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European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

Refugee earthquake survivors in Türkiye: “Education is crucial for our children’s future”

Imagine your life is turned upside down twice in the last 10 years and you lose everything you have. This is what summarizes the situation of most refugees living in Türkiye.

The Syrian refugees left everything behind because of the civil war in Syria and fled to Türkiye to find safety and a better future. Then they tried to build a new life despite many challenges. However, the life they built was again buried under rubble in the February earthquakes, where more than 55,000 people died. Many feel that they do not have the strength to start again.

There is only 1 thing they think about now; to protect their children from the same destiny. Their main wish is to see their children receive a good education to enable them to have a better life than their parents.

Giving great importance to education in emergencies in countries facing conflicts and crises, since 2016 the EU has already been providing financial support for the most vulnerable refugee children in Türkiye to access formal and non-formal education programmes.

More than 160,000 children benefit from the Support for School Enrollment (SSE) programme. It is carried out in partnership with UNICEF, the Ministry of National Education, and the Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM).

*All the names are changed.

Photo of Hassan's family outside in a field.
From left to right:Halid (13), Aysa (8), Ali (6), Hassan (43), Esma (4), Eslem (10), Ahmed (17). This is Hassan’s family, they fled from Syria to Türkiye in 2012 where they built a new life. Hassan had a grocery shop and his children were going to school.
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
Photo of Hassan's family outside in a field.
Their whole life was destroyed after last year’s earthquakes. While describing the earthquake day, he says: ‘We were all trapped under the rubble. I was able to get myself and my whole family out. My house and my shop were destroyed.’
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
View of a settlement camp. In the foreground a pile of rubble.
Now the family lives in a settlement consisting of containers in Gaziantep which is one of the provinces most damaged by the earthquake. ‘Life is very difficult and challenging under these conditions. I miss our house and our previous life,’ Hassan says.
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
The family seen from the back while walking towards a container school.
All his school-age children were going to school, but the school was damaged in the earthquake and could not open for three months. Thanks to the efforts by EU humanitarian partners, UNICEF and ASAM, the children are now back at school.
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
Aysa and Eslem holding each other while standing in front of a container school.
‘Old school was better. The container school doesn't even look like a school. The lessons are the same, but the environment is different.’ says Aysa, who wants to become a police officer. ‘My dream is to become a teacher’ her sister Eslem says.
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
The whole family standing in front of the container school.
Hassan says: ‘I had to leave school in the 6th grade in Syria. That's why I want my children to go to school, I don't want them to be like me. I try to do my best for my children. I want them to have a beautiful future.’
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
Mohamed, Zari and 5 children of different age stand in front of their partly damaged house.
Mohamed (35) and Zari (34) from Syria have 5 boys. ‘When our house was damaged in the earthquake, we stayed in the camp. When we returned home, we were still afraid of sleeping and that’s why we set up a tent in the garden,’ Mohamed says.
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
Zari sitting next to one of her children who is doing homework in a book.
Zari helps their sons with their homework. Once her children are back from school, they get into the tent and start to study together. They love to spend time together.
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
Some aid workers sitting in the tent together with some children while looking at drawings and school work.
After the earthquake, the children's school was destroyed, and UNICEF and ASAM supported them in enrolling in the new school. ‘They received stationery support, which was very useful for us.’ Zari says.
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
A boy holding a cat in his arms while standing in front of the house.
11-year-old Ahmad likes school very much. ‘I like English class the most. Science is a little difficult, but I generally like all my classes. I want to be a teacher when I grow up,’ he says.
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
Mohamed and Zari in front of a shelter tent.
Mohamed and Zari were able to study until high school and then got married. They know how important education is. ‘I wish I could have finished my education to get a good job. That's why education is so important for my children's future,’ Mohamed says.
© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Bahar Bakır Yurdakul)
Photo of Bahar Bakir Yurdakul

Story and photos by Bahar Bakır Yurdakul, Information and Communication Assistant in Türkiye, EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.

Publication date: 24/01/2024