7 ways this Syrian family is building a new life in Turkey
EU funding plays a vital part as Shaban and Semiha look to the future
Shaban and Semiha fled Syria with their children and two elderly relatives after their neighbourhood in Aleppo came under attack, amidst the country’s ongoing civil war. Four years later, they’re living in a poor area of Gaziantep in southern Turkey.
Like hundreds of thousands of other Syrians in a similar position, they receive help through an EU-funded programme called the Emergency Social Safety Net, or ESSN. This includes a debit card through which they can spend the equivalent of 28 euros a month per family member.
Here, we learn about the family’s seven simple priorities in building a new life, creating a sense of home and ensuring their children enjoy as happy a childhood as possible.
- Get (and keep) work
After a long search, Shaban found a job at a shoe factory. He feels lucky to have a job to wake up to every day, even though it’s hard and the pay is not much. “It is important for me to work. I have a family to take care of, to feed and to keep healthy,” he says. “It makes me feel better when I am able to provide for them.”
2. Make a comfortable home
Semiha admits they do not have many belongings in their rented apartment. The furniture was donated by their landlord. “Our house is humble but it is our shelter from outside the world,” she explains. She tries her best to make it a home for her family, for example by cleaning and tidying it every day.
3. Give the family good food
“Our dinners are no longer like those we had back in Syria but I cook every day and I try to make the best out of what we have,” Semiha says. Once a week, she can afford to buy eggs, milk and yoghurt. So, along with the vegetables and grains she buys at the local market, she ensures her children eat nutritious food.
4. Eat together whenever you can
Shaban and Semiha insist on the family eating together, especially dinner. “We had this habit back in Syria and I want to keep it alive so that my children learn what it means to keep the family together even in challenging times.” Today, they have ‘mujaddara’, a Middle Eastern dish made with bulgur and green lentil, and garnished with onions.
5. Get the children to play
“I want the children to experience their childhood properly as we once did in Syria. So every day I encourage them to play games,” Semiha says. When the weather is nice, they play in the street with other Syrian children. Hiba, Kevser and Hatice do not have many toys to play with but Hatice’s teacher has given her some pens, so the children can draw together.
6. Keep in touch with friends and family
Semiha says that it is a longstanding habit to drink tea with neighbours and relatives living close by, often in the late afternoon. “When we have a pot of tea, it means it is time to gather and chat about our daily life,” she explains. They also spend a lot of time talking to their relatives still inside Syria and in other parts of Turkey via mobile apps.
7. Spend time with mum
Shaban feels very lucky to have his mother Fatma with him in Turkey. Many families have been separated by the war. “I just have to spend some time exclusively with my mother every day,” he says. “It is a must for me because I cherish her presence and this is the best way to make sure that she knows that.”
The ESSN programme is run by the World Food Programme and the Turkish Red Crescent, with the help of the Turkish government. It aims to assist over a million refugees in Turkey this year. Learn more about the ESSN.
