Syrian women in Turkey provide humanitarian support to the vulnerable in their community
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When the Syrian war broke out, Roshan was only 12. Together with her family, she escaped her hometown of Afrin and settled in Turkey. Despite her young age, she soon had to start supporting the household economy. “When we arrived, we did not have anything, we were sleeping on the street,” she explains. “I worked in seasonal agriculture under very bad conditions, picking oranges and other fruits.”
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Like Roshan, Dunya had to work in informal agricultural jobs when she arrived in Turkey. Together with her husband and children, she escaped her hometown of Aleppo in search of a future without violence.
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Now settled in Izmir, both young women are among the 180 Syrians WHO has hired across the country to provide home care and social services to older and disabled Syrian refugees. WHO supports the Turkish Ministry of Health to provide community-based care for these vulnerable groups and facilitate their integration into health-care services and the local community, while also providing new employment opportunities for young Syrians.
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Thanks to financial support from the Government of Germany, these community health support staff have received theoretical and practical training to help promote patients’ self-care and balanced nutrition, to monitor patients with reduced mobility, and to ensure proper care for those who are bedridden. “This training has taught me a lot, not only to take care of patients but also to provide better care to my children when they get sick, and for my mother who has diabetes,” Dunya explains.
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After completing the training, both Dunya and Roshan were hired at the Izmir Refugee Health Training Centre to serve as a bridge between the Centre and the community. Women comprise 88% of home care staff. Through this initiative, WHO and the Government of Germany contribute to improving employment for Syrian women across 7 provinces (Ankara, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin and Sanliurfa). “It is difficult to find a job as a young Syrian woman. I’m the only one providing for my family, so this opportunity is very important for me,” explains Roshan.
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Home care staff provide regular services to over 70 patients a month in Izmir. They organize their visits in teams of 3. While 2 of them take care of the patient, the third talks to the relatives and writes down all the necessary details for medical follow-up by health professionals at the Centre. Every week, a doctor monitors their work and pays visits to patients with acute needs.
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For people like Mariam, who is elderly and visually impaired, home care visits are essential to avoid further exclusion from health services. “Patients are happy that they are being taken care of, their families are thankful and we are pleased to bring them some hope,” Roshan explains.
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“Taking care of my mother is difficult because she is old. We live far away from the health centre and moving her for the necessary doctor visits is not easy,” Mariam’s daughter explains. “Home care teams help me to change her and wash her, and the doctor comes if needed. I really appreciate their efforts to take care of her!”
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In addition to care, WHO ensures that patients receive the medical supplies and equipment necessary for their well-being. Home care teams are fully equipped with wipes, diapers, masks, toothbrushes, thermometers, hygiene packs and dressings, and so on.
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“We are better off with the community health support,” explains Werde, mother of a young patient receiving services at home. “We don’t have much money, but now we receive all the supplies that my daughter needs and that helps our family.”
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WHO developed this project to support the Turkish Ministry of Health to strengthen community-based health care and ensure outreach to the most vulnerable. Thanks to a financial contribution of 21.2 million euros over 2 years from the Government of Germany through KfW, WHO plans to train and hire 350 young Syrians across the country, enabling them to start a new life in Turkey while supporting their own community.