20141119無緣大慈援難民 Helping Syrian Refugees in Turkey
Looking around e world, we see many disasters. So, every day, we must live with sincere piety and vigilant care. We should not only care about ourselves, but should give of ourselves to help more people. The Buddha also teaches us to open our hearts to embrace everyone and work for the wellbeing of the people in this world. Seeing the Syrian refugees, my heart truly goes out to them. Syria is in turmoil and unstable.
All this started in March 2011 when nationwide protests demanding democratic reform gradually escalated into the civil war that we see today. Every day, there are clashes and conflicts and there is not a moment that is peaceful. Families have been shattered and the Syrians had no choice but to flee to other countries. In recent months, there has been an influx of Syrian refugees into Turkey and Turkey has taken in all of them.
So, there are now, over 1.6 million Syrians refugees in Turkey. Apart from Syrian refugees, there are also Iraqi refugees taking shelter in Turkey. As it is difficult to survive in their countries, people have fled their homes to avoid conflicts and wars. Recently, Tzu Chi volunteers in Turkey held the first winter aid distributions for the Syrian refugees in Turkey. Having come in contact with these refugees, our volunteers have learned many heart breaking stories.
Many of the refugees used to lead a good life--- Some had high social status in Syria; others enjoyed prestige or were very wealthy. At first, they were hoping that the war would pass quickly, so they stayed to safeguard their homes. But later, they found that they could no longer stay--- Their houses have been destroyed and the war is getting worse. What they saw every day were scenes of devastation everywhere. In order to survive they had to take their families and flee to Turkey.
At the winter aid distributions this time, we saw a handsome teenager who had helped with our aid distributions back in October. He was neatly dressed and even wore a necktie. From his attire and polite manners, we could tell that he came from a very pious Muslim family and was very well taught. So, when he goes out, he’ll be dressed neatly and conduct himself properly. He was the handsome teenager helping at our aid distributions last month.
Recently, our volunteers in Turkey came across a little boy in downtown Istanbul who was begging for money. When our volunteers asked him how old he is, he gestured “six” with his fingers. Our volunteers then asked, “Where are you from? Syria?” The boy said yes. From their conversation, our volunteers learned that his family have fled Syria to take shelter in Turkey.
Our volunteers hoped to learn more about his family, so the boy took them on the train to where his family live. After they got there, our volunteers saw that his family lives in very harsh conditions. The boy’s father does odd jobs to support the family, but he doesn’t earn much. They still have to pay for the rent, so there is not much money left. They really lead a very difficult life. Seeing that, we really shouldn’t think that we’ll always lead a good life as we never know what will happen to us tomorrow.
So, it’s best that we give with compassion, harbor a big heart, and work to inspire love in more people. Only when conflicts are eliminated can everyone be safe and well and our society and every family enjoy peace. As winter is here, our volunteers especially ordered blankets that are about one centimeter thick. The blankets are very large and warm. Bigger families have received more than one blanket.
Maybe the blankets are not enough to shield them from the freezing winter there, but they were a gift that our volunteers presented to them with sincerity, unconditional love, and respect. Apart from blankets, our volunteers also gave each family over 30 kg of food, which can tide them over for some time. So, they were all very happy. Our volunteers not only brought them aid, but also inspired them to help with our aid distribution.
This is what our volunteers in Turkey have started to do. Moved by our volunteers’ sincere love for the Syrian refugees, a wholesaler even gave them discount for the supplies they brought from him. Tzu Chi’s work has now been unfolded in Turkey. For our aid distributions lately, many Syrians have given us much help despite having a different religion from ours as they are Muslim.
Take a Syrian professor for example. He said that in the past, he didn’t know much about Buddhism. But, having come in contact with Tzu Chi volunteers he now realized that the teachings of Buddhism about love, forgiveness, and peace are the same as those of Islam.
A Syrian teacher also said that having seen our volunteers caring for them with such sincere love, he know that such religious spirit is exactly what our world needs. So, thanks to our volunteers’ effort, many people have been moved and inspired. Their feedback is truly very touching indeed.
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