Ayoub, Julia and Marta were selected to participate in the “Innovative Approaches on a Refugees Education” project in Sanliurfa.
The experience of participating in this project has given us the opportunity to explore a very different world and immerse ourselves in the complexity of a conflict that is affecting many people.
We are often prejudiced against the current situation in Turkey: refugees, security, living conditions… Being able to see everything from the first sight has allowed us to have a more critical view of the media and therefore, rethink our preconceived ideas.
The information that arrives in Europe about the war in Syria is selected and manipulated, therefore, we often do not have a global perspective of the problem.
During the study visit, we have been able to see on firsthand the challenges that refugees face when they arrive in Turkey: work restrictions, difficulty in internal circulation, lack of support for access to education or social discrimination.
We have been able to hear stories of refugees who, after living seven years (beginning of the war) in Sanliurfa, have been able to find their place in the city. But also, on the other side, there are people who cannot work or study because they are not yet recognized as “refugees”, only under the situation of asylum and have difficulties in supporting their families.
We have come back with a feeling of impotence. We have realized that among the countries of Europe, Spain is one of the least doing to help the refugees of the Syrian war. Spain undertook to host 17,387 refugees in 2015, and after two years, only 1,212 have arrived. It has touched our heart to see that today, in the 21st century; there are still children who cannot enjoy their rights. Therefore, we would like to continue encouraging all to provide new opportunities to open paths to the people who are fleeing a war.
Marta