İhh İnsani Yardım Bülteni 46 by İHH İnsani Yardım Vakfı

n a d a m a R Welcomee to our world welcom stow life Water wells be

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JULY AUGUST ER SEPTEMB

t for Mankind should ac

Syria!

HUMANITY FOR

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ss the freedom call The regime forces who try to oppre apons towards of the people in Syria, are using we t events over a armless civilians. During the recen s of thousands of thousand people are killed and ten stody and forced to people are injured, taken under cu with Syrian sisters immigrate. It is time for solidarity d aid in kind. and brothers with our aid in cash an

Let's reach our hand out!

ACCOUNT NUMBER TĂ&#x153;RKiYE FiNANS BANK ZiRAAT BANK TL 777777-11 TL 53535353-5064 USD 777777-116 USD 53535353-5065 EURO 53535353-5066 EURO 777777-118 POSTAL CODE 6230416

+90 212 631 2121 www.ihh.org.tr

worth for the human

editorial

ian humanitar July - August - September 2011 Issue: 46 Owner on behalf of IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation Atty F. Bülent YILDIRIM Executive Editor Murat YILMAZ Editor Amine TUNA ERTÜRK Editorial Board Ahmet Emin DAĞ H. Zehra ÖZTÜRK Osman ATALAY Zeliha SAĞLAM Translation Adnan Demir Corrector Haq Ghani Design SİYAHMARTI ADVERTISING Tel: +90 (216) 465 55 79 Printing Mavi Ofset Tel: +90 (212) 549 25 30 Address Büyük Karaman Caddesi Taylasan Sokak No: 3 Fatih-İSTANBUL/TURKEY Phone: +90 (212) 631 21 21 Fax: +90 (212) 621 70 51 info@ihh.org.tr www.ihh.org.tr

Esteemed reader, In our 19th year we continue to traverse continents with our bags full of charity. We rush to the help of refugees, orphans, disaster victims, the homeless, and the aggrieved in 125 countries and regions from Ecuador to Japan, from BosniaHerzegovina to South Africa, from Syria to Libya. We take food and hope to shelters of refugees and tables of orphans’ families. We are brothers and we go on every charity trip with the belief that what we have will increase if we share it with our brothers. We ask about their situation and give them the message “We are not alone, we are all together.” In this Ramadan too we will be sharing what you have entrusted to us in 70 countries and regions and 70 cities in Turkey, acting with the same belief. As Ramadan draws near, preparations in regions where we will be organizing activities have been stepped up. It is sometimes a young child who has never been to school or an adult who has lived his life in the dark whom we reach out to with our cataract campaign. The water wells we dig in Africa and Asia bestow life on drought-stricken lands. A hidden friendly hand reaches in the darkness of the night to Syrian refugees who escaped to Lebanon to save their lives. Damascus, Homs and Hama come to mean what Istanbul, Bursa and Urfa mean to us. Orphanages and schools are built on swamps of less known Arakan, Pattani and Mindanao, and charity touches the human being thanks to our friends in volunteerism… Our volunteers and donors who have devoted their time, labor and strength to spreading charity and have materialized hundreds of projects in cooperation with IHH are indispensable supporters to this charity movement that has covered the globe for 19 years. We start with our immediate surrounding; we help our relatives, friends and neighbors. Then we urge the world to partake in this movement with fundraising fairs, exhibitions, meetings, conferences, demonstrations, and marches. We know we are only in the beginning! We present the activities and projects we have realized over the past three months thanks to your support. With the hope of spreading the good hand in hand…

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victims 40 akistani flood P r fo t il u b s ome ol 41 Permanent h n bikes to travel to scho countries 42 5 e iv d g n a ts s Studen ries in 22 citiege on anniversary 43 e v li e id 44 d t a e m homa aza Flotilla ra Ritual G id a e p th f rs o y rt ry a a m rs Afghanistan two books on the annive s e h lis b u p 45 5 IHH ts visit IHH 4 Indonesia and Malaysia is v ti c a L A D in PE ra programs appy 58 Mavi Marma : Let’s make orphans h udan 62 D S IN THE FIEL t the IHH eye hospital in a y a d l 66 A usua ı Kyrgyzstan Salamatsızb

4 a d agen Ramadan

Lübnan’dan Patani’ye yetim günleri n a d a m a R Welcome o our t e m o c l e w

agenda

Ramadan

we were asked how IHH spent the last 19 Ramadan holidays, we would say we tried to reach out to everyone that needed us around the world; we put our love into food packs, and delivered them to people in need. We would also say we tried to be the hope of refugees who were trying to survive despite all their hardships. We prepared suhoor together in the refugee tents, and shared our bread with them. We performed ablutions at thousands of water wells that we had dug in 18 African countries, where water is conﬁned to great depths, and then performed morning prayers together. We did all we could to extend a hand to tens of thousands of children orphaned by wars, natural disasters and other catastrophes. We supported and continue to support 18,600 children in 29 countries with ‘sponsor a family’ system. We worked to help them receive free education and live independently. We gifted stationery sets and clothes at Eid to children

we had been supporting with your donations. We travelled long distances and passed through treacherous paths; we reached the hearts of many in desolate villages. We visited and sympathized with 52,000 cataract patients whom we helped to recover their vision. We also arranged for 165,987 patients to undergo eye examination in the Africa Cataract Campaign. If we were asked how we spent the last 19 Ramadans, we would say we set up iftar tents and shared our meals, using our mobile kitchen trailer, with many people who could not aﬀord a meal. We performed tarawih prayers, praying for a world ruled by peace and justice in the mosques we built in 28 countries worldwide. We crossed great distances every Ramadan to help people. Strengthened by our past we shared the pain of those suﬀering. We heard numerous stories of occupation, oppression,

loneliness, desperation… We wanted to give them hope and their stories to have happy endings. With your help and cooperation we searched for and found solutions to their problems and shared them with you, our esteemed volunteers. Like every other month of Ramadan, this year we will be with little Necip the Arakanese refugee, with Sadina who is studying at summer school in the Balkans, with Philip who is living in an earthquake tent in South America, with Rara who is pulling water from a well in Africa, with Hasan who has lived in darkness all his life because of cataract, with Samina who has no access to school and with Palestinian Muhammad who has no access to hospital. There is still a long way to go and lots of charity work to do in cooperation with you. We have asked more and more of you, our volunteers and with your help we are on our way to creating a better world and to leaving a positive mark behind.

6 a d agen Ramadan

Lübnan’dan Patani’ye yetim günleri adan Welcome Ram welcome to our world

IHH RAMADAN 2011

As part of the 2011 Ramadan campaign we will be organizing iftar dinners, delivering education to orphans and children in need. We will also be distributing food packs to refugees, elderly people and needy families in 70 countries and regions around the world as well as 70 provinces in Turkey. On the 19th anniversary of the establishment of IHH, our goal for this year’s Ramadan campaign is, like every year, to visit hundreds of homes in ﬁve continents, extend a hand to orphans and to embrace the elderly and the homeless. This Ramadan we want to knock on the doors of more and more people in need and continue sharing goodness with your help and donations.

Orphans We are caring for children who have lost their either one or both parents to war, disaster or other calamities. IHH is funding 18,600 orphans in 29 countries and like any other Ramadan, we are giving top priority to orphans; by organising iftar dinners for them, presenting them with clothes for Eid, and providing food packs to their families.

agenda

Ramadan

Migrants/Refugees Millions of people around the globe who have been forced to leave their homes because of war, occupation and natural disaster are living in desperate conditions. Refugees are striving to survive with limited or no access to employment, food, education, healthcare and accommodation. They are dependent on continuous aid. IHH is delivering humanitarian aid to refugee camps and tents this Ramadan as well.

Families in need Imbalances caused by wars, natural disasters or political, economic and social factors have left many people around the world at risk of poverty. IHH, which has been helping deprived people for almost two decades, delivers your donations (ranging from food to clothing, education and healthcare) to families in need.

Elderly people in need We visit and fulďŹ ll the needs of elderly people who have no one to look after them or those who have to live alone due to diďŹ&#x20AC;erent circumstances.

8 a d agen Ramadan

Lübnan’dan Patani’ye yetim günleri

IHH 2011 Ramadan – Turkey IHH

will be carrying out activities in 70 provinces in Turkey as part of the 2011 Ramadan campaign. We will support hard-up brothers and sisters, and create new projects to solve their problems. Our foundation will deliver zakat and donations to people in need in regions hit by war, disaster and poverty.

This year’s Ramadan campaign includes: 1. You can pay for a food pack A food pack costs TL 60. 2. You can oﬀer iftar meals at our mobile kitchen trailer The cost of one meal is TL 5. 3. You can donate cash to orphans or buy clothes for them The cost of clothing a child is TL 70. 4. You can give your zakat and alms donations to people in need through IHH 5. You can pay for students’ educational expenses The cost of a stationery set is TL 25.

mation iled infor ta e d e iv e rec You can ne at: ating onli n o d t g us on: u o ab by callin r o r .t g r h.o www.ih 31 2121. 6 +90212

agenda

Ramadan

Make children happy with special packages.

Ramadan Junior Package that includes books, candies, chocolates, biscuits and balloons, costs TL 15.

1. You can pay for a food pack IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation will distribute food packs in a number of countries and regions as well as in Turkey. A food pack contains: Wheat ﬂour, tea, olives, cooking oil, tomato sauce, salt, jam, powdered sugar, lentils, chickpeas, bulgur, dried beans, rice, macaroni, and halva. You can meet food needs of as many families as you wish with food packs that contain the above mentioned food items.

3. You can donate cash to orphans or buy clothes for them Orphans and their families in Turkey and abroad will be supported this Ramadan. Iftar meals will be provided for them, educational aid will be extended, and clothes will be given to them for Eid. If necessary, orphans will be given cash donations. You can buy Eid clothes for as many orphans as you wish. Our orphan support activities are carried out on a continuous and periodical basis. You can support a child who has been orphaned for at least a year with the ‘Sponsor Family System’.

• A food pack costs TL 60.

2. You can oﬀer iftar meals at our mobile kitchen trailer IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation will organize iftar dinner programs with its mobile kitchen trailer in 70 cities of Turkey. You can also fund an entire iftar program at the kitchen trailer or pay for one meal or more. • The cost of one meal is TL 5.

• The cost of clothing a child is TL 70.

4. You can give your zakat and alms donations to people in need through IHH IHH delivers zakat, alms, ﬁtrana, and other donations to people in need in war, occupation and disaster zones anywhere in the world. You can give your zakat and alms donations to people in need through IHH.

5. You can pay for students’ educational expenses With the 2011 Ramadan campaign, IHH delivers educational tools and equipment to needy students around the world to support their education. You can pay for stationery sets to be given to poor students. • The cost of a stationery set is TL 25.

Food Banking Institutions and commercial companies can donate through food banking and deduct these donations from tax as expense. Foodstuﬀs, hygiene kits, clothes and fuel donations of institutions and commercial companies are treated as contributions to the food bank. For your donations to be considered in this category, you have to invoice these donations and make out the invoice and delivery note to the name of IHH. The types of donations listed above have to be invoiced over purchasing price.

10 a d agen Ramadan

In 70 countries and regions

Lübnan’dan Patani’ye yetim günleri

Countries and regions included in overseas Ramadan organization

MIDDLE EAST NORTH AFRICA

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓

STATIONERY ORPHAN DISTRIBUTION

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓

✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓

COUNTRY / REGION

CAUCASUS CENTRAL ASIA

✓

IFTAR

CENTRAL ASIA

FOOD PACK DISTRIBUTION ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

EUROPE AMERICAS

SOUTH ASIA

AFRICA

COUNTRY / REGION Burkina Faso Djibouti Chad Ethiopia Ivory Coast Ghana Liberia Cameroon Kenya Somalia Malawi Tanzania Uganda Mauritania Rwanda Madagascar Sudan Pakistan Bangladesh Thailand-Patani Philippines-Moro Sri Lanka Nepal Jammu Kashmir Azad Kashmir Indonesia-Aceh Vietnam Myanmar Palestine (Gaza, West Bank) Syria Lebanon Iraq Turkey Yemen Jordan Egypt Libya Tunisia

Azerbaijan Georgia Adjara Akhaltsikhe Crimea Abkhazia Dagestan Ingushetia Chechnya Kabardino-Balkar Karachay-Cherkess Ossetia Adygea Tajikistan Tatarstan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Mongolia Afghanistan Bosnia-Herzegovina Macedonia Kosova Albania Bulgaria Romania Hungary Serbia-Sandjak Montenegro Cuba Haiti Equador Peru

FOOD PACK DISTRIBUTION ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

IFTAR ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

STATIONERY ORPHAN DISTRIBUTION

✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

agenda

Ramadan

in 70 cities of Turkey

Adana Adıyaman Afyonkarahisar Ağrı Aksaray Ankara Antalya Ardahan Artvin Aydın Balıkesir Bartın Batman Bayburt Bingöl Bitlis Bolu Burdur

Bursa Çanakkale Çankırı Çorum Denizli Diyarbakır Düzce Elazığ Erzincan Erzurum Eskişehir Gaziantep Giresun Gümüşhane Hatay Isparta İzmir İzmit

Kahramanmaraş Karabük Karaman Kars Kastamonu Kayseri Kırşehir Kilis Konya Kütahya Malatya Manisa Mardin Mersin Muş Nevşehir Niğde Ordu

Osmaniye Rize Sakarya Samsun Siirt Sinop Sivas Şanlıurfa Tekirdağ Tokat Trabzon Uşak Van Yalova Yozgat Zonguldak

12 a d agen Ramadan

Ramadan as a month of awareness (Assoc Dr Hülya ALPER) Ramadan is undoubtedly a month of worship, compassion and blessing for the whole Muslim world. But it is also a month of awareness. In the modern world in which bodily pleasures are at the forefront, Ramadan is a time when the faithful pull away from the established order and reinvigorate the spirit; a time when they become wholly aware of their servitude to Allah, when this awareness is strengthened and revived. The Holy Quran points to such a state of awareness with the verse: “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) selfrestraint” (al-Baqara 2/183). Ittiqa, which in a sense means abstaining from wrongdoing and guarding oneself against sins, is in fact to act with the concern of losing divine favor, which comes only with awareness and consciousness of one’s servitude. As a matter of fact, Muhammad Asad interpreted the ﬁrst part of the verse as “So you would become aware of your obligations to Allah.” All divine duties prescribed on human beings are undoubtedly a means to help the individual to achieve awareness of his servitude to Allah. In this sense, rituals are necessary for the man and he needs to elevate his soul with rituals. However, the

mention of ittiqa as a reason for the prescription of fasting indicates that fasting has a special role in reaching awareness of servitude. With fasting an individual manages to say no to his bodily pleasures between certain hours of the day for a whole month; empowers his will and disciplines his self by eating little and simply at iftar (breaking of fast). Thus he reflects on his soul, listens to his conscience and finds the chance to discover the meaning of his existence and thereby rediscovers that he is a servant to Allah. Rituals that are performed in Ramadan in addition to performing tarawih prayers (reciting the Quran, retreating to a mosque for contemplation (i’tikaf)) play a significant role in reaching such a heightened state of awareness. In the blessed month of Ramadan a Muslim individual realizes his existence within the flowing order, senses his liberation by being a servant to Allah, learns to appreciate blessings bestowed upon him, as well as shaking off selfishness and coming to realize the existence of others. In fact, finding one’s self leads

to realization of others’ existence and needs. In this heightened awareness, achieved through fasting, one notices not only the existence of others but also their condition and needs. For instance a rich person who has never experienced hunger, even for a short time, comes to understand the situation of the poor better by fasting all day, and this strengthens his inclination to help and donate to the needy and the deprived. Thus social

agenda

Ramadan

solidarity strengthens in Ramadan and the brotherhood of Islam finds its true meaning. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ordering Muslims to give sadaqah al-fitr in Ramadan is another ritual that strengthens social solidarity. Assigning the timing of the zakat ritual, which could be fulfilled at any time of year, to the month of Ramadan is an example of this spirit of solidarity. With its rich spiritual contributions to personal and social life, Ramadan is an awaited and longed for month for the faithful. To feel this longing an individual must, of course, have reached a certain level of faith. To people who have not reached this level of heightened awareness the month of fasting might be considered a month of hardship and difficulty. Maybe it is because of this fact that fasting was prescribed on the faithful after prayer and zakat, in the years when believers had reached a certain level of awareness of servitude. There is a reciprocal circular relation between faith and fasting, as is the case with all rituals. Faith urges the

individual to fast and in return fasting guards the faith and strengthens its value. Celebrating the end of Ramadan as a feast (Eid) is not to celebrate leaving behind fasting but to rejoice at newly reached spiritual richness. If fasting does not help us raise our multifaceted awareness, then it is just limited to stopping eating, drinking and restraining lust. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave advice to believers on how to attain maturity in fasting. In one of his sayings he advises “Fasting is a shield. When any one of you is fasting on a day, he should neither indulge in obscene language, nor raise the voice; or if anyone reviles him or tries to quarrel with him he should say: I am a person fasting.” (Bukhari, Sawm Book 006, Number 2566).

on Allah (Ghazali, Ihya, Beirut 2000, I, 314). Although Ghazali does not reject the lowest form of fasting in this categorization, it should be noted that certain scholars have different interpretations on this topic. Ibn Hazm, for instance, thinks every deliberate haram act breaks the fast. Scholars such as Sufyan al-Sawri and al-Awzai have ruled that lying and back-biting break the fast and therefore refulfilling is required (İ. Kâfi Dönmez, “Oruç” TDV DİA, XXXIII, 422.). Although the majority of Muslim scholars do not agree with these interpretations, they highlight the need and significance of paying utmost attention to abiding by orders and prohibitions and acting virtuously. A Ramadan that is spent in accordance

Fasting without attention to these points is, in Imam Ghazali’s words, “fasting of the common” In other words, it is the lowest form of fasting. Those at higher levels of faith guard all their organs against sins. Those at the highest level break their ties with the world and turn to Allah. Fasting of such people passes with reflecting with these guidelines turns into a month where self-criticism is made, moral virtue is attained, a sort of religious in-service training is performed, and social solidarity and brotherhood are strengthened. Only then does Ramadan cease to be a month of entertainment and feasting, and finds its true spiritual meaning. And so Ramadan finds its true meaning depending on Muslims’ effort and enthusiasm. InshAllah we hope that we all experience a Ramadan in which we increase our awareness with such efforts… Ameen

14 a d agen Ramadan

WELCOME RAMADAN, WELCOME TO OUR WORLD Somali, Mogadishu Somaya Osman Ali, 1993

e had little water at suhoor because we had forgotten to pull some from the well. My mother shared the water amongst us. I am very thirsty but I can stand it, because my mother said we are invited to iftar in the evening. This is the ďŹ rst time I will be going to an iftar program. Muslims of Turkey have arranged this iftar dinner. My siblings, mother, we all will attend it. I wish my father could see this too. We are going to be very crowded at the iftar. I am very excited. My mother said they are going to give us enough foodstuďŹ&#x20AC;s for a whole month. I am curious about them. My father used to say Allah wants Muslims to help each other. If my father was alive he would also come to the iftar and would be happy about it. I wish Ramadan would never end and these good people would not leave us.

agenda

Ramadan

Turkey, Istanbul Aysel Cengiz, 1970

Afghanistan, Kunduz Mansoor Mohammed, 1999

will pray for two uncles named Faruk and Bahaddin on the ﬁrst day of Ramadan. In fact I will pray for them the whole Ramadan. They had visited us last year. They were going to build a new orphanage for us and that is why they were here. I had never met such good people. Uncle Faruk had stroked my head and sat by my side. I wish he would never leave, I had said to myself. This year some other people will be coming from where he came. I am very happy this Ramadan because we are going to have iftar together. I wish uncle Faruk could come too. I really would like to see him again. I wonder if there are more people like him and would like to meet them very much.

am away from home this Ramadan. I left my children with my mother. I and my friends had collected money among ourselves and handed it to IHH to buy Eid clothes for orphans in Albania. They told me I would be giving clothes to the orphans myself. To be with dozens of children like my children… As I think over the diﬃculty of taking the responsibility of looking after my children all by myself, I am even more impressed by the strength of the mothers of these children. The complacency of the children, even when they are deprived of paternal aﬀection and protection, makes me bond with them even more and I feel safe and at home although I am away from my home and my children. Maybe all these feelings are because I am a guest in these people’s hearts… Tonight we will all be at iftar together and I will pray for everybody I love on this wonderful occasion.

16 a d agen Ramadan

Patani, Jala Necip Ahmed, 1979

ur history dates back to very old times. We were once one of the strongest Muslim kingdoms of Asia. We were, in those days, a nation living peacefully in our land. Those peaceful days, when Patani was independent, are history now. The reason for that is British colonialism and lack of unity among Muslimsâ&#x20AC;Ś Every inch of our land is occupied now. We have no security and are deprived of most of our rights. We long for the days of freedom in our ancestorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; times. Thankfully, there are now Muslims who have heard our sad story and have come from far away to help. They visit us every Ramadan and support us. We have an iftar dinner with them tonight. We are very happy about their visiting us every year. Our children rejoice at events the visitors organize and we do not feel alone then. We have found the unity we lost.

Abkhazia, Gudauta Amine Gurbanova, 1955

ur land is fertile and our hearts are big. Guests are a blessing from Allah. The last Ramadan was very blessed thanks to our guests. Our children had a good time with the guests coming from far away. That happy occasion is once again with us, as we

have guests this Ramadan too. We will cook our meals and share iftar dinner with them; our blessings will increase. We will pray together for the continuation of such good unions and better days for all Muslims.

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Ramadan

Bangladesh, Kutupalong (Arakanese refugee camp) Maungg Wan, 1981

had visitors from another country this Ramadan. They are the ones who built the orphanage where my sons are staying. Their color, language and clothes are very diﬀerent and foreign. When they greeted me, my worries were gone, because they were giving greetings as we do. I was no longer worried about these alien people. They greeted and embraced me as if we knew each other. They embraced my children like their own children; they were very compassionate towards them. I could not understand their compassionate attitude. They said we share the same religion, we are brothers and sisters. We sat at the same table, had iftar together and prayed together. In return for their eﬀorts to save my children they only asked for my prayers. Oh Lord, thank you for this blessing and health…

Iraq, Erbil Ibrahim Ashwan, 1969

o one understood us. We were left to suffer under occupation for years. These lands haven’t seen peace and security for many years. However we kept our solemnity, resisted and did not leave our land. Many generations grew up on this land under oppression, occupation and war, but we never lost our hope for a better future. We were hearing supportive voices even when we were in difficult conditions. The first support came from the people of Turkey. It has always been they who cared for us, remembered us and shared our pain. What could others do? All Muslim nations of the Middle East were in the same situation, but we were more lonely and away from the eyes of the world. They come every Ramadan and share iftar dinners with us and celebrate the Eid festival together with us.

18 t h g li t spo a Freedom Gaz

Flotilla II

Gaza

n coast in e Mediterranea th on d te ca Lo p is under e, the Gaza Stri in st le Pa rn te wes ment of elected govern control of the uare-metre narrow 360 sq Hamas. In this of 41 km and at has a length strip of land th d 12 km live g between 6 an in ry va th id aw le. 1.5 million peop a Strip from reach the Gaz to le ib ss po is It waters of ng territorial ri te en t ou ith sea w country. any sovereign

19 t h g li t spo a Freedom Gaz

Flotilla II

Freedom Flotilla II gets underway with the support of millions! T

he embargo on Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it has engendered faced a worldwide reaction in the wake of the Freedom Flotilla I that was organized in May 2010 but could not reach Gaza due to Israel’s attack. Conscientious people around the world banded together against the unlawful actions of Israel. Activists in scores of countries ranging from Latin America to the Far East came together in support of humanity. The Freedom Flotilla II

that is being organized by 22 main worldwide organizations is setting sail with hundreds of participants from 100 countries. They are heading for Gaza which has been under blockade for ﬁve years. This second ﬂotilla will have 15 vessels compared to last year’s that had only seven. The vessels will be carrying materials such as medications, medical supplies, educational materials, play grounds and construction materials for the use of the residents of Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla II that could be

considered a voice for global conscience is set to sail with writers, artists, journalists, academics, craftsmen and members of different vocations. They have different languages, religions and ethnicities. The flotilla that aims to build a future of hope and peace is sailing for 1.5m Palestinians in blockaded Gaza. They are hoping to bring freedom to Gaza in particular and all other people around the world who are under captivity and whose rights have been usurped.

Embargo unsustainable Imposed in 2006 and tightened since 2007, the embargo on Gaza remains in place. The United Nations Fact Finding Mission declared the Gaza embargo “unsustainable.”

The UN Mission report shows that 61 percent of households in Gaza are at risk of hunger and that the embargo is causing devastating damage to social life.

Organizers of Freedom Flotilla II: 1

Bateau Suisse pour Gaza (Switzerland)

Italia Freedom Flotilla (Italy)

17.

Irish Ship to Gaza (Ireland)

Belgium to Gaza (Belgium)

Boat to Gaza 10. Nederlands (Netherlands)

18.

Malaysian Humanitarian Sail (Malaysia)

Canada Boat to Gaza (Canada)

11.

Rumbo a Gaza (Spain)

19.

Britain to Gaza (Britain)

Deutch Initiative zum Bruch der Gazablockade (Germany)

12.

Ship to Gaza Greece (Greece)

20. Asia to Gaza (India)

European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza

13. Ship to Gaza Norway (Norway)

21.

Ship to Gaza Indonesia (Indonesia)

Free Gaza Movement

14. Ship to Gaza Sweden (Sweden)

22.

Free Gaza Movement (Denmark)

Free Gaza Scotland (Scotland)

15. US Boat to Gaza (USA)

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation (Turkey)

16. Un bateau pour Gaza (France)

20 t h g li t spo a Freedom Gaz

Flotilla II

Commemorative programs for Mavi Marmara raid well received across Turkey

21 t h g li t spo a Freedom Gaz

Flotilla II

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla that had

Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Bursa, İskenderun,

set sail to end the inhuman embargo

İzmir,

on Gaza and support the resistance

Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Kıbrıs,

of the Gazan people was halted by

Malatya, Samsun, Siirt, Tekirdağ, Tokat,

Israel with a bloody raid on 31 May

Yalova and Yozgat. Mavi Marmara

2010. A year has passed since the

martyrs were paid homage with

attack but memories are still fresh.

art

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation

and various contests. The Quran was

organized week-long commemoration

recited at Sultanahmet Mosque in

events across Turkey to draw attention

memory of the martyrs and their

to the ongoing embargo on Gaza and

graves were visited.

to condemn the Israeli attack on its anniversary.

Kahramanmaraş,

exhibitions,

fairs,

Kars,

conferences

Photo exhibits displayed at 25 diﬀerent places in Istanbul drew considerable

The ﬁrst event held was kite-ﬂying. In

interest from city residents. Memorial

Sarayburnu, Istanbul, 1500 kites were

activities were arranged at a number

ﬂown for “Free Palestine”. Participants

of universities and schools. Hundreds

from all age groups ﬂew kites painted

of students presented pictures, poems

in the colors of Mavi Marmara and the

and essays at IHH held contests with a

Palestinian ﬂag. Kites 1.5 metres long

Mavi Marmara theme.

were designed specially for the nine martyrs who lost their lives in the raid.

IHH commemorative program ended with a march on the night of 30th

A series of commemorative programs

May. Thousands of people with torches

were also held across Turkey. IHH

marched from Tünel in Taksim up to

executives and scores of citizens

the square passing through İstiklal

attended public programs in the

Avenue. Dozens of activists from

cities of Adana, Adıyaman, Ankara,

diﬀerent countries took part in the

Antalya, Batman, Bolu, Çorum, Denizli,

march.

22 t h g li t spo a Freedom Gaz

Flotilla II

Kites ﬂown for “Free Palestine” A

year has passed since the Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters. Commemorative events on the anniversary of the attack began with kite-ﬂying at Sarayburnu, Istanbul. The 1500 kites decorated with Palestinian ﬂags, pictures of the Mavi Marmara boat and photographs of the nine activists martyred onboard the Mavi Marmara, were distributed to participants free of charge.

23 r t le h t g e li t fsapaoliy oGsayzaalFYraeerdo覺mmlar

activities activities

activities

Flotilla II

activities

activities activities

activities

activitie activities

>activities activities activities activities activities

activities

cy aid Emergen

Mankind should act for Syria!

activities

cy aid Emergen

Uprisings for rights and freedom that broke out in North Africa have also spread to Syria which has been ruled by Assad regime, for many years. Syrians have been demanding justice, freedom and equality in street protests since the 15th of March this year. The Syrian government turned a deaf ear to popular demands for reform and opted to suppress protests violently, committing massacres reminiscent of the Hama and Homs massacres in previous years. Reports say that many besieged cities, are cut oﬀ from the rest of the world by the army, which remains loyal to the government. Over 30,000 people have been wounded and at least 1500 have been killed over the last four months. The fate of 3000 disappeared Syrians is still unknown. Thousands of

Syrians fleeing the violence have been displaced within the country or have fled to neighboring countries. IHH has been closely following recent developments in Syria and has been undertaking feasibility studies on the Turkey-Syria border since the crisis first broke out. IHH has initiated relief works inside Syria as well as at refugee camps in Lebanon and Hatay in Turkey. Following food aid to 400 families that had sought refuge in the Wadi Khaled area, IHH delivered 6.5 tons of foodstuffs and medication to the Syrian refugees. Most of these refugees fled the violence in Jisr al-Shugur for camps in Güveççi and Görentaş,

villages of Hatay. On 20 June a mobile kitchen trailer that can provide daily hot food for 10,000 people and an emergency relief trailer carrying 600,000 Turkish liras worth of clothes for women, men and children, were dispatched to the camps. The amount of IHH aid to Syrian refugees reached 1 million Turkish liras as of 1 June.

activities

cy aid Emergen

activities

cy aid Emergen

Emergency aid to Misrata

IHH aid workers have been carrying out relief work in Libya since 21 February, where over 10,000 people have been killed and towns have been devastated by bombardment since the start of the uprising. The foundation continues to send humanitarian aid to the country as part of the “Libya Emergency Relief Campaign”. The cargo vessel “Irmak” which was dispatched from Zeyport in Istanbul in April, delivered 682 tons of humanitarian supplies to the Libyan people. The cargo of a 50-bed mobile hospital, medications, medical supplies, powdered milk, diapers, and foodstuﬀs was unloaded at Misrata Port. The aid was distributed to people in need in cooperation with local partner agencies. Stores, houses and markets are being ransacked in heavily bombarded Misrata. Certain parts of the city are without electricity. Clean drinking water is in high demand since Gaddaﬁ forces have released sewage waters into drinking water reservoirs. The amount of IHH aid in Libya reached 7 million Turkish liras as of June.

28 s e it activ ealthcare aid

Cataract surgeries in Sierra Leone Half of the 12 million African people with eye problems suﬀer from cataract. There is usually one doctor per 40,000 inhabitants in countries located in the Saharan Belt such as Niger, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia among others. Millions of people die without seeing a doctor all their life. IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation launched a project in 2007 to perform cataract surgeries with the slogan “They Need You to See” and has been bringing people out of darkness with your donations since then. Sierra Leone has been added to the list of countries such as Benin, Ghana, Chad, Niger, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia where cataract surgeries are conducted. In cooperation with our partner organization Wellington Muslim Association, 2330 persons were given eye examinations in Lunsar, a town three hours from the capital Freetown. Thereafter 500 of them underwent cataract surgery. In the Africa Cataract Campaign, 157,127 people have been screened for eye problems as of June 2011; 51,787 people were operated on and brought to light. A cataract surgery costs TL 120 and the project is ﬁnanced by charitable people from Turkey.

activities

e aid Healthcar

activities

e aid Healthcar

Maternity hospital opened in Beit

Hanoun, Gaza In

early May IHH completed furnishing a maternity hospital built on 800 square-metres in Beit Hanoun, a city in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007. The hospital, that will serve residents of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and Jabalia on the Egypt border, has 50 beds and can oďŹ&#x20AC;er ambulatory treatment to 150-200 patients. The hospital in Beit Hanoun plays a vital role for the area where 350,000 people live and which is cut oďŹ&#x20AC; from the rest of Gaza during clashes.

activities

Social aid

50 orphans in Şanlıurfa, 50 in Siirt cities of Turkey, 50 in Mauritania and 50 in Djibouti were added to the project . The number of orphans cared for in Turkey with the project rose to 1500 and the global number reached 18,600.

Touch the heart of an orphan, share your compassion! IHH has been supporting children who have been made orphan in war, natural disaster and poverty zones, since 1992. The objective of IHH orphan care is to support orphans who are not able to stand on their own feet until they have become selfsuﬃcient, to provide their education, and prepare them for life with the compassion of a family. The ongoing ‘Sponsor Family’ project of IHH brings together orphans living with their relatives or in orphanages with charitable people from Turkey. Two more countries are now

covered by the ‘Sponsor Family’ project in which sponsoring families support an orphan by donating TL 70 per month for at least a year. As of May 2011, 50 orphans in Şanlıurfa, 50 in Siirt cities of Turkey, 50 in Mauritania and 50 in Djibouti were added to the project. The number of orphans cared for in Turkey with the project rose to 1500 and the global number reached 18,600. The number of countries covered by the project rose from 27 to 29 and the number of Turkish cities rose to 24.

activities

Social aid

We gathered with Gazan orphans T

he ten top orphans in “This is My World” photography contest held in Gaza in December 2010 were brought to Turkey as part of ‘Orphan Days’ program. The orphans had trips to Bursa, Ankara and Istanbul and attended various programs. They paid visits to a number of government bodies. They also got a chance to meet their sponsor families.

Picnic for orphans A

picnic was arranged in Istanbul for the orphans we are supporting. The picnic at Beykoz was participated in by 250 orphans and their families. The orphans enjoyed themselves with a number of fun activities and received presents for their report cards.

activities

Social aid

‘Orphan Days’ in 17 countries IHH

reached out to hundreds of orphans in 17 countries and 27 cities in Turkey with the first of ‘Orphan Days’. The teams of IHH personnel, volunteers/donors and press representatives visited the regions where orphan activities are carried out. Depending on the needs of the region a range of activities were undertaken such as distribution of clothes, stationery sets, mattresses, blankets, and foodstuffs, health screenings, wedding and circumcision organization, meeting the needs of orphanages and donations to families of orphans (sewing machines, sesame grinding machines, dairy cattle, etc). The ‘Orphan Days’ organization was beneficial; in addition to materialization of projects directed at orphans, in terms of overseeing and reporting orphan activities of partner organizations in the regions visited and making suggestions to these organizations regarding prospective orphan activities.

activities

Social aid

1. Sudan: Clothing aid to 300 orphans in Darfur. 2. Ethiopia: Clothes and educational sets were given to 410 orphans in Langano, Bale and Robe; 750 orphans underwent health screening and a picnic was arranged for 410 orphans. 3. Albania: Clothes and stationery sets were given to 400 orphans. 4. Lebanon: Clothes were distributed to 100 Lebanese orphans in Beirut, Saida, Bakaa and Tripoli, and to 900 Palestinian orphans in refugee camps. 5. Kyrgyzstan: Food and clothing aid was delivered to Bishkek’s Uckun Orphanage where 26 orphans are staying. Clothes, shoes, toys, books (major works in Kyrgyz children literature) were given to 65 orphans staying at Cal Orphanage, another Bishkek-based orphanage; interior furnishing of the orphanage building (television set, iron and kitchenware) was completed. The IHH team handed a cash donation and aid in kind to families of the orphans. 6. Tanzania: Health screening was provided to 350 orphans in Zanzibar with the help of our volunteer doctors. The medical team of three doctors and two laboratory technicians examined the orphans and carried out blood tests. The orphans with medical problems will be treated at the state hospital in Zanzibar. The others whose illnesses could be cured with medication were given medication after examination.

7. Iraq: Clothes were given to 2000 orphans in Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk and Mosul. As part of the project “Smile” 280 orphans in Kirkuk were taken to an amusement park and were pleased with gifts and attendance to performances. The IHH team paid a visit to Iraqi vice president Tariq al-Hashimi and the Diyala Governor and informed them about IHH activities. 8. Bangladesh: In the camps housing Arakanese refugees, 200 orphans underwent health screening. Some of the examined orphans will undergo cataract surgery; the others will be given spectacles or medications. Circumcision was organized for 200 orphans and a mass wedding for another 200. 9. Thailand-Patani: Clothes and stationery sets were given to 400 orphans; foodstuﬀs were delivered to the families of 50 orphans. Foundations were laid for an orphanage that will house 100 orphans. 10. Afghanistan: Clothes and stationery sets were distributed to 607 orphans, while another 487 underwent health screening. 11. Chad: Mattresses and blankets were provided to 80 orphans in the capital N’Djamena. 12. Palestine-Gaza: Clothes, stationery sets and various presents were given to 500 orphans. 13. Burkina Faso: Clothes and shoes were distributed to 80 orphans in the

capital Ouagadougou. 14. Somalia: As part of a project to support families of orphans, families of 20 orphans were donated sewing machines, 10 sesame grinding machines, and 20 dairy cattle, while 10 families were provided funds to open small markets. 15. Pakistan: Mass wedding was organized for 20 orphans in Muzaffargarh. IHH volunteers from Bursa, Turkey also took part in the wedding ceremony. 16. Moro: IHH inaugurated the Hacı Şerefoğlu Orphanage in Mindanao, the Philippines, where armed conflict between the Muslim people and the Philippine government rages on. In May 2001, an additional building was added to the orphanage complex that houses orphans aged between 5 and 11. The additional building was financed by volunteers from Başakşehir, Istanbul. During the opening ceremony 49 shares of Qurban were slaughtered and distributed to people in need; 100 orphans were also given clothes. 17. Turkey: IHH volunteers from Diyarbakır and Afyon gathered with 100 orphaned children and their relatives at a lunch. Bursa Humanitarian Relief Association organized an “orphans’ support night”. Chechen and Gazan orphans attended the event. IHH volunteers from Kayseri visited orphan children who lost their parents in the massacre that took place in Bilge village in Mazıdağı, Mardin on 4 March 2009. The volunteers gave clothes, shoes and

activities

Social aid

toys to 78 orphans there. Meanwhile, Kayseri Humanitarian Relief Association held “World Orphan Day Erciyes Festival” at Erciyes Mountain. The 200 orphans sponsored by the association and their families took part in the program. IHH volunteers from Adıyaman organized a catered meeting for orphans in the city of Batman. The volunteers gathered with 50 orphans and their families, and gave stationery

sets, books and toys to the children.

orphanage being built in Pattani.

IHH volunteers of Adana gathered with orphans at breakfast. The orphans were given books and toys. The 169 orphan children, who are cared for by the volunteers and their families, attended the breakfast.

IHH volunteers of Ankara organized a breakfast party for 82 orphans who they are sponsoring as part of the project “Put a Smile on the Face of a Hundred Orphans.”

IHH volunteers of Konya organized a charity fair in support of a new 100-person capacity

A program held by IHH volunteers in Erzincan brought together 70 orphans and homeless children. Clothes, books, toys and various gifts were given to the children. In a program organized by volunteers in İskenderun, Hatay and partly ﬁnanced by volunteers from Ankara, orphans were taken on a city tour. They were given shoes, clothes and stationery sets. At orphan days in Şanlıurfa, 75 orphans were handed toys, clothes and stationery sets. Books and toys were given to orphans in separate programs held in Ankara, Batman, Kahramanmaraş, Ağrı, Erzurum, İstanbul, Bingöl, Zonguldak, Van, Gaziantep, Tatvan, Uşak, Sakarya, Sivas and Afyonkarahisar.

activities

Social aid

Water wells bestow life

IHH

carries on the project of digging water wells in regions where access to clean drinking water is limited or disrupted. The project commenced in 2005 with donations from benevolent people. It is bestowing the blessing of water to drought-stricken areas of Africa and Asia. During the period of April-June 2011, four wells were

activities

Social aid

Water wells in Jammu and Kashmir Water wells were dug in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir and they were named after IHH Central Asia Desk Coordinator Faruk AktaĹ&#x;, who was killed in a plane crash, and the nine activists who were murdered onboard Mavi Marmara boat. The nine water wells dug in February and March 2011 were inaugurated in Pulwama and Islamabad. A well drilled in Anantnag was named after Faruk AktaĹ&#x;, IHH worker who was killed in a plane crash last year in Afghanistan where he was working for an orphanage project. The 10 water wells opened in Kashmir, where access to water resources is a serious problem due to mountainous terrain of the region, are serving 2000 families.

completed, foundations for another seven were laid, and 89 were halfcompleted. With the new additions the number of wells dug so far in Ethiopia, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir and Kyrgyzstan will reach 1721.

activities

Social aid

Help given to 581 refugee families T

urkey is both a destination and a transit country in migration movements. Migrants of diďŹ&#x20AC;erent origins have sought refuge in Turkey and are living deprived of social security and access to shelter, education, health and other basic services. In May IHH provided foodstuďŹ&#x20AC;s, hygiene kits, clothes and shoes to 581 families of Meskhetian, Iraqi, Chechen, and East Turkistani origin in various cities of Turkey.

4 th refugee picnic O

ur foundation brought together refugees living in Istanbul and neighboring cities at a picnic on 18 June, the World Refugee Day. The fourth of the annual IHH picnics took place in Beykoz forest with the participation of around 1500 people. Turkey-based refugees of Afghan, Iraqi, Palestinian, Uzbek, Chechen, Meskhetian and East Turkistani origins attended the picnic. A press conference was also held at the picnic to inform attendants on the situation of refugees worldwide and IHH activities for refugees.

activities

Social aid

Wheelchairs donated to refugee camps T

here are about 500,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria, which has a population of 23 million people. It is estimated that there are about 10,000 walking disabled refugees in the 10 refugee camps across the country and only 2000 of them have wheelchairs. IHH carries on helping the refugees, who are deprived of all government facilities including fundamental citizenship rights. The foundation donated wheelchairs to 105 refugees based in seven camps.

Humanitarian crisis in Ivory Coast A

huge humanitarian crisis was engendered in Ivory Coast by armed clashes that broke out following the presidential elections in November 2010.

Thousands of people sought refuge in neighboring Ghana, Guinea, and Liberia. Sources put the death toll between 700 and 1200. IHH initiated a relief eďŹ&#x20AC;ort after the

crisis erupted and delivered clean drinking water, hygiene kits, foodstuďŹ&#x20AC;s and clothes to refugees staying at Berekum refugee camp on the Ghana border.

activities

Social aid

t n e n a m r Pe t l i u b s e hom i n a t s i k a for P s m i t c i v d ﬂoo

the ts to alleviate nge of projec ra a ed ch n u that IHH la by the floods ople affected pe of g in 0 out of er 26 ff . su July 2010 in n ta is ak P f of been built inundated hal have already es om h t en ay 500 perman lers by late M to their dwel er ov ic d de an and h lija Izetbegov f Ersoy and A ki A et m eh 2011. The M and Turkey’s e built by IHH er w at th es ffargarh, villag (BBP) in Muza ty ar P n io n en the Great U tively have be , Sindh respec u ad D d e an th b of Punja ration g the inaugu in w llo Fo d. Turkish inaugurate ses each, the ou h 20 e av h h villages, whic s about and held talk its is v e ad m ojects in delegation prospective pr d an ks or w f ongoing relie financed the legation also de P B B e Th . Pakistan ples. 15 young cou weddings of ay are the unched in M la ts ec oj pr Among other all village of ’ in Hamzaw es om H n lta osque, a ‘Emir Su ruction of a m st n co d an of Muzaffargarh and a school t classrooms, gh ei of h sa madra village. s in the same m oo sr as cl e nin

activities

Social aid

n e v i g s t n Stude o t l e v a r t bikes to school

damaged in significantly e er w ls oo h sc istan. housands of eat part of Pak gr a d re ve co ds that st had to take last year’s floo ntry’s northea u co e th in ts uden ile only Most of the st repaired, wh en be ad h ls . their schoo aged schools a break until attend undam to ed u tin ic n om ber co d limited econ a small num conditions an al ic ph s to ra ce og an ge ng dist In Pakistan, nts to cover lo de u st e rc fo e ilies e of th most power of fam rh, Punjab, on ga ar ff za u M were given hools. In ool students reach their sc ch -s h ig h 0 r s by floods, 20 ted in Khybe affected area ill be distribu w es cl cy bi her 300 bicycles. Anot ovinces. a and Sindh pr Pakhtunkhw

activities

Social aid

Ritual meat deliveries in 22 cities and 5 countries

IHH

Humanitarian Relief Foundation performed nazhr and aqiqah ritual slaughters scheduled for the April-May period. The meat was distributed to 3950 impoverished families in 22 provinces such as Sakarya, Düzce, Bolu, Ankara, Nevşehir, Kayseri,

Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum, Ağrı, Tatvan (Bitlis), Muş, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Kilis, İskenderun (Hatay), Osmaniye, Adana and Konya. IHH performs nazhr and aqiqah slaughter and distributes the meat

to people in need in Turkey as well as overseas. In March, 490 shares of Qurban were distributed in Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Arakan and Mindanao. In Pakistan 196 shares, in Azerbaijan 140, in Arakan 105 and in Mindanao 49 shares were given to poor, migrant and orphan families.

activities

Social aid

Afghanistan martyrs paid homage on anniversary A

plane crash in the Pamir Mountains of Afghanistan last year cost the lives of Faruk Aktaş, coordinator of the IHH Asia Desk, IHH volunteer Bahattin Yıldız, Ahmet Igbal Yoldaş, chairman of Hedef Foundation, one of IHH’s partner organizations in Afghanistan, and Aynuddin Yoldaş, foreign relations representative of Hedef Foundation. The aid volunteers were in Afghanistan to look for land to build a new orphanage on. They were paid respect to at a commemoration program at Zeytinburnu Cultural Centre, Istanbul. The families of the martyrs, their friends and acquaintances attended the program.

activities

Social aid

IHH publishes two books on the

anniversary of the Gaza Flotilla raid I

HH published two books entitled “Mavi Marmara/Gaza Freedom Flotilla” and “Freedom Flotilla through Language of Global Conscience/Interviews with Passengers”. They were released on the first anniversary of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, a civilian movement destined to leave its mark on the history of humankind. “Mavi Marmara/Gaza Freedom Flotilla” shares with readers anecdotes of witnesses and unknown details of the entire process starting with preparing the flotilla, up to the actual attack and afterwards. The reasons behind the Freedom Flotilla, the preparations period, the sailing of the flotilla, details of the voyage, the attack and afterwards, and many more details based on testimonies of the organizers and flotilla participants are communicated to readers using first-hand sources. “Freedom Flotilla through Language of Global Conscience/ Interviews with Passengers,” on the other hand, contains interviews conducted with 39 flotilla participants around the world. The book reflects almost all colors of the Freedom Flotilla from lawmakers to academics, journalists to documentary directors, doctors to lawyers, and students to housewives. The book shares with readers what the flotilla participants did to attempt to end the embargo on Gaza before joining the flotilla, what they went through during the voyage and the reasons why they took part in such a movement.

o works that With these tw a tail of the Gaz give every de pass to g in illa, IHH is hop oof of Freedom Flot pr e th s re generation nited u a down to futu e m could beco d n ki an m u justice. how h ice and lack of st ju in st n ai voice ag online at r these books You can orde urdu.com. www.kitapy

activities

Social aid

Mavi Marmara programs in Indonesia and Malaysia

PEDAL activists visit IHH P

EDAL members, a group of 22 activists from 15 countries who began their journey on bicycles in support of Palestine, arrived in Turkey after cycling for 5000 km. The cyclists are hoping to reach al-Quds and West Bank on bicycles. The activists visited IHH before departing from Istanbul and stated that they started the project to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. They expressed support for the solidarity of the Turks with the Palestinian people and with their determination to support any action to ensure the success of the Freedom Flotilla II.

Nalan Dal, IHH Public Relations Coordinator, and Zeliha Sağlam, from the IHH Research and Publications Department, represented the foundation at the ‘International Family Conference’ which was organized by the Union of NGOs of the Islamic World in Bandung, Indonesia. The conference put the focus on the signiﬁcance of the family in raising future generations in the best way and participants presented family models of their respective countries. Nalan Dal, who was invited to the Jakarta-based University of Indonesia as a speaker, made a presentation on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the actions on board the Mavi Marmara and its consequences. The IHH representatives also paid visits to MERCI, KISPA, Pusat Dakwah Muhammadiyah and a number of universities. IHH representatives visited civil society organizations in Malaysia, one of the most important Muslim countries in Southeast Asia. They delivered a speech, ‘Consequences of Mavi Marmara’, at the conference, which was organized at the Islamic University of Malaysia by Aksa Society and IIUM Turkish Student Society. The speeches of Nalan Dal and IHH Executive Board member Gülden Sönmez received admiration from the attendees. The attendees asked questions and expressed their opinions on IHH, Mavi Marmara and the Freedom Flotilla II. IHH representatives also attended programs at TV 3 and ASTRO TV to inform the audience about Freedom Flotilla I and other activities of IHH.

activities

a r a m r a Mavi M inners rewarded contest w

etry and ainting, po p d e iz n a y org nniversar undation e on the a ian Aid Fo r m a e it th n ” a a r u m e res lts arma IHH Hu Flotilla. Th a “Mavi M h m it o d w e e ts r s F te a essay con e. Students on the Gaz eek of Jun aeli attack w r t Is s r y ﬁ d e o lo th ednesday d in of the b announce oﬃce on W e d r a e e w h ts H s te the IH ontest, of the con rs of the c athered at e g n s in ie tr w n e e s. Th ning y, ir reward with win na, Aksara anded the h e r e w from Ada d e n m a o e c n l, ü Ju ta 15 rab k, in to l, İzmir, Ka 34 entries u 4 b n d ta te c Is a , r ığ n, Elaz that att ya, Samsu lu, Bursa, hir, Sakar atman, Bo e ş B , v a e r N a , k la n A hya, Muğ onya, Küta Kayseri, K n, . in Durma and Britain ed Nurett d Şanlıurfa lu c in n o , ti n y competi competitio r the poetr e painting fo th y r r fo rt; for the ju ; e k ın z k Th bia Bo u eyin A a s R ü d H n d a n i a tl er an Adem Tur ul, Turan D Ali Ayçil. dem Tavk iğ Ç , is r Tufan and İd ık r a T , n la s Mevlana d in ibel Era participate petition, S chers that a essay com te d n a nts ools, stude all the sch k n a th e W ts. the contes

activities

aid Domestic

activities

aid Domestic

Daily hot meals to 7000 in Simav The 5.7-magnitude earthquake that occurred in Simav, Kütahya on 19 May, caused material damage in the town and nearby villages and left many houses uninhabitable. The residents whose homes were damaged, were moved to tent camps. The IHH relief that was dispatched to the quake area provided hot meals for 13 days to a daily number of 6000-7000 people using a mobile kitchen trailer. The team also distributed meals to 1000 inhabitants in the villages of Naşa and Gökçeler.

activities

activities Volunteer

Volunteers’ hearts reach out to the world C

harity volunteers across Turkey continue to support cross-border aid campaigns. Cataract, orphans, water wells and other IHH projects grow with the titanic eﬀorts of our volunteers. By their eﬀorts, they are transforming the lives of thousands of people in need.

Activities of young volunteers The number of young volunteers who want to join in IHH relief campaigns is growing daily. Through the IHH youth branch, students from secondary to university level get together and spread beneﬁts while helping people in need, starting with their own neighborhoods. Meetings were held with high-school and

university students over the last three months to introduce IHH and give information about the planned projects. In May 2010, our volunteer students organized seminars, conferences and art exhibitions at a number of universities and high-schools with various themes such as Palestine, Mavi Marmara and others. Students of Boğaziçi University are one of

the most active student groups that carry out common activities with IHH. The students take part in events promoting IHH, relief projects and also reach out to people in need using their own resources. ‘Campus to World’ magazine is one of their many projects. This is published by a group of students and aims to cover a country under oppression and embargo, in each issue. The ﬁrst issue covered the Palestinian question in

activities

tiveittlieersi teeFraacliy nünllü Goölu V

detail. and contains interviews with Sheikh Raed Salah, IHH chairman Bülent Yıldırım, the parents of Rachel Corrie, Cindy and Craig Corrie. The revenues of the magazine sales will be donated to Palestinian orphans.

Bookmarks : Exemplary youth project Another group of students from Boğaziçi University succeeded in raising 2250 Turkish liras (TL) in a month for our cataract campaign, by selling campaign bookmarks for TL 3 each. This donation paid for the surgery of 21 cataract patients. The bookmark campaign drew huge interest and the students also undertook funding for an orphanage to be built in Africa. The amount raised in four months with the bookmark sales reached TL 40,000.

brothers and sisters around the world

Volunteers trained in emergency relief 40 volunteers from Istanbul, Konya, Tatvan and Alanya were trained at İstanbul Municipality Firefighting School İBİTEM in first aid and search & rescue operations, and were given certificates.

Fund-raising organizations IHH volunteers of Samsun city organized a public program with breakfast to draw support for the water wells project. The event, supported by a number of civil society organizations, raised enough funds to dig two water wells in Africa.

Students from Eyüp and Kazım

Emergency training -Istanbul Karabekir Imam-hatip high-schools organized a charity fair and an aidin-kind campaign to contribute to an aid ship for Palestine. Students of Bayrampaşa Bilgi Evi, Balarıları, Sevgi Kucağı, Parlayan Yıldızlar pre-schools visited our foundation and donated their moneyboxes to support their

Our volunteers of Çanakkale held a week-long charity fair. The money raised in the fair was used to build permanent residences for Pakistan’s ﬂood survivors. Volunteers of Tokat city arranged an outdoor breakfast to raise funds for permanent residences being built for refugees in Pakistan. Volunteers in Erzurum undertook the project of repairing orphanages and Qur’an teaching centres in Kyrgyzstan and contributed to IHH orphan campaigns with various charity events and programs. Volunteers from the city of Kırşehir contributed to our project to purchase ﬂour grinding machines for families of ten orphans and donated cash to Palestinian orphans with a weeklong charity fair.

activities

activities Volunteer

Workshop of Volunteers-Istanbul

activities

tiveittlieersi teeFraacliy nünllü Goölu V

Volunteers of Gebze ﬁnanced cataract surgeries for 53 patients with a week-long charity fair. Volunteers of Alanya donated the funds, collected in various events, to our foundation for distribution of Qur’an copies in Africa. Volunteers of İnegöl organized theatre and photography exhibitions in support of orphans. The Anatolia Humanitarian Relief Association (AYDER), which cares for over 1000 orphans with the ‘Sponsor Family System’, organized a charity fair to raise funds for an orphanage being built in Pattani. Volunteers from the Eyüp, Yenibosna, Kartal, Soğanlı and Cevizli neighborhoods of Istanbul worked at IHH promotion stands and photography exhibitions. Volunteers of Esenler district organized a boat tour in the Bosphorus with 500 participants. All the money raised

by the event was donated for the construction of orphanages. Volunteers in Başakşehir held a charity fair to raise funds to build permanent homes for refugees in Pakistan and an orphanage in Afghanistan. Volunteers of Kağıthane arranged a public event at Kağıthane Wedding Hall to raise funds for orphans. IHH volunteers residing at Esenler Park Evleri hosted an open buﬀet breakfast to generate funds for the construction of orphanages. A presentation was made during the breakfast to inform attendants on orphan activities and other campaigns of IHH. Volunteers in the Netherlands gathered at house meetings to commemorate the Mavi Marmara victims on the anniversary of the Israeli raid on the ﬂotilla.

54ts c je o r p e r futu in brief

Orphanage and mosque project Bangladesh The

world’s eighth most populated country; Bangladesh is one of the most signiﬁcant countries of operation for IHH. Underdevelopment and poverty caused by political turmoil, corruption, high population density and low literacy rate, combined with natural disasters, are causing chronic problems for Bangladesh. It is also already suﬀering from infrastructure

failures. Bangladesh, where a sizable part of the population lives under the poverty line, is one of the regions worst aﬀected by cyclones and monsoon rains. A planned project is aiming to build a 100-person capacity orphanage and a mosque that can hold 250 people at the same time in Gazipur. The construction of the orphanage and the mosque will cost $200,000.

jects o r p e r u t u f in brief

Meeting basic needs of newborn babies Darfur

Darfur, population six million, is located in the west of Sudan’s vast deserts and barren lands. Nyala, the capital of South Darfur and home to 1.5 million residents belonging to diﬀerent tribes, has taken in the highest number of migrants in the long-running civil unrest. Nyala is home to dozens of refugee camps and over a million migrants live in these camps. The families that are condemned to live in refugee camps, depending on help from aid agencies, cannot aﬀord to meet even the basic needs of their children. That is why infant mortality rates run high at the camps. The planned project will provide newborn babies in these camps with basic necessities such as medication, clothing, pots, diapers, infant formula and towels. The project is to last for a year and meet the basic needs of around 2000 babies. The cost of the project is €25 per baby and €50,000 for 2000 babies.

56ts c je o r p e r futu in brief

Permanent houses for refugees Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a Southern Asian island nation in the Indian Ocean, 31 km oďŹ&#x20AC; the south coast of India. Buddhists form 70 %, Hindus 15 %, Christians 8 % and Muslims 7 % of the 21-million population. The conďŹ&#x201A;ict that broke out in 1983 between the two major ethnic groups, the Sinhalese and Tamil, has turned into a civil war. The tsunami disaster in 2004 worsened the situation of the refugees in the country. Most of them lost their families, homes and lands, and still live deprived of basic needs. With this project, 55 square metre houses composed of three rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom will be built to help the refugees return to where they used to live. Each house will cost $6000.

jects o r p e r u t u f in brief

Vocational training

Jammu and Kashmir

Hindistan, Afganistan, Pakistan ve Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti’ne sınırı olan Keşmir istan and , PakPakistan-Hindistan1947’ enisbu tanyana Afghdan a, di In g n ri with orde adlock a de Çinirilişkilerinin temel açmazlarından en inen be as h m h China, Kas biri. Toplaminyüz relations since -India-Ch a ölçümü 222.236 km² n ta is ak P to 2,236 Hindistan regards olan Keşmir, 1947’ en22 itibaren areadof which has an , ir m h as K d KashKeşmir, . 1974 mu an tarafından edilen Jammu p of Jam ade ukontrol m is s, re et square-m nce 1947, kontrolü 1947’den itibaren Pakistan’ın India si governed by en be as ruled h It . mir has been altındaki 1962’den itibahand,Keşmir, e otherAzad th on , ir m h aks-kuzeydeki Azad Kas ern Sholan ren Çin’in işgali altında north nce 1947 and si n ta is ak e been Aksa-i P by hav Shakhgam doğudaki ai Chinve ern AksVadisi st ea d an iy le gam Val e Indian-adm Çininbölgelerinden oluşmakta. Hindistan ce 1962. Th n si a h C n populationüfusu controlled bykontrolündeki ir has aKeşmir’in Jammu d Kashm an u m m n Ja tio d nistere e populaNüfusun yaklaşık 13-14 milyon civarında. ent of th rc pe 5 8 d an n of 13-14 millio yaklaşık % 85’i Müslüman. is Muslim. and bölgede e region Yoksulluğun yaygın olduğu espread in th id w is ty ng er ov n are faci yetim veelkimsesiz çocuklar her türlü ess childre om h d an s orphan is plan-Bölge al trainingyaşıyor. tehlikeye ationdurumda s. Vocaçık at re th of d ds all kin phans an için planlanan yetim ve ill helpileorözellikle wproje at th t ec oj pr d on ot stan ned with akimsesiz kız çocuklarının kendi ayakları who cann ale children, m fe ed, s es an h el hom t. Orp üzerinde durabilmelerini e self-sufficien ve kimseye m co be , et fe ttheir own muhtaç olmadan abad (Anan Islam hayatlarını idame poor girls in d an ed s er es el off hom ettirebilmeleriniKsağlamak ill be d ashmir wüzere mesleki an u m m Ja nag) city of eğitim kurslarıoiaçılması , and I.T. The g, embr dery amaçlanıyor. in w se ill in g in train Proje kapsamındamJammu ods and w Keşmir’in İslax- onth peri si r fo st la ill gw . The traininmabad period kentinde yaşayan yetim, kimsesiz n in each 0 childre 20 to ed er be off ve yoksul kız çocuklarına yönelik dikiş000. will cost €67, projectnakış ve bilgisayar dersleri verilecek. Altı ay süreli kursların her döneminde 200 çocuk eğitim alabilecek. Projenin toplam maliyeti 67.000 avrodur.

in the ďŹ eld

d in the ﬁel

Let’s make orphans happy Ayşe Olgun, Yeni Şafak newspaper We arrived in Mindanao after two-days of travel with a group of aid workers from IHH, which has launched a signiﬁcant project to reach out to 250 million orphans around the globe. What we saw during the opening ceremony of the orphanage built for children, who had lost their fathers to war, shows the meaning of this signiﬁcant project.

We reached the other end of the world

children, who are a trust from Allah to the

after travelling for two days. Our journey

Muslim community.

ended after three flights in three different aircrafts, waiting in airport lounges, and a five-hour formidable road trip at night. And we are now in the Philippines’ Mindanao (Moro) region. The island of Mindanao is predominantly inhabited by Bangsamoro Muslims. We were going to

We headed for our destination early in the morning. After a walk in the warm monsoon rain we met at the IHH-built orphanage with a number of children, each prettier than the other. The orphanage oﬃcials, mothers who had lost their husbands at war, and the orphans, all

meet, in the major city of Cotabato, orphan

gave us an enthusiastic welcome. What

children, most of whom had lost their

rapport, what cordiality! It was as if sisters

fathers in war. There is an expression

or parents and children who had been

beyond tiredness and exhaustion on

separated for years were reunited. Some

the faces of our seven-member group.

of the women could not hold back tears of

We are all excited and happy to meet the

happiness.

in the ﬁeld

Children who have never seen their fathers The fighting between the Filipino government and Mindanao Muslims has split many families. Mindanao Muslims have been struggling for their rights and liberties, since the 1970s. The tragedy becomes clearer as we speak to some of the women and children. We were told that some children lost their fathers even before they were born. Some men heard the news they had babies while fighting on the battlefield and fell as martyrs before they could embrace their babies. The scar of the war has been imprinted on the faces of these orphan children. These tiny hearts have suffered the deepest scars of the war as is the case in some other places in the world. As part of the state’s policy of extermination and shifting the demographic structure, children who have lost their fathers are stripped of all rights. IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has not left these children to their unfortunate fate and has been struggling fearlessly, despite all domestic obstacles, to put a smile on their faces. IHH volunteers of Başakşehir have raised enough funds, with charity fairs they had held, to pay for the expenses of the orphanage. The volunteers prepared different kinds of foods and sold their dowries that they had been saving diligently for years, to please the children at the other end of world, whose names they did not even know, but whose pain they shared. As a result of these selfless efforts, a new building has been added to the orphanage. This warm home built for 50 orphans aged between five to 14 means a lot to them, because in this country, where poverty is very common, it is almost impossible for families staying at makeshift homes to look after these orphans.

d in the ďŹ el

Festival atmosphere at orphanage The opening ceremony of the orphanage, built by the donations from charitable people of Turkey, is like a festival. First of all nazhr slaughters were performed enthusiastically; then a big ďŹ re was lit in the garden. The meat of ritual animals was cooked and distributed to families and children along with rice and then the orphanage was inaugurated. The orphan children were taken to the largest store in the city for shopping. They were shy at ďŹ rst, but after some encouragement and stroking of their

heads, they chose clothes for themselves. The happiness on their sad faces was delightful. Books and notepads were also purchased and the children were given their clothes at the orphanage in the afternoon. The orphans joyfully played with balloons. We learnt a lot during the three days we spent with the orphans, such as smiling sincerely and from the heart, despite all the hardships of life. What we experienced in Cotabato is only a brief example from the IHH project that helps all orphans around the world. We are just placing one piece of this project on the world map like in a jigsaw puzzle.

The complete picture is that this is a project launched to reach out to 250 million orphans around the globe. Some of these orphans have lost their family members just like children here. IHH relief teams are on the move to provide a home to these children and give any kind of material and nonmaterial support needed to survive. Orphan children get a safe home and their daily necessities at orphanages built in their own countries by philanthropic people from Turkey. The project is huge, distances to be covered are vast, but the hearts that strive to put a smile on the faces of orphans are as big as the world!

in the ﬁeld

A usual day at the IHH eye hospital in Sudan Serhat Orakçı The grandchild will be saved from a captivity he is not aware of, the grandfather will be relieved of dependency of long years and most important of all he will see his grandchild. The grandfather looks around onces he regains consciousness and raises his hands in prayers: “May Allah be pleased with you! May He help you as long as you live! And bestow success in every work you do…”

d in the ﬁel

It is an ordinary day at the IHH eye hospital with patients, clinics, doctors and surgeries. First an eight-year old girl, Menasek, comes in. One of her eyes has lost vision from trauma. The ultrasound result is not good. Normal surgery performed here will not benefit her. What she needs is urgent retina surgery, but that is not possible here. The doctor at the clinic looks again and again at the ultrasound result card of the young girl. I know he wants to perform the operation. He is upset too. One of the nurses has seated the girl on the table and is stroking her hair. Her eyes wet, the nurse is making jokes but is not laughing. She is only trying to cheer the girl up. She finally tells the girl to go and eat inside. She calls to Mary: “Give food and water to the girl!” As time passes surgery patients start to come out of the operating room. Menasek finishes her meal as the photograph of the eighteenth patient is taken. We talk to the grandmother

who brought the girl in. We tell her about the situation of the girl. They have no money, no social security or anywhere else to go. We feel helpless. Another young girl enters the clinic with her father. Both her eyes have cataract. She cannot see at all. Her situation is highly critical. She is not even fifteen yet. She has not attended school and has not known much of the world. The doctor examines the girl. This time there is hope. The girl could see again. He decides to take her into the operating theatre as soon as possible. The girl’s father gets his hopes up. He is ready to do anything we say. All he wants is for his daughter to see again. Cataract and eye problems are some of the most serious problems in sub Saharan Africa. Hundreds of thousands of people live deprived of vision because of this widespread problem. Sometimes an adult, a child who has not been to school yet, or even a newborn baby, could develop cataract. Sudan, where I have been working for IHH over the last three years, tops the list of countries suffering from widespread eye problems. The number of patients is high, however technical and financial facilities are inadequate. In this regard, IHH has a lot to do in Sudan.

in the ﬁeld

I got a chance to be part of this campaign

There are 600,000 eye patients in Sudan

What about grandfathers who cannot see

when I was assigned as a coordinator at

waiting for surgery. About 45 percent

their grandchildren because they cannot

the Sudan eye hospital for IHH’s ‘Africa

of these cannot aﬀord an operation and

aﬀord a TL 120 surgery, or mothers who

Cataract Project’. Allah knows, maybe

therefore have to live without sight.

cannot see the children they gave birth to,

I spent the three most meaningful

Three operating theatres and mobile

or the children who can only recognize

and beneﬁcial years of my life there. I

health camps opened by IHH in diﬀerent

their parents by touching? How do we

witnessed thousands of cases like the

residential areas in Sudan are oﬀering

answer the man who says “I wish I could

cases of the two girls mentioned above.

an alternative to the deprived in the

see and read the Quran again” or the

country. The 30,000 cataract surgeries

young girl who says “I wish I could get

performed so far by IHH in Sudan are still

married?”, and the grandfather who says

not suﬃcient despite constituting a high

“If only I could see the land where I was

80 percent are living condemned to

number.

born and grew up?”

darkness, because of ﬁnancial diﬃculties

What if we try walking, drinking, eating,

IHH is helping fulﬁll most of these wishes

and technical limitations. All they need

going to the bathroom with our eyes

with the eye surgeries it has been

to regain their vision is surgery or drug

closed… Maybe then we could understand

performing in Sudan and other African

therapy.

the value of our eyes and the ability to see.

countries. I count myself lucky to see this

Furthermore the most tragic pointis that, of the hundreds of thousands of Sudanese who suﬀer from visual impairment

d in the ﬁel facet of life, thanks to this project. I worry when I think of all the people waiting to regain sight. And I feel upset when I think about helpless children such as Menasek. We must help these children and get them out of the darkness. An old man maintains his life for years with help from his grandchild. When he needs to go to the bathroom, his grandchild takes him; the grandchild feeds him and does not leave him ever. He helps his grandfather, while his friends play. The grandfather recognizes his grandchild, who is always with him, by touching and hearing. He also comes to the IHH hospital with his grandchild. The

grandchild does not leave his grandfather for a minute while waiting for surgery. The child is very anxious. He lets go of the hand he has been holding. In a little while the lives of both grandfather and grandchild will change. The grandchild will be saved from a captivity he is not aware of, the grandfather will be relieved of dependency of long years and most important of all he will see his grandchild. The grandfather looks around once he regains consciousness and raises his hands in prayers: “May Allah be pleased with you! May He help you as long as you live! And bestow success in every work you do…”

The three months I spent in Sudan, I and the team I supervised, fought blindness. We witnessed people re-bond with life. We got emotional and hopeful. We sometimes suﬀered diﬃculties because of the climate and limited infrastructure of the country. However, these were trivial details once we remembered the patients who prayed, “May Allah be pleased with you” and aged grandfathers and grandmothers who attempted to kiss our hands. We did not save the world but we helped transform the lives of those people who had to live in the darkness for years..

in the ﬁeld

Salamatsızbı Kyrgyzstan

*Hello

Hanife Gökdemir The increase in the number of orphans in the country is due mainly to the communist regime in Kyrgyzstan, under pressure from the Soviet regime for many years, as well as ethnic clashes. The number of orphan children in the country is estimated to be around 35,000. Kyrgyzstan, stuck between Kazakhstan in the North, Tajikistan in the South, Uzbekistan in the West and China in the Southeast, is a Central Asian country of ﬁve million oriental people who relate to the Turkish people. We were on the team that visited Kyrgyzstan for ‘Orphan Days’ with IHH, which supports orphans anywhere in the world. IHH has included in its ‘sponsor family system’ 30 orphans, some of them orphaned by the ethnic ﬁghting in Kyrgyzstan, with the help of its local partner organization, Insandık Cardam Fondu (ICAF). IHH carries on giving material and nonmaterial help to orphanages through the same local partner agency. The increase in the number of orphans in the country is due mainly to the communist regime in Kyrgyzstan, under pressure from the Soviet regime for many years, as well as

ethnic clashes. The number of orphan children in the country is estimated to be around 35,000. The Kyrgyz language and national culture have survived despite the repressive Soviet Russian regime. World famous Kyrgyz writer Cengiz Aytmatov and his father have played a signiﬁcant role in this. As a team we visited the tomb of Aytmatov located in the same area where Kyrgyz intellectuals were massacred by the Soviets. Aytmatov’s father was also killed by the Soviets and Aytmatov would learn this much later. Soviet Russia intervened even in the alphabet of the Central Asian people to weaken ethnic relations among them. For instance, a single alphabet was written for 200 million Russians, while 27 alphabets were written for 50 million Central Asian Turks. There are seventy eight scripts written

only for Uzbeks. History, literature and other social textbooks were written in Russia and sent to the region, while textbooks for mathematics, physics and other science-related subjects were allowed to be locally produced. Although the Kyrgyz language seems to diﬀer a lot from Turkish intially, a Turkish speaking person can easily understand it after some careful listening. The Kyrgyz language has many Russian words, but also many Turkish words. A Kyrgyz university student we met there complained about this, saying: “They taught us this way for 80 years. We learnt from Turks that we are brothers. It is said that there was not an ethnic group called Kazakh until a century ago. The Russians divided us with many such names. Russians divided ethnic groups so their ties with Turks would be cut just as they set up factories in one

d in the ﬁel

country and raw materials storages in another country so all people would be dependent on Russia.” I recall a poem we learnt, while studying in the history department, by Uzbek poet Sabir Karger written on Turkic Republics:

Uzbek, Turkmen, Uyghur, Tatar, Azeri are all the same clan Karakalpak, Kyrgyz, Kazakh these are the same race They have formed as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan And have split my fatherland Turkistan

Orphan activities and visits The capital Bishkek is a new city built a century ago and dominated by Russian architecture. Stone buildings date back to Russian time and they

have been kept as they were. We visited three orphanages in Bishkek. There are 58 orphans staying at Imam Bukhari orphanage that was built by the Arabs. It is built on a large area but is dilapidated. We made a donation to renew bunk beds in the orphanage on behalf of IHH. The second orphanage we visited was the state–owned Uckun Orphanage. We gave presents such as clothes, books and toys to 26 orphans there. Kyrgyz Youth Minister Alyasbeg, who is very enthusiastic about such charity work, cut short a signiﬁcant meeting and to join us. The minister, who loves serving his country and sincerely supports any service to the country, stroked the head of every orphan and asked the orphanage manager about the situation of the orphans even before shaking

hands with oﬃcials. In response to the manager’s whispering “There are Russian children among the orphans as well,” he said in a serious voice “Orphans have no nationality.” The third orphanage we visited was 65-orphan capacity Cal Orphanage, which was opened by the Norwegians and handed over to the state. We distributed presents and talked with the orphans. On special request of the orphanage oﬃcials we purchased several kitchen tools for the orphanage. The orphanage consists of six single storey buildings and there are volunteers helping in each building. The children really enjoy the company of these volunteer ladies who visit them regularly.

people of ds good dee

Being a student in Turkey

Uranjargal Dovdonpurev

The land of my dreams, my peaceful Mongolia, my sweet homeland. The land that the brave Mongolian warrior who conquered half of the world, longed for and could not stay separated from, the prettiest place in the world to us... I am a Mongolian girl. MONGOLIA. Do you know what these eight letters mean to me? Mongolia deﬁnes me; in the same way I deﬁne Mongolia. Because I am aware that in Turkey they not only see me as Uranjargal but also as a Mongolian.

Therefore, I am a flake flown from the land of Mongolia with a warm wind to the land of Turkey. That vast, calm piece of land in the heart of Asia that resembles a highflying bird on the world map is the only place I can call “mine.”

Mongolians who once subjugated the world are now living a quiet life between two big neighbors. Not heard in global news often, the land of my dreams that I visit every night without a visa, is my peaceful Mongolia, my sweet homeland. The land that the brave Mongolian

lem iation-Ist Seﬁre-i A ts’ Assoc nal Studen Internatio

anbul

people of ds good dee

warrior who conquered half of the world, longed for and could not stay separated from, the prettiest place in the world to us… Mongolia. Away from Mongolia, my family and my beloved ones, I am learning to stand on my own two feet and live alone while studying in Turkey. Life in a foreign land teaches me to resist and to never give up. I am learning to be strong although I make mistakes. I feel like I am losing something without noticing while learning all these things, maybe my childhood or maybe my naivety. I have noticed I am gradually getting tougher. Now the proof of being able to think and write is my existence. This life which gets complicated as I reﬂect on its meaning, gets shorter as lived, begins before known and ends in uncertainty… I am decoding the meaning of life

bit by bit; more accurately, making my life meaningful. I used to be asked “What is your favorite food?” I would say fruit. I have come to such a country where all kinds of fruit grow. Thank you for loving me so much! They used to ask me “What is your favorite accessory?” I would say umbrella. I have come to a country where people have to carry umbrellas all the time. They would ask me “Where would you like to go?” I would reply there is no Mongolian other than me, I am surrounded by walls, and I can survive here. They used to ask me in Mongolia, “If you leave this place, will you miss your mother, family, and your land?” I would say no way, why would I miss! But my heart shouts to my mind from deep within that I do miss. A voice inside me says I am fed up with this city life crowded with apartments, streets on the right and left sides,

cars and human noise; with seas I have always wanted to see with “my real eyes” since my childhood. My eyes plead with my mind to see my endless pastures and steppes of Mongolia. To look once more at the breathtaking blue color of the sky, at unspoilt snowwhite clouds vying with the wind in the sky. In Mongolia, the sky is different, the land is different, roads, bushes, slopes, and pastures are far different. But in the end, it is the earth, a piece of the earth. It is the continuation of land in Turkey, far away. What difference does it make? Maybe that is how it seems to me. My homeland calls to me, “Come my daughter, do not strain yourself” . No, I cannot come; I cannot come without a present and skill. I am young, I am hot-blooded, and my dreams are fresh now. In

people of ds good dee

rnational Picnic of Seﬁre-i Alem Intenbu l sta n-I atio Students’ Associ

the integrating world, I cannot come without obtaining the tools, knowledge and virtue we need to stay “Mongolian.” But I will go when the time comes, I will sacriﬁce everything I learnt for my people and when the time comes I will sleep peacefully till forever in your soft, warm soil my motherland! But not now. Lastly, I will be grateful all my life to the Turkish state, the Turkish people and the religion of Islam which has made them virtuous. I am aware I am living the best years of my life in this land, eating

from the same bowl, breathing the same air and sharing the same values with the Turkish people. I thank the Turkish people for hosting us as guests rather than excluding us as foreigners. I am happy to learn the profession of my life from my Turkish instructors. I am thankful to my Turkish sisters who voluntarily share the problems of other people and serve me, not thinking of themselves and the world. I am grateful and express endless thanks to the Turkish state for bringing us here and providing us with an education.

You will have your place in my heart Turkey, for teaching me something, for urging me to have thoughts I would never think, for making me know the value of my homeland by longing for it here. I know I will miss you when I return to Mongolia. You are in my heart Turkey, you are in my heart Turkish people…

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