Many Syrian refugees in Turkey live under such inhumane conditions, that they see no other option than fleeing to the European Union. Children below 12 years of age and their mothers or direct caretakers count for more than 50% of these refugees! After having helped many refugees on their way along the Balkan route, German Alliance now wants to reach out to these most vulnerable among the refugees who haven’t started this life-endangering journey, yet, and improve their lives where they are.
Our research shows: many of the Syrian refugees did not initially intend to make their way to Europe. A high number of refugees are neither in an overcrowded UNHCR facility nor want to cross over to the EU, but are stuck in-between. In our pilot camp there are 35% of small children under 12. Mama-Help is there to bridge between European volunteers, local authorities based on the needs of these families, who live in unstructured provisory settlements without sanitation, heating or information.
With Mama-Help we want to provide the necessary assistance to children up to 12 years old and their families and give a chance to those who want to stay in Turkey.
The families would have enough food, clothes and supplies, medical help access, a functioning minimum infrastructure and information about their rights and benefits.
The concept can be replicated in other facilities across West Turkey.
We are currently ‘resettling’ our operation to Torbalı, 40 km South of Izmir city in the West Turkey. Here is one of several temporary Syrian war-refugee settlements hosting currently 533 people.
We plan to:
- Set up a tent capable to shelter mothers who need to breastfeed and for medical examinations, provide formula milk and bottles.
- Organize emergency medical assistance for pregnant- and women in childbed as well as a midwife for assisting with new-borns and children and contraception advice.
- Improve infrastructure through European volunteers (e.g. clean up garbage, fixing electricity, make oven out of canister)
- Contact German companies to donate work power, to send their employees for a 3-week aid work to Torbalı to find solutions together.
- Distribute information.
Our target group are those victims of war, who are out of sight for larger aid organizations (e.g. UNHCR), specifically pregnant women, babies and children up to 12 and their mothers/caretakers in refugee settlements in Turkey.
Cooperation with other stakeholders: local municipalities and aid organisations.
Beneficiaries are the European volunteers who learn about the refugee situation in its more original state, and the Turkish state itself, who would be moving towards European integration.
We are not the only ones rising to welcome and help these war-refugees, but we have been recognized by various established institution (such as the UN) as absolutely crucial to the fast and flexible response needed to address this crisis. These institutions do not have the flexibility to adapt to such a rapidly changing context and provide adequate answer to new turns of event.
We are one of the rare European grassroots NGOs present in Turkey.
Personal costs 20,000 €, Mama-Help supplies 12,000- €, travel and accommodation costs 5,000, office expenses (e.g. communication) 500 €, fundraising-event costs 500 €, fees and honoraria’s (e.g. translation) 5,000.00 €, Website development & social media 5,000 €, Unforeseen and others (e.g. insurances) 2,000 €