad. The real problem is who will replace Assad. Studies indicate that the entire Middle East is inclining towards Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood is expected to come to power in Syria. This certainly is a fear for the US and Israel.

As a last question, do you call Syrian uprising as “Arab Spring?”

We call the uprising as Syrian Revolution. On the other hand, the Syrian uprising is certainly a continuation of the Arab Spring, but this spring has been quite a bloody spring…

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interview

Can you tell us about yourself?

I cannot say my name. I am Syrian and live in Hama. I am 22 years old.

How is your current condition?

Both my arms were cut above the wrist. I lost my left eye and the right one can see by 30 percent. Doctors say I need retinal transplant. I think there is no need to talk about my psychological condition.

Can you recount what you went through?

I was at home. It was praying time and I was going to pray with my friends. Suddenly I heard a strong explosion. The house collapsed on us at that moment. I fell down and the only thing I could see was utter darkness. I tried to raise my hand and wipe my eye but I could not. I tried my other hand but it did not move… I do not remember the rest.

How did you arrive in Turkey?

(At this point his elder brother steps in.) Let me tell you that part. I brought my brother to Turkey. Tanks were striking everywhere indiscriminately. I remembered my brother and rushed home. The house had collapsed. I and a few friends started searching among the rubble. I saw my brother lying

A hospital room… A scene that freezes your blood at first sight: A wounded person with the right arm in bandages and left arm cut above the wrist… His left eye is bandaged and the right eye has difficulty with seeing. He is

reluctant about telling his name…

ALL I COULD SEE WAS UTTER DARKNESS…

on the floor and carried him out on my back. We all hit the roads with a wounded person on our backs. We decided to flee to Turkey and set out as a group of nine people. We were running towards the border. Snipers from the security forces were shooting at us as we approached the border. As I looked back I saw one of my friends falling to the ground face down. He was shot in the neck. I ran, the only thing I could do at that moment… When we reached the border, they took the wounded with us to hospital and us to the police station…

How were you treated in Turkey at the station?

We received warm and good treatment. They gave us food and water. They even let me pray.

You especially mentioned praying. Couldn’t you pray freely in Syria?

It is very difficult to pray in Hama. Troops fire on you if you pray at mosques. And at security stations praying is impossible.

Can you tell us about the latest situation in Syria?

Our towns have been besieged by tanks and we are all living in fear. Water and power supplies are frequently cut. People have no food to eat and no water to drink. Curfew is in place all the time.

Inte

rvie

w: B

urak

Kar

acao

ğlu


14 15

interview

We cannot even go out to buy bread. Snipers have been stationed on tops of high buildings and they shoot anyone appearing in the streets. We cannot take people wounded in clashes to hospital. The wounded taken to hospitals are either arrested or executed right there. This has been going on for nine months.

Why do you think that Assad is following such a policy?

We were living like brothers and sisters before Hafez al-Assad came to power. He took a hostile stance against Islam. And Bashar is perpetuating this attitude. He rejects Islam’s place in Syria and wants to exterminate Sunnis. That’s why most of

the besieged areas are Sunni-populated. Attacks are launched particularly at the time of adhan. Whenever adhan is recited, bombardment begins. What do you expect from Turkey?

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had earlier said “Hama is our red line. We do not want a second Hama Massacre.” This statement had raised our hopes, but unfortunately a massacre is being committed in Hama. We want a safe zone along the border. Do not surrender us to oppressive Assad. We are really scared.Will you return to Syria?

I want to return but if I do, they will either arrest or kill me…

EAST AFRICA RELIEF EFFORTS

IHH has been carrying out since early July emergency relief efforts in East Africa, which is going through the worst drought in six decades. It has been delivering food and health aid to people trying to survive in refugee camps of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia and has also been materializing long-lasting projects such as water wells, schools and houses.

Somalia The amount of cash donations and in-kind aid delivered to the Somali capital Mogadishu and Lower and Middle Shabelle regions since March 2011 has reached TL31,921,949 as of March 2012.

Kenya The amount of humanitarian efforts carried out at Ifo, Dagahaley and Hagadari camps in Dadaab region on the Kenya-Somali border has reached TL4,937,272 as of March 2012..

Ethiopia The value of humanitarian assistance delivered to Ethiopia has reached TL813,437 as of March 2012.

16 17

agenda agendaEast Africa relief

efforts

Orphans Supported in Sponsor Family System (Last update: April 2012)

Number of Orphans

1 Somalia 3038

2 Ethiopia 1208

3 Djibouti 100

Total 4,346

Donations to IHH East Africa Drought Campaign(Last update: April 2012)

In-kind donations TL8,500,000 (estimated value)

Cash donations TL60,850,000

Grand Total TL69,350,000

16 17


efforts

24 new homes built in Jemeo village A fire that broke out in the Somali village of Jemeo, Middle Shabelle in September destroyed houses and animal shelters. IHH started constructing 24 new homes for the villagers in December and recently handed the keys to their owners in a ceremony attended by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ and Turkish ambassador to Somalia Cemalettin Kani Torun. The houses included two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom, and cost $360,000 in total.

Yakup Asipi Mosque opened in Mogadishu Yakup Asipi Mosque, whose foundation was laid in September 2011 in Mogadishu, was inaugurated on 6 March in a ceremony attended by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ. The mosque was constructed as part of an IHH East Africa project that also includes a primary school, an orphanage, a sports field, a water well, a masjid and a Quran school. The project is currently being constructed on an area of 12,000 square-meters. The mosque built in Rajo neighborhood of Mogadishu can hold 450 people at the same time. The opening ceremony was attended by the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) chairman Serdar Çam, Turkish ambassador to Somalia Cemalettin Kani Torun, and representatives from Turkish Airlines (THY), the Red Crescent Society of Turkey, the Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate and IHH.

18 19


efforts

Educational support provided to local Somali NGOs A 10-day Project Training Program was organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Qatari Red Crescent and IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation to help development of local Somali NGOs. At the training program realized in the Somali capital Mogadishu in January, 22 local NGO workers, two of them women, were trained in capacity-building and professional project development.

Food aid to Somali orphanage IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation delivered food aid in January to Haramain Orphanage in the Somali capital Mogadishu that serves orphan students. The food items donated to the orphanage which is owned by al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, Saudi Arabia and where 600 orphan girls are living contained baby biscuits, milk powder, cooking oil, flour, rice, and sugar.

18 19


efforts

IHH VAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORTS

In the city of Van, where a 7.2-magnitude earthquake on 23 October caused huge damage in the city center and nearby villages, IHH has been carrying on relief efforts since day one. It is still providing basic necessities such as hot meals, food items, drinking water, blankets, medicine and medical materials, is installing prefabricated houses and container shelters, and is providing psychological counseling services to earthquake survivors and assistance to orphan children.

The number of IHH volunteers

that arrived in the earthquake zone reached 304 in four days after

the disaster. The number rose to 1,005 in March.

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agenda agendaVan earthquake

relief efforts

Ongoing relief efforts by IHH in earthquake zone as of March 2012 1. Mobile Soup Kitchen: Our mobile soup kitchen in the Van city center is distributing hot meals to 5000 people a day. The kitchen has been offering hot meals twice a day since 23 October and has distributed hot food to 818,000 people as of 7 March.

2. In-kind Aid Distributions: IHH teams are still providing earthquake survivors with food packs of meat and meat products, cleaning materials, home textile products, kitchenware, stationery sets, and when necessary technical materials for tents, household goods, stoves and bunker beds.

3. Container Shelters: The Governor Office of Van allocated a 40-ha land in the Van city center for settlement of earthquake survivors. IHH is currently setting up container shelters on the allocated land with support from Kuwaiti and Qatari aid agencies as well as charitable people. Currently 288 container shelters and 100 prefabricated houses of 12 square-meters are made available for the stay of 240 affected families (around 1000 individuals). Another 100 container shelters and 50 prefabricated houses of 24 square-meters have been ordered and will be installed in April for the affected families.

4. Permanent Residences: Feasibility studies are being conducted for a project to build houses for 100 families, particularly families of orphan children.

20 21


relief efforts

The mobile kitchen that began providing

hot meals twice a day on 23 October has distributed hot

food to 818,000 people as of March

2012.

22 23


relief efforts

Type of Aid Items/Quantity Value (TL)Food 396,773 kg 898,474

Meat and meat products 9899 kg 553,291 Textile 188,560 pieces 1,402,600 Shoes 5889 pairs 140,009

Medicine and medical materials 17,359 pieces 150,202

Cleaning materials 12,603 pieces 143,451 Home textile 105,323 pieces 950,132 Tent-canvas 3664 pieces 505,291

Tent-technical materials 8598 pieces 13,514 Kitchenware 915 pieces 36,116

Electric utensils 35 pieces 627 Household goods 8414 pieces 314,453

Orthopedic materials 59 pieces 4,222 Stove 1529 pieces 169,455 Fuel 800 kg 3,540 Toys 364 pieces 1,782

Bunker beds 414 pieces 60,420 Container shelters 288 pieces 3,041,280

Prefabricated shelters 100 pieces 650,000 Container (shower) 2 pieces 25,960

Container (toilet) 3 pieces 30,450Grand Total TL9,095,269

In-kind aid (Last update: February 2012)

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relief efforts

Together with orphans in VanZeynep Demirel

IHH Coordinator for Voluntary Activities

Cold weather makes life in tent that is difficult to heat even harder… However, people are content with their situation despite all the hardships and

inadequacies. We received a warm welcome during our visit to a settlement of container shelters set up by IHH. We shared so much in the 21-square-meter container that it would have been impossible to have the same experience anywhere else. As we ate the traditional dishes offered at the tents we visited, we felt the guilt of sharing the food cooked in a very narrow space that can only hold a cooker. “If you refuse to eat, we will think you did not like it and we will be sad,” they said with a smiling face and a warm tone.

Local families of orphans have no income at all. They are trying to live on little assistance provided by their neighbors. Our discussions with the children were engrained in our brains as usual. Some of

the discussions were particularly memorable like when Ömer and Zeki, two orphans that we were visiting for a second time, could not believe that the presents we were carrying were for them and reacted as “Did you really bring these for us? Or when tent-

dweller Helin told us “Take me too,” or when 17-year-old Gülseren told us about her dream to become a teacher and many more… We

came to realize the significance of the IHH orphan project, namely the Sponsor Family System, as we talked to the children. The humanitarian works we carried out in Van for a week in January with our volunteers were not limited to family visits. Shopping was done ahead of house

visits, and supplies sent from Istanbul were categorized and packed at the warehouse. Meals were distributed at the mobile kitchen.

Everyone slept little and worked hard but no one complained about this situation.

No member of the team of volunteers wanted to leave Van. We had gone to Van with a sense of responsibility, but we realized

after what we witnessed that our responsibility had increased immensely. Our volunteers returned to Istanbul with the impatience

of sharing what they witnessed here with people around them and getting them involved.

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relief efforts

In-kind aid (TL) Cash donations (TL)

Total value of aid from Turkey and overseas 9,095,269 8,243,092

IHH Van Aid Campaign “Be the epicenter of aid!”

(Last update: March 2012)

IHH-built Temporary Settlement Area in Van city center is housing 240 families

(around 1000 individuals).

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relief efforts

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spotlight spotlightOrphan

Solidarity Days

ORPHAN SOLIDARITY DAYS (16-31 MARCH 2012)

Statistics show that each day thousands of children around the world are made orphan by wars, natural disasters, poverty, and health problems. It is not difficult to imagine the terrifying dimension of the problem if we recall that in Iraq alone,

the ongoing occupation has left around 5m children orphan. However, it is hard to say despite everything that adequate sensitivity and concern have formed worldwide around the question of orphan and homeless children.

Acting from this point, we as IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation are carrying on our activities in two ways. The first one is to reach out to children around the globe who have been left orphan or homeless by various reasons and have become targets for human traffickers, organ mafias or missionary organizations, while the second one is to raise awareness of public opinion on the reasons that lead to orphanhood such as war, occupation, natural disaster and fatal diseases.

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Solidarity Days

IHH, which is delivering regular aid to 24,100 orphans in 36 countries as of March 2012, organized Orphan Solidarity Days between 16-31 March. During Orphan Solidarity Days, which aims to bring problems and needs of 165m orphans around the world to the attention of Turkish and international public opinion, teams of IHH staff members, volunteers, donors, health personnel and journalists visited the regions where IHH operates.

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Solidarity Days

We visited our orphans IHH, which is delivering regular aid to 24,100 orphans in 36 countries as of March 2012, organized Orphan Solidarity Days between 16-31 March. During Orphan Solidarity Days, which aims to bring problems and needs of 165m orphans around the world to the attention of Turkish and international public opinion, teams of IHH staff members, volunteers, donors, health personnel and journalists visited the regions where IHH operates. The teams met orphans in Turkey as well as Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Pattani, and Pakistan in Asia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Chad, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Malawi, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso in Africa, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania in the Balkans, and Chechnya in the Caucasia. Orphan care projects in Yemen, Ghana, Sudan, Djibouti, Aceh, Philippines/Mindanao, Jammu Kashmir, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Macedonia and Ecuador were carried out through our local partner organizations.

A number of events/campaigns were carried out in the visited regions depending on local needs such as distributions of clothing and stationery aid, health screenings, orphan wedding ceremonies, circumcision ceremonies, blanket-mattress distributions, provisions of food aid, paying for expenses of orphanages, and assistance to families of orphans (distribution of sewing machine, sesame grinding machine, milking cows, etc.). The projects were prepared in accordance with the needs of local orphans. In addition, orphan care activities of local partner organizations were inspected closely and they were advised on future projects. Based on assessments and analyses, first steps for possible projects in the coming years were taken.

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Solidarity Days

We meet with orphans, play with them, share their joy, inspect projects for orphans

and do feasibility study for new projects during visits to countries we travel on the

occasion of the Orphan Solidarity Days which run from May 16-31.

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Solidarity Days

COUNTRY/REGION PROJECTS MATERIALIZED NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES

SOUT

H A

SIA

ACEH

Paying for educational expenses of 22 female university students living at Aceh Istanbul Orphanage

22

Purchasing a school bus for Aceh Istanbul Orphanage 86

BANGLADESH

Clothing and stationery aid 150Providing sewing machines to 20 families, goats to 20 families and milking cows to 10 families as part of a project to help development of families of orphans

50 families

Paying customary dowries of orphan girls preparing to get married as is the tradition in the region

15

Picnic organization in three different areas 2000

2012 ORPHAN SOLIDARITY DAYS16-31 MARCH 2012

30 31


Solidarity Days


SOUT

H A

SIA

JAMMU KASHMIR

Meeting one-year expenses of a vocational training center set up for orphan and needy girls

50

Winter clothing aid 50

MINDANAOOrganizing Quran recitation, painting, hadith and knowledge competitions among children staying at different orphanages

200

PATTANI

Trip and picnic organization 100

Organizing football, basketball, and similar activities for orphan children and providing sport clothing to them

100

Clothing aid 100

SRI LANKA

Health screening 300

Picnic organization 300

Quran recitation contest 300

Sporting competitions 300

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Solidarity Days

CEN

TRAL

ASI

A

AFGHANISTANClothing and stationery aid 957Health screening 300Trip and picnic organization 470

KAZAKHSTAN

Providing suit, shoes, shirt and socks 50Stationery aid 100Two-ton fuel supply to orphan families 50 familiesFour-day trip to historical and cultural sites 50Food pack distribution 50

KYRGYZSTANProviding clothing aid to orphan children living in two orphanages in Çüy area and in-kind aid to the orphanages

100

TAJIKISTANTrips to amusement park and zoo, lunch, surprise presents to orphans, clothing and food aid

30

BALK

ANS

ALBANIA Entertainment program for and presents to 1005 orphan children 1005

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

City tour in Sarajevo, trip to zoo, lunch organization, and taking orphans to the cinema

50

€50-worth gift cards to orphans for clothes shopping 80

KOSOVO Banquet for orphan children and their families 250

MACEDONIA

One-year long scholarship to orphans attending secondary school and high-school

160

Purchasing a house for the family of an orphan 1 family


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Solidarity Days

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Solidarity Days

AFRI

CA

BURKINA FASO

Trip to museum of history, zoo and other entertainment and cultural sites in the capital Ouagadougou for 80 orphans

80

Each family was given a sheep or goat as part of project to help development of families of orphans

80 families

DJIBOUTITrip to amusement park and zoo, organizing theatre and various cultural activities, lunch program

217

CHAD

Stationery aid 200Distribution of mosquito nets to help prevention of malaria that is common in the region

200

Food pack distribution to families of orphans 200 families

Picnic organization 150

GHANAHealth screening 100Picnic organization 100Clothing, food and stationery aid to orphans 100


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Solidarity Days


AFRI

CA

ETHIOPIAOrganizing various sporting and cultural activities such as football, volleyball among orphan children and rewarding winners

732

MALAWI

Providing health screening and mosquito nets to 80 children, 50 of the orphans, who are living at IHH Orphanage in Kanyenda

80

Furnishing interior of Kanyenda Orphanage 40

MAURITANIA

Organizing sporting contests, cultural activities and picnic for orphans and their families

80

Opening butcher shops as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 2 families

Opening tailor workshops as part of projects to help development of families of orphans

2 families

Opening mini stores as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 2 families

Opening fabric dyeing workshops as part of projects to help development of families of orphans

2 families

Opening mini restaurants as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 2 families

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Solidarity Days


AFRI

CA

RWANDA Clothing aid and laptop computer distribution (10 people) 40

SIERRA LEONE

Health screening against malaria, smallpox, chickenpox, measles, asthma, tuberculosis, pneumonia, yellow fever and so on

300

Providing cattle to families for livestock breeding as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 5 families

Providing micro financing to families as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 15 families

SOMALIA

Opening stationery shop as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 3 families

Opening women clothes store as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 5 families

Opening perfume shop as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 5 families

Purchasing grain milling machines as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 5 families

Purchasing sesame grinding machines as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 5 families

Opening electronics shop as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 2 families

Opening grocery store as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 10 families

Opening mini stores as part of projects to help development of families of orphans 5 families

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Solidarity Days


AFRI

CA

SUDANFood aid to families or orphans and food pack to orphans

500

TANZANIA-ZANZIBAR

Trips to historical sites, zoo and coast in Zanzibar and lunch program

300

Constructing and furnishing the interior of five additional classrooms for students who registered this year at IHH-built Martyr Faruk Aktaş School

200

Providing capital to a family so that they can start poultry breeding as part of projects to help development of families of orphans

1 family

Providing transport animal and vehicle to a family 1 family

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Solidarity Days

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Solidarity Days


MID

DLE

EAST

PALESTINE Organizing a day event to raise morale of orphan children 300

IRAQ

Distributing clothes and toys to orphan children in Mosul 50

Trip to amusement park, handicraft competition and banquet program 650

Organizing traditional dishes contest for families of orphans and rewarding the winners

50

Distributing blankets, toys and food packs to orphan children 30

LEBANON

Renovating houses of orphans’ families 10 families

Trip organization 50Distributing books to 300 orphan children in refugee camps and presents to 20 orphans winning a knowledge contest

320

YEMEN

Paying for treatment of 13 orphan children suffering from pulmonary infection, tonsillitis, rheumatism, and heart condition

13

Providing educational support 21Providing in-kind aid to meet various needs of orphans’ families such as household goods, furniture

23 families

CAUC

ASIA

AZERBAIJAN Clothing and stationery aid, mass banquet organization 325

LATI

N

AMER

ICA

ECUADOROrganizing a trip to el-Boliche National Park and Quito amusement park for orphans and their mothers

26 individuals (12 of them orphans)

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, which has embraced 24,100 orphan children in 36 countries with its orphan care activities since 1992 in regions devastated by war, occupation and natural disaster, is organizing a short film contest themed “Sacred Trusts Orphans” to urge people to support orphans and raise the public’s

awareness on the question of orphan children. The award ceremony for the competition will be held in June during the 5th International Orphans’

Get Together Program in Istanbul. Short films will compete in fiction, documentary and animation categories. The jury for the competition includes respectable names such as Derviş Zaim, İhsan Kabil, Rıdvan Şentürk, Yusuf Kaplan and Semih Kaplanoğlu, and the deadline for submissions is on May 21, 2012.

The first prize for fiction and documentary categories is Sony NEX-FS100k video camera, and an Apple iMac 21.5 inch computer and WACOM Cintiq 21 UX Pen Display drawing screen. The winner of jury prize will be given the opportunity to visit an African country where IHH conducts orphan care projects. The producers of films winning second and third place and honorable mention will be awarded video

cameras and pen tablets.

We call on amateur or professional short film makers around the world to tell the story of orphan children we call “Sacred Trusts.” You can start anywhere

to tell this big story that has 165m protagonists!

WHITE PIGEON SHORT FILM CONTEST

Tema değişikliği üzerinde çalışılıyor40 41

agenda agendaWhite Pigeon Short

Film Contest

Applicants to the competition can access the application form and rules & regulations at www.beyazguvercin.org/en or

[email protected].

Tema değişikliği üzerinde çalışılıyor40 41

agenda agendaWhite Pigeon Short

Film Contest

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agenda

5th International Orphans’ Get Together Program: Our Sacred Trusts gather in Istanbul IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, which is providing regular support to 24,100 orphan children in 36 countries as of March 2012, will bring tens of children to Istanbul in June from the countries where it conducts orphan care projects, and will give the orphans the opportunity to meet their sponsor families. � e 5th International Orphans’ Get Together Program, an event held for the fi rst time in 2005 and the last time in 2009, will be organized on 3 June at Haliç Congress Center in Istanbul. � e program will feature performances by orphan children as well as those by domestic and foreign artists. � e program will be broadcast live to thousands of people.

During the 5th Orphans’ Get Together Program, tens of orphans of di� erent cultures, colors and languages will be hosted in Istanbul and they will be brought together with various segments of society, particularly with sponsor families and volunteers. � e event will also contribute to raise the public’s awareness on orphans by reminding the public its responsibilities towards orphan children.

A trip to cover three cities will be organized for the orphans who will be hosted in Turkey for a week as part of the meeting. � e orphans will take part in the programs to be arranged by our partner organizations in the cities of Ankara, Konya and Kayseri, and will meet sponsor families and our volunteers. � e children will also attend various television and radio programs and will share their feelings and thoughts with the Turkish public.

Children from a number of cities in Turkey and Palestine, Somalia, Aceh, Mindanao, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Albania, Sierra Leone, and Azerbaijan will take part in the 5th International Orphans’ Get Together Program.

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faaliyetler

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activities activitiesSocial aid

NECDET YILDIRIM MEDICAL CENTER

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation inaugurated three healthcare centers in January with contributions from İzmit volunteers along with an education center for mentally-challenged children in Sri Lanka. Two of the healthcare centers were named after IHH Internet Department Coordinator Cevdet Kılıçlar and IHH Emergency Relief Department worker Necdet Yıldırım, both of whom were martyred onboard the Mavi Marmara boat, while the third one was named after IHH Asia Coordinator Faruk Aktaş who was killed in a plane crash near Afghanistan where he was working for an orphan care project.

Cevdet Kılıçlar Medical Center was opened in Kiribewa village near the city of Anuradhapura. The clinic is the only one in the village. Necdet Yıldırım Medical Center, which consists of an examination room, inoculation room, pharmacy and waiting lounge, will serve residents of Mutur town in the city of Trincomalee. The third health clinic named Faruk Aktaş was inaugurated in the city of Puttalam. The health clinics will employ voluntary doctors and will provide free-of-charge treatment and medication to people in need.

The education center for children with mental disabilities, al-Hiqma Center for Special Needy Children, was opened in Hemmathagama near the city of Kegalle in Sabaragamuwa Province. The center will initially serve to 25 children but is expected to increase capacity with time.

IHH opens school for mentally disabled and 3 health clinics in Sri Lanka

44 45


AL-HIQMA CENTER FOR SPECIAL NEEDY CHILDREN

FARUK AKTAŞ MEDICAL CENTER CEVDET KILIÇLAR MEDICAL CENTER

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Nazr slaughters scheduled for January-February performed Nazr sacrifices donated to our foundation by charitable people were slaughtered in January and February. In January 511 shares, 252 in Pakistan, 14 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 14 in Somalia and 231 in Turkey, were slaughtered, while in February 301 slaughters were performed, with 84 in Afghanistan, 70 in Kazakhstan, 70 in Kyrgyzstan, 7 in Macedonia, 35 in Albania, 7 in Serbia-Presevo, 14 in Somalia and 14 in Turkey. The fresh meat was distributed to orphans and people in need. You can also donate a nazr Qurban with €150.

Quran copies distributed in Ethiopia Copies of the Holy Quran were distributed in Ethiopia as part of IHH’s cultural support project for Africa. The distributions were made in the Muslim-populated Desi region, which is 300km from the capital Addis Ababa and where Quran training is conducted with wooden tablets due to scarce financial resources. Within the scope of the project 13,000 Quran copies were distributed to local people in Desi, where IHH had built a school earlier. The project aims to distribute 100,000 copies of the Holy Quran across Africa.

46 47


Bosnia-Herzegovina covered in snow IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation delivered humanitarian assistance to villages cut off by snow in the city of Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the heaviest snowfall in years brought life to a complete halt. IHH, in cooperation with local partner UDF-Emmaus delivered supplies of winter shoes, blankets, basic foodstuff, fuel and winter clothes to Krushev Do and Luka, two villages cut off from the rest of the world by snow. The food packs distributed to affected families contained rice, salt, beans, macaroni, cooking oil, sugar, tuna fish, canned food, flour and instant soup.

IHH provides winter assistance to Tajikistan IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation provided assistance to the Central Asian country of Tajikistan, where adverse winter conditions brought hardships for inhabitants. Most of the people in Tajikistan, the poorest Central Asian country where political instability caused by civil war following the independence persists, struggle against poverty. There is a growing number of orphan children in the country where economic hardships and violent attacks of Russian militants persist. IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation provided warm winter clothes and electric heaters to the poor and families of orphans who have been negatively affected by economic difficulties and political instability. The distributions in the capital Dushanbe and Rudaki by IHH, which has been offering humanitarian assistance in the region for years, reached 800 people.

48 49


Winter relief to Albania As part of winter relief distributions in January, IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation distributed 500 blankets, 300 child coats and 300 pairs of child boots Pukë town near Shkodër city and Bustrice village near Kukës. A circumcision ceremony for 300 was also held in the city of Koplik.

Winter clothing aid delivered to Bangladesh IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation carries on humanitarian works in the South Asian country of Bangladesh, where half of the 142m population lives under the poverty line. The foundation distributed blankets and winter clothes to the homeless, the needy, and orphans to help them protect against extreme winter conditions. In the towns of Panchagar, Thakurgaon, Nilphamary, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat in Rangpur Province and the capital city Dhaka, 2000 people received the supplies.

48 49


Clothing aid delivered to Kyrgyzstan IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation provided winter clothes to a children house sheltering 75 children. Upon request of assistance from Coomart Bökömbayev Orphanage in Oktyabr village near the southern Kyrgyz city of Jalalabat, IHH provided basic clothes such as coats, sweaters, trousers, underwear and socks to 75 orphans, 48 of them boy and 27 girl.

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation delivered in January warm winter clothes to Afghan children living in orphanages. Winter clothes were distributed to 345 children in the southern province of Laghman, 120 in Takhar Province close to the Tajikistan border, and 170 in the northeastern province of Badakhshan. In the three provinces 635 children were given shoes, coats, underwear, and various clothes.

Winter clothes provided to Afghan orphans

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Health screening conducted at Aceh Istanbul Orphanage The 2004 tsunami in Aceh had cost 232,000 lives and left many children orphans. Aceh Istanbul Orphanage that was built as nine blocks on 5000 square-meters two years after the disaster is housing 86 Acehnese children. In January, the 86 children underwent health screenings. Additionally, at a seminar held within the orphanage, a team of health experts informed the children of general health tips and how to protect against epidemic diseases.

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Training provide to Libyan and Tunisian NGOs A training program was organized at the IHH Istanbul headquarters in February for Libyan and Tunisian nongovernmental organizations. Representatives from the Libyan Association for Humanitarian and Tunisia Charity attended seminars by IHH in the fields of project development, fund raising, cooperation with international NGOs, volunteers’ management, reporting, accounting management, and orphan sponsoring. The participants were given certificates upon completion of the program. IHH, which is conducting humanitarian projects in more than 130 countries and regions, aims to strengthen its partner organizations around the world.

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If you see them, they will see the world! Half of the 10 million people with ocular ailments across Africa suffer from cataracts. In countries located in the Sahara region such as Niger, Chad and Ethiopia there is one doctor per 40,000 people, while millions of people never see a doctor in their life time. IHH, which launched the Africa Cataract Campaign in 2007 with the slogan “If you see them, they will see you,” is helping cataract sufferers regain their vision with your contributions. The African Cataract Campaign has reached out to tens of thousands people in nine countries since 2007 and has provided surgery to 58,228 cataract patients as of the end of February 2012. Another 218,905 potential cataract patients were examined. The project is in progress in Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Ethiopia. The project whereby donors can finance cataract surgery of one patient with $80 aims to help 100,000 patients recover their sight.

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AFRICA CATARACT CAMPAIGN (Last update: February 2012)

COUNTRY FIELD SCREENING EXAMINATION SURGERY

Togo 15,000 5000 300

Benin 12,900 4300 390

Ghana 6900 2300 281

Chad 1740 580 150

Sıerra Leone 22,890 7880 1.030

Niger 6630 2210 525

Sudan 318,000 109,915 30,271

Ethiopia 135,000 51,961 15,281

Somalia 104,262 34,759 10,000

TOTAL 623,322 218,905 58,228

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You, too, open a water well! IHH continues to dig wells in regions where access to clean drinking water is restricted. The water wells digging project that was launched in 2000 and stepped up in 2006 is bestowing life on dried lands of Africa and Asia. As of February 2012, 1757 water wells in 7 Asian and 11 sub-Saharan African countries were completed, while 956 wells are under construction.

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WATER WELL PROJECT (Last update: March 2012)

No Country Wells Under Constructıon

Completed Wells

1 ETHIOPIA 12 1202 SOMALIA 670 3763 BURKINA FASO 3 44 NIGER 1 95 DJIBOUTI - 116 CHAD 25 2017 CAMEROON 24 1308 SUDAN 11 499 SIERRA LEONE 4 710 GUINEA - 1111 KENYA 123 1112 BANGLADESH 49 77213 AFGHANISTAN 4 614 MONGOLIA - 115 PAKISTAN - 11

16 INDONESIA (ACEH) - 2

17 KASHMIR 26 1018 KYRGYZSTAN - 4 TOTAL 956 1757 GRAND TOTAL 2713

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activities activitiesEmergency aid

Philippines battered by typhoon In December, tropical rains and Typhoon Washi claimed 1100 lives and damaged hundreds of houses in the Philippines. IHH began emergency assistance works after the typhoon and distributed supplies of foodstuffs, clean drinking water, medicine and hygiene kits to 10,000 victims in Mindanao’s Cagayan de Oro and Iligan regions, which were worst hit by the typhoon.

Flooding disaster in Tanzania Heavy rainfall in the Tanzanian capital Dar as-Salam on 21 December caused rivers to overflow, killing 38 and displacing 5000 people. IHH initiated emergency relief efforts in the country following the floods. In Uhuru, Ilala and Mchikichini areas 670 affected families were provided food packs containing clean water, 5-kg rice, sugar, beans and flour.

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With the objective of forming search-rescue teams in times of war and natural disaster that require emergency intervention, IHH teams of staff members and volunteers are receiving search-rescue training at the Fire Brigade Education Center of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The first level of the three-level training was completed in Şile between 17-25 March. The team of six IHH staff members and 11 volunteers received for nine days theoretical and practical training in assessment at disaster and crime scene, accident response, debris response, work sharing and organization during response, manual search and search with device, making contact with the injured under rubbles, and evacuating the injured safely.

Domestic assistance IHH continues to help people in need, refugees, asylum-seekers, and foreign students in Turkey. Our foundation donated in January, February and March TL 1,584,938 worth in-kind aid to 117,129 people in need of help. The donated supplies included cleaning materials, kitchen utensils, textile products, medicine and medical materials, foodstuffs, electrical goods, clothes, shoes etc.

In the period covering January, February and March, 44,962 refugees, asylum-seekers and foreign students studying in Turkey benefited from IHH in-kind aid in health, cultural and social areas that amounted to TL 2,127,742. Another 1,736 people were provided cash donations that were valued at TL 382,600. Within the scope of domestic assistance efforts, IHH pays for rent and household expenses of refugees, asylum-seekers, and foreign students studying in Turkey, provides them with medicine and necessary medical materials, meets their health expenses, and offers them educational scholarships.

IHH teams receiving search and rescue training

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faaliyetler activities

Panel marks 20th anniversary of Khojaly massacre Khojaly Massacre was remembered on its 20th anniversary in a panel held by the Istanbul Peace Platform, which has IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation among its constituent members. Turkish and Azerbaijani speakers at the panel that was held at Topkapı Eresin Hotel on 25 February stressed that Khojaly Massacre, one of the biggest massacres in the 20th century, is overlooked by the international community. Among the participants of the panel were IHH Chairman Bülent Yıldırım, Azerbaijani Liberal Party leader Professor Lale Şevket Hacıyeva, Chairman of Azerbaijan Nongovernmental Organizations Boha Tagıyev, lecturer from Bahçeşehir University Necati Aydın, journalist-writer Sevil Nuriyeva, historian Anar İskenderov, Azeri MP Fazıl Gazanferoğlu, attorney Etimad İsmailov, and chairman of Devam Association İlgar İbrahimoğlu.

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Mavi Marmara in 5 books in 3 languages! IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation published on the first anniversary of the attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla the books Mavi Marmara-Gaza Freedom Flotilla and Witnesses of the Freedom Flotilla-Interviews with Passengers. On the second anniversary of the attack the book Mavi Marmara-Gaza Freedom Flotilla was published in Arabic and English, while Witnesses of the Freedom Flotilla -Interviews with Passengers was published in English.

Mavi Marmara-Gaza Freedom Flotilla elaborates, using first-hand sources, on many details such as preparations for the flotilla, the voyage, the attack time, post-attack process and many more details as well as witnesses of organizers and flotilla participants. The second book Witnesses of the Freedom Flotilla -Interviews with Passengers, which was penned by Zahide Tuba Kor, consists of interviews with 39 participants of the Freedom Flotilla. Both books are available for order at www.kitapyurdu.com.

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activities activitiesVolunteer activities

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

Ring of volunteers growing Over the last three months, not only in Istanbul but also in different cities across Anatolia, our volunteers organized a wide range of activities such as charity fairs, ticketed programs, and publicity meetings to raise funds for our projects. In this framework, our volunteers from the city of İzmir organized a ticketed hall program to raise money for orphan care projects. IHH volunteers in the town of Çan, Çanakkale organize monthly ticketed tea parties. The funds raised in these parties are donated to orphan children and needy people in Çan. The volunteers are also continuing collecting in-kind aid for Van earthquake

victims. Our volunteers in the city of Iğdır paid for education and stationery expenses of students who moved to Iğdır following the earthquake in Van. The volunteers participated in social activities with the students to raise their morale and motivation. They also distribute regular in-kind aid to earthquake victims in the city. Samsun-based volunteers organize charity fairs at local markets every week. The volunteers support orphan children with the funds they raise. The number of orphans supported by Samsun volunteers rose to 20 children. IHH volunteers in Yozgat made a visit to an orphanage in the

Charity volunteers across Turkey continue to support cross-border aid projects of IHH. Our cataract, orphan care and water well digging projects

grow, diversify and touch lives of thousands with the irreplaceable support of our volunteers.

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city with gift packages they had prepared for the orphans. Volunteers residing in Yakacık neighborhood of Istanbul organize ticketed hall programs every month. The volunteers funded digging of water wells in Africa with the money they raised. Our volunteers in Güngören, Istanbul held a ticketed hall event and undertook the construction of a mosque and masjid in Kenya. In March, an orphan-themed program was organized at the Istanbul Anatolian Imam-Hatip High-school with the attendance of 300 people. The students raised enough money to pay for a one-year sponsorship fee of one orphan. Our volunteers in Istanbul helped with promotional activities at our booths set up between 13-16 March in Güngören, Fatih, Eminönü, Gaziosmanpaşa, Sultanbeyli and Üsküdar to publicize our orphan care projects. Students from the Theology Faculty of Istanbul University set up a booth to promote activities of IHH. Our volunteers in the city of Elazığ collected 41 sacks of humanitarian supplies for Somalia. Erdem Publishing donated 690 books to earthquake victim children in the city of Van.

Istanbul Şehir University students raise funds for Van A group of students from Istanbul Şehir University initiated “Pens for Van” aid campaign in social media and raised €6,343 in 33 days. The largest contribution to the campaign came from students of Private Derya Öncü Education Institutions. The students contributed 35 packages of clothes and stationery materials to the campaign. With the money raised in the month-long “Pens for Van” campaign, Istanbul Şehir University students financed the purchase of a container for €3,382 for the stay of a family,

and sponsored two orphan children as part of the IHH Sponsor Family System. The students also made a visit to Van with IHH personnel and student representatives, and distributed 40 packages of stationery materials, shawls, gloves, and toys to earthquake survivors.

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Good Neighbors provides assistance to Van Good Neighbors, a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization that operates in 29 countries in the fields of child education, societal development, health and emergency relief, extended assistance to Van earthquake victims in cooperation with IHH. Seong Ha Eun Marcellino, the organization’s South Korea office representative, joined in the distribution of 435 food packs with IHH staff in Van. The packages containing basic food supplies such as sugar, tea, jam, halwah, olives, cheese and tahini were distributed to residents of IHH Temporary Settlement Center shelters as well as those residing in Urartu and Faki Teyran container cities and Dağönü village.

Ayder extends help to refugees and Van earthquake victims Konya-based Anatolian Humanitarian Relief Association (AYDER), one of the most active partners of IHH in Anatolia, delivered food and clothing aid to 25 families that moved to Konya in February following the earthquake in the city of Van. The families are living in Şefkat Houses, owned by Selçuk Municipality and refurbished by AYDER, and are delivered monthly food aid by the association. The food packages prepared to meet the food needs of a four-member family for a month, contained sunflower seed oil (5 kg), bulghur (2 kg), macaroni (500 gr), flour (5 kg), powdered sugar (3 kg), cube sugar (1 packet), tea (1 kg), rice (1 kg), dried beans (1 kg), green lentils (1 kg), red lentils (1 kg), chickpeas (1 kg), tomato paste (1 kg), raisins (1 kg), olives (1 kg), and white cheese (1 kg).

In a separate organization in February, AYDER distributed clothes to 100 refugee families. The clothes donated by charitable residents were delivered to 325 Somali, Sudanese, Iraqi and Eritrean refugees residing in the Selçuklu, Meram and Karatay districts of Konya.

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Charity movement growing IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, whose ever-expanding global coverage includes five continents and 130 countries and regions, is also a trusted partner for many international organizations that wish to work in regions hit by war, natural disaster and internal conflict. Over the last several years, individual and corporate donors from countries such as Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, South Korea, Britain, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland, Switzerland, and Kosovo organized various joint aid activities with IHH. In the city of Van, 95 container shelters were set up in cooperation with the Qatari Red Crescent. Earthquake victim families were placed in the shelters. A mobile health clinic will also be opened in April. Another Qatari institution, Qatar Charity, is installing 100 container and 50 prefabricated shelters in Van. The Kuwaiti International Islamic Charitable Organization completed the installment of 193 container shelters.

The Qatari Red Crescent realized the project “Warm Winter 2011-2012” in cooperation with IHH to assist regions where extreme winter conditions prevailed. In the scope of the project, 650 blankets, 800 child boots, 650 child coats, 870 pieces of winter clothes, and 100 electric heaters were distributed in Albania, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan. A group of Bahraini donors financed 900 cataract surgeries in Sudan, while our Kuwaiti volunteers sponsored 320 cataract surgeries.

Representatives of international Al-Imdaad Foundation from South Africa, Britain, and Jordan came to Hatay, Turkey and distributed blankets, mattresses, pillows, hygiene kits, breakfast and food packs to Syrian refugees staying in camps near the border. The British Sacred Knowledge Trust organization provided breakfast food and hygiene kits to 400 Syrian refugee families in Hatay. The US-based charity organization Zakat Foundation sent a container of humanitarian supplies to be distributed to Syrian refugees. Aid packages were distributed to Syrian refugees in Lebanon in cooperation with the Polish International Humanitarian Aid Agency. Another group from Britain delivered a nine-vehicle load of humanitarian supplies they had collected to Syrian refugees through IHH.

The Middle East representative of OXFAM, a federation of 15 organizations that operate in 90 countries to fight poverty, paid a visit to IHH and received information regarding our activities. A group of 19 students from California Soka University visited IHH and were briefed on the IHH aid mission, fields of activity

and operation regions. IHH Corporate Affairs Coordinator Nalan Dal and members of the executive board Gülden Sönmez and Ümit Sönmez held talks in Japan and South Korea as part of IHH activities in the Far East. Talks were held with the Japanese Association for Aid and Relief (AAR), Peace Wind Japan, Japan Volunteers Center and South Korean Good Neighbors institutions. Meetings were also held with IHH volunteers and representatives of international organizations in Bahrain. Bahraini Minister of Human Rights and Social Development Dr. Fatima al-Balushi was visited.

Pakistan – School renovation project Pakistan, which is the sixth most crowded country in the world with a population of over 175 million people, is one of the South Asian countries where IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation is the most active. International Mawlana Jalaladdin Rumi School, built in 2004 to offer education to refugee children in Haripur where there are more than 20 Afghan refugee camps, is one of the most important achievements of IHH in the region. The school provides education from pre-school to high-school level to 700 students, 62 of them orphan. Rumi School complex, which contains a scientific laboratory, computer room and library, is praised by Afghan and Pakistani authorities for its outstanding achievements and performance. With this project, the classrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, computer room, laboratory and library of the school that has not received any maintenance for eight years will be renovated. In addition, electronic equipment, sport materials, and musical instruments that are required for effective and quality education will be purchased by our expert teams and offered to the students. The project will serve 700 students currently enrolled at school in the short run, while thousands of children living near the school will benefit from the renovation in the long run. The project is estimated to cost €24,690.

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future projects

in brief future projects

in brief 64

Jammu Kashmir – Intensive care unit project at Islamabad State Hospital Jammu Kashmir, One of the most aggrieved regions in Asia, has been occupied by India since 1947. Due to year-long conflict and occupation that is sustained by 700,000 Indian troops, infrastructure has been largely damaged, and Kashmiri people are deprived of most of their social rights. Located in Southern Jammu Kashmir, Islamabad

city (Anatnag), with a population of one million people, tops the areas where fighting between the pro-independence movement and the Indian army is the most severe. An intensive care unit is planned to be constructed at the biggest regional hospital Islamabad State Hospital. The total cost of the project is $40,000.

Gaza – Vocational training center project With a project realized in Gaza, where unemployment rate is around 70%, computer and English classes are offered to the youth. The project provided training to 1500 students in 2011. The cost of the project for the 2012 year, including instructor salaries, administrative and stationery expenses, and rent, is $29,400.

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in brief 65

Pattani is the Malay name given to the region in southern Thailand that includes the Yala, Narativat, Songkhla and Pattani provinces where Muslims make up 80 percent of the population. The Muslim people in Pattani –which houses a strong Islamic heritage - came in contact with Islam early in the ninth century and, are facing an assimilation policy of the Buddhist Thai state. Local people have been struggling hard to protect their religious and cultural values since the 1930s. Today there are around 40,000 orphans in Pattani, which is a result of the decade-long conflict. The children who

lost their fathers to the war with the Thai army and have no social security are pushed into poverty deliberately as a state policy. IHH, which initiated humanitarian assistance works in Pattani in 2005, is currently constructing a 100-bed capacity orphanage with the sponsorship of Konya AYDER Anatolia Humanitarian Relief Association in Yaring region. A three-storey school is projected next to Konya AYDER Orphanage to serve 1000 students. Education will be offered in Arabic, English, Thai and Malay. The total cost of the project is €265,000.

Pattani – School construction project

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in brief 66

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in brief 67

68 69

in the field

BAREFOOT ON BLOOD DIAMONDS

More than 100,000 people were killed in Sierra Leone for diamonds, even a small piece of which costs tens of thousands of dollars. The war forced two

million people to flee their land left behind one million destitute orphans.

It was the 1990s. Blood-freezing footage was broadcast on television; child soldiers who did not hesitate to fire at random with weapons that were almost as tall as their height, people whose arms and legs were cut off because they refuse to join rebel forces… And the world was watching these people’s cry for help like a television drama.

I was on a plane to Sierra Leone, a country whose name my children could pronounce with difficulty but one with immense hardships. We arrived in Lungi early in the morning with a Morocco-Liberia connecting flight. We were met by our guide Amadu. We travelled to the peninsula-shaped capital city Freetown with a ferryboat. Since we had a busy schedule, we went to the home of Wellington Muslim Association Chairman Osman Dumbuya and made a program. The first thing to do was to conduct health screenings of 300 orphan children sponsored by IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation.

Osman Sağırlı


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in the field in the field

People who did not take the side of the rebels in the war that lasted for

12 years lost either their arms or legs. And today they have no choice

but to live side by side with the killers of their families.

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in the field

After passing through the dusty streets of Freetown under the scorching sun we reached the healthcare center where children had gathered. Most of the children, the oldest of whom was 12, were alone and only a few of them had come with either of their parents. Tense expressions on children’s faces turned into smiles as they saw us. Some sat on our laps and some threw their arms around our necks as if we had raised them. Who knows maybe they were seeking in us the compassion they had longed for years?

Ink from grass, eraser from leaves We were going to visit Bilal Ibn-i Rabah Orphanage built by Muslims and assess its needs. As we were going through Ascention Town, one of the poorest quarters of the city, we

saw a group of about 10 small boys and girls who were trying to

memorize the surahs they had written on wooden

boards called loh, and we stopped. The children started talking among themselves, saying “Abadu, abadu” (white man). They hugged

loh boards and Holy Quran and stood closer to each other. Once we greeted

them, they were relieved.

The boy named Muhammad dipped a piece of reed in the ink made from leaf roots and began writing verses from Quran with the confidence of an experienced calligrapher. The youngest of them Nala was trying to erase the boards used for writing with a hard-feathered leaf. Their supervisor, a young woman named Culde, had placed young Fatimata before herself and was making sure she had memorized surah al-Fath. IHH team member Ahmet Sarıkurt undertook the job of renovating and repairing the makeshift shelter later that night.

Seke abadu (Greetings white man!) As we drew nearer to Mabereh village, 120km from Port Loko, children began chasing our vehicle, shouting “Abadu, abaduuuuu aaabbaaaaduuuu,” and we entered the village waving our hands as politicians usually do when they are campaigning. After greeting each other as “Seke abadu (Greetings white man)” we entered Amadu’s house.

We introduced ourselves to everyone in the village that had a population of 500 people until it got dark. As it got dark the elderly headed for home, while the children stayed with us. They played various games and enjoyed themselves.


70 71


Late at night a loud megaphone sound made me jump out of bed. I reached for my phone in the dark and checked the time. It was still 5.00 in the morning. The sound was in the local language. I woke Amadu up and asked him what the sound was about. He replied: “That is the imam of the mosque and he is saying ‘It is morning now. Everybody should get up. Do not sleep like lazy people at this hour when Allah gives everyone their share of food. Wake your children too. Everybody should come to the mosque. Do not sleep at this hour when Allah distributes shares of food and mercy.’” Everyone in the house we were staying, including children, got up and we all headed for the mosque. Women also came to the mosque. We performed the prayer in communal form in the village mosque, illuminated with a lamp placed in the middle. The prayer was followed by breakfast. The ambulances arranged the previous night arrived at the village and we set out for Port Loko State Hospital with 77 orphans.

Come again white man The children who spent the whole night enjoying themselves underwent examination by Dr. Gerald Yong. Blood samples were taken from nine-year-old Santigi Conte, Suri Kago, Aysatu, Ramatu Sisi and many others and the samples were tested. Some were diagnosed with malaria and certain illnesses caused by drinking unhealthy water. IHH took necessary steps

to ensure that the children in need of continual control receive treatment. We signed a number of documents that registered us as the orphans’ guardians and left the children there.

Our next visit was to Rotifunk village primary school that was being constructed by IHH with donations from Turkish charity-givers to provide education to 1250 students. Local children who walk long distances to Christian schools will soon be able to receive an education at their village and in a Muslim school. We received a warm welcome from the children of a nearby school, whose roof was made from canes. There were hundreds of orphans to visit and tens of people to talk to.

Time to go back We finally left the country, where we searched for orphans up and down with the 10-member IHH team, where we met needs of local Muslims, and where we left behind more than half a million orphans walking barefoot on riches valued at trillions of dollars. I still recall the smiles of orphans cared for by IHH and thousands other to be given a hand… The sound of Idris, one of the children who ran after our vehicle for a long distance as we departed from the village, is still echoing in my ears: “Heeeey! Thank you white man... Come again...”

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in the field

BURJ AL-BARAJNEH

The 2011 estimates put the population of Lebanon at 4,140,289. Palestinian refugees constitute one million of that number. Appeared in the region in 1948, Israel has produced an immense refugee problem since the day it was inserted in the Middle East. According to official figures, there are 12 refugee camps in Lebanon. These camps are not settlements made up of tent cities that we are used to. Palestinian refugees who have been arriving in Lebanon since 1948 have built tent-size concrete shelters and added new floors to existing ones like boxes of matches piled on each other. Some of the camps are only one square-meter large, while some are even smaller. Thousands of people are living in these cramped camps.

We visited Lebanon as part of IHH Orphan Days in March. For five days at refugee camps we gathered with orphan children cared for by IHH Sponsor Family System, played balloon, hopscotch, badminton with them, and gave them presents.

Sara’s story We were visiting a nine-year-old refugee girl named Sara. I know her from the 2009 Children Meeting. Sara was one of the four Palestinian refugee children who had come from Lebanon. She has made a presentation during the organization at Haliç Congress Center in Istanbul about Palestine.

Sara’s grandfather Mr. Hassan met us in front of their house close to the exit of Burj al-Barajneh, one of the Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut. Since Sara was still at school we got to know her family and exchanged pleasantries with them. They told us about camp life, the situation of children, problems facing women, and problems with education and health services. We were in the middle of Palestinians’ fight for life in the camps marked with houses deprived of sunlight, faucets running seawater, and power cuts up to 12 hours.

Mr. Hassan, father of seven children, was born in 1941. He arrived in Lebanon when he was seven. He said that they had lived in a village close to Lebanese border while in Palestine and one day soldiers arrived in their village and brought everyone in the village to Lebanon. He said they had never been able to return to their village since then. He told us they were doing simple jobs to earn a living and not to waste time.

It was a four-storey house. Two of his sons-in-law had died several years ago. An expression of sorrow appeared on his face as he talked about his grandchildren. “Ahmet is very sick,” he said, “He is suffering from epilepsy. He needs $5000. His situation will get worse unless something is done immediately…”

Sara’s father had died from myopathy. He was working in painting and similar simple jobs. Even though doctors diagnosed him with myopathy, they could not afford to buy necessary medication. Sara’s mother told us how her husband could not get up from bed for three years and melted from the disease.

The sole aim of this 45-year-old woman, who is the mother of four girls, is that her daughters get a good education. Her oldest daughter is studying nursing at Arab University, while Sara attends fourth grade. IHH supports under its sponsorship system not only Sara but also her elder sister Melek.

Sara had spent all her time with her father during his illness. They cherished each other’s company. When Sara lost her father, she put his possessions in her wardrobe and refused to talk to anyone for a long time. The mother said they were doing whatever they could so that Sara would not be negatively affected by the loss of her father and added they were cooperating with the school board for her rehabilitation.

When Sara was selected in 2009 for the Children’s Get Together Program in Istanbul, her mother hesitated about

Zeliha Sağlam


72 73


74 75

in the field

sending her to Turkey. However, she thought the trip did her daughter good and said “Sara was a different girl after the trip to Istanbul.” Sara, who retired into her shell following the death her father, is now quite talkative and lively. They have formed a group at school and put Sara in charge of the group. “She loves her friends very much,” her mother said. Her lowest grade is 85 out of 100; she has taken her elder sister as a model for herself and wants to study like her. And all the attention is on her since she is the youngest in the family, the mother added.

Our conversation was carried into the kitchen from time to time. Chips were being fried and salad was being prepared as Sara was about to return from school… The mother rushed to pour fruit juice into glasses for us. Whichever door we knocked on at the camp we were offered treats. I entered Sara’s room as I was drinking the juice. The bunker bed she shared with her three elder sisters was casually covered. The oldest sister was at the university.

The other two sisters kept us company. Melek was 16 and Mirna was 21. They were a bit shy at the start of the conversation but soon became more comfortable. As they went into the kitchen to help their mother, we headed for the entrance of the camp to meet the school bus that would bring Sara home. They were renovating the road leading to the entrance. Many parts of the camps had been damaged by improperly laid thin water pipes and a large number of the houses were in need of repair. The power lines went from one house to the next one. Exposed power lines crisscrossing the narrow alleys attracted our attention. The tangled lines posed a serious threat in rainy days and many people had died in fires caused by unsafe power lines, we were told. It is impossible for children to protect against the

threat. Just a week ago a child was killed by electrical leakage.

When Sara got off the bus she could not believe her eyes and rushed towards me in joy. Two years later we met again and this time at her home. She grabbed my hands with her tiny hands. She went through the construction site in front of us and ran home passing through the narrow alley. She hugged her mother; she still could not believe we were there for her.

As soon as she got home she opened her schoolbag and removed her starred certificates of excellence to show us. Each one of them was written in a different language such as English, Arabic and French, and they all read “You are making progress in this language. Congratulations. Good luck.” We did not have any difficulty communicating with Sara as she was a lively, lovely and smart girl who could speak three languages. Sara could not help feeling excited and hugged me from time to time. When her mother got up to set the small table for eating she also went into the kitchen and came out with a plate of potato chips. She told her mother in brief about her day at school. They talked about their daily matters as if we were a member of their family. After the meal Sara dragged the study table into the room and put her books on the table. She was trying to rewrite a paragraph in the workbook in her notebook. “Can we go out when you have finished your homework?” I asked, leaning forward. She glanced at me smiling and replied “What are we going to do?” “We will play games, any game you want,” I responded. Sara closed her books after a short while and we went out with her and her elder sisters. We could not get far from the camp. It was all one-square-meter area. Sara told us about the plays she had learnt at school. Just then a friend of her came out with badminton rockets and a ball. We tried to play badminton with laughter in the alleys that were even too narrow for the passage of one person. The ball kept bouncing off the walls and getting stuck amidst the power lines. Sara had fun while trying to save the ball, giggling all the time…

Her happiness made us all happy. We drew hopscotch lines on the ground, just like we used to do in our childhood. Sara and her friends came forward saying “We know this game” and started jumping through the lines.

After the game we sat on some narrow steps connecting the alleys and began chatting. Sara told us about her life, elder sisters, the school, her loved ones and what she had been doing… She was so enthusiastic that she wanted to talk about everything. Time was running fast. We had been together for hours but everyone wanted it to continue. When the time came for us to leave Sara got all quite. With the last photograph we took, we all hugged each other as a family…

A new nine-storey building is rising just outside Burj al-Barajneh Camp. It is Orphans Support Center. The construction of five floors of the building is being funded by IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation. The center will include such facilities as healthcare clinic, vocational training courses for mothers of orphans, library and a sports hall.


74 75


Seawater is used in the houses located in Burj al-Barajneh Camp, which is home to 20,000 people. On a visit we paid to a refugee family’s house, the orphan girl served us coffee. I tasted salt as I drank from the cup. It was because everything was washed with seawater. The people who could connect to clean water with thin pipes are those who worked in simple jobs outside the camp and therefore had slightly higher income than others. The people living in small makeshift shelters packed upon each other like Lego bricks and lacked sunlight are hopeful despite all the hardships they have been going through. Despite the poverty, beautiful people in these houses are offering coffee to their guests in beautiful cups…

Garbage bags are left in the alleys at random. A camp resident has been tasked to collect the garbage. Power is on for three hours and off for 12 hours every day.

When you get sick at a refugee camp, you have to go to a private hospital to receive proper treatment. “Every patient checking in the health clinic is prescribed Panadol regardless of their problem,” said our guide. However, it is not easy for the refugees who already have low income to afford private hospital health bills of between $1000-2000.

There are no schools inside the camp. Children have to go to schools outside the camp that usually serve refugee children. We did not come across a single child or youngster that did not attend school. Narrow alleys between the houses are the only playgrounds for the children. It is impossible for children to get out of the camp because they could get in trouble if they are asked to provide identification by Lebanese troops. Burj al-Barajneh refugees are living a life squeezed in one-square-meter area.

76 77people of good deeds

Atsushi Miyazaki who was born in 1970 in Oita, Japan had an education of international relations in Tokyo. His dream was to work in an international humanitarian aid agency where he could help people. However, this was not as easy as he thought. After working in the public sector, he went to England to get a master’s degree. After he returned from England, he thought he would be able to find a job in the field he wanted. But just at that time, he learned from his mother, Keiko Miyazaki that his father fell sick and he returned to his family in Oita. He was by his father’s side in the last days of his life.

As IHH, we were in Japan in March, 2012. One of our aims in visiting Japan was a duty of loyalty to Miyazaki, a Japanese humanitarian aid worker who lost his life in the recent earthquake that oc-

curred in Van as well as meeting with some NGOs there. We were guests of the Association for Aid Relief, Japan (AAR JAPAN) and we expressed our condolences to AAR JAPAN for Miyazaki.

Later, Miyazaki began to work for an NGO based in Fukuoka near Oita, which provided assistance for street children in the Philippines. This, he felt, was the kind of job he wanted - working for the benefit of needy people. But it was not still enough for him. He wanted to do more than this, so he applied for a position in AAR JAPAN which is a humanitarian aid organization operating in 15 countries. In the interview that AAR officials had with him, he said “I am ready to go and work in the field, regardless of the conditions”. Just before this job application, a big earthquake and tsunami occurred in Japan

Ümit Sönmez

ATSUSHİ MİYAZAKİ

A Story of Benevolence From Japan to Turkish Earthquake-hit City Van


in March, 2011. This event proved pivotal for his life. After the earthquake, AAR JAPAN started having many workers to help with its domestic and overseas operations, and Miyazaki came on board to AAR JAPAN at that time.

Now, Miyazaki was working where he wanted. After he served in the humanitarian aid activities for the survivors of the earthquake in Japan, a new task was waiting for him. Longing to go and work in the field, Miyazaki was included in the group that would go to Turkey from AAR JAPAN for humanitarian aid activities after an earthquake occurred in Van, Turkey. Miyazaki earnestly served in many activities there. The days when he was in Van coincided with the Eid al-Adha days. Despite the fact that AAR staff members from Japan were not Muslim, they sacrificed an animal with respect for the Islamic tradition and culture and distributed meat to the needy people there. He won the local people’s affections because of his efforts, practices and kindness. As a result of the interest of the Turkish press in Miyazaki and his friends, the general public came to know about them.

After they completed the initial assessment and relief activities, one of their team members returned to Japan for the preparation of the next phase of activities. However, Miyazaki and his friend, Miyuki Konnai, stayed in Van in order to start the next project. On 9th of November, a destructive earthquake of magnitude 5.6 occurred in Van. During the earthquake, he stayed in Bayram Hotel, situated in the city center, and this hotel collapsed with the impact of the earthquake. Miyazaki was pulled from under the debris by a rescue team after 13 hours, but he was in a serious condition. Health care team members gave him a cardiac message for some 15 minutes in order to bring him back to life. He was taken to Van Regional Training and Research Hospital immediately, but Miyazaki’s heart that had been beating for humanity stopped.

This Japanese humanitarian aid worker who lost his life far away from his homeland to help people came to the fore of Turkey’s media attention with his devotion and commitment. High state officials of Turkey sent messages of condolence to

the people and government of Japan. Miyazaki’s body was sent to Japan right after the state ceremony organized for him in Turkey.

Abdullah Gül, the President of Turkey sent a letter of condolence to Japanese Emperor Akihito. The message was as such: “We will always remember with gratitude and respect these self devoted names who captured the Turkish people’s hearts with the outstanding activities they carried out in Van within the scope of historical friendship and cooperation between Turkey and Japan. The humanitarian aid provided by the Japanese government and community was welcomed from the hearts of people of both countries as a manifestation of friendship and relationship between the two countries and communities. I hereby express my

Turkey bid forewell to Japanese rescue worker Miyazaki


sincere condolences to your majesty and the Japanese community, and I extend my sympathy to the deceased’s family and relatives.

Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu expressing that Atsushi Miyazaki would be remembered among Ertuğrul Martyrs, stated the following: ¨The Republic of Turkey will do what needs to be done in order to keep the name of the honorable Miyazaki alive. We regard this as a duty of humanity and history.¨

The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce decided that they would give Miyazaki’s name to the school that they would build in Van. Moreover, Prof. Dr. Peyami Battal, the president of Van 100th Year University, announced that they would give Miyazaki’s name to the dental hospital of the university. Many state officials of Turkey and many Turkish people living in Japan attended the funeral of Miyazaki organized in Japan.

Association for Aid and Relief (AAR)The Japanese Association for Aid and Relief (AAR), which Atsushi Miyazaki was working for, started its operations in 1969. Initial activities were limited to voluntary efforts and the institution was officially founded in 1979. The AAR has been since it was founded operating in 15 countries, most of them in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

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