Despite Uncertainty, Syrian Refugees in Turkey Remain Hopeful
More than three million Syrians have made Turkey home since the start of their country’s conflict in 2011. Despite the challenges of life in Turkey, many have remained active, trying to help other Syrian refugees. VOA's Eyyup Demir has the story from Ankara, narrated by Sirwan Kajjo.
Usama al-Bushi has been living in Turkey since 2016 after witnessing the horrors of war in his native Syria. The 24-year old dreamed of becoming a doctor before fleeing the country.
Now he works as a flooring contractor in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Living far from home has motivated him to help other Syrians in Turkey.
“When I don’t go to work, I work through social media to support Syrian refugees here. Many Syrians here face problems. I sometimes try to help them solve those problems by interviewing officials. Some Syrians don’t know Turkish laws. I use social media to support them in this regard,” he said.
According to the United Nations, there are 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. That’s nearly half of the 6.8 million Syrian refugees overall, most of whom fled to neighboring countries since the Syrian conflict began in 2011.
Experts say most refugees stay in the first nation they reach after departing their home countries.
“The numbers of refugees in the past 20 to 30 years has increased around the world. There are currently over 100 million refugees worldwide. Many refugees seek protection from other countries. But of every 100 refugees only 15 get to settle in a developed country. The others just go to neighboring countries,” he said.
The presence of millions of Syrian refugees has become a point of contention in Turkey, particularly during last month’s election won by incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During the campaign, Erdogan promised to work towards repatriating 1 million Syrian refugees.
Al-Bushi said politicizing his and other refugees’ presence in Turkey is not helpful.
“I urge everyone not to use refugees as a political tool. Refugees are already distressed because of displacement and other pressures of being away from home. Please do not add to their burdens,” he said.
The Turkish government said more than 29,000 Syrian refugees returned home last month. Al-Bushi and other activists hope that conditions in Syria improve so that more refugees can voluntarily – and safely – do the same.