It’s been 9 years since the Syrian crisis. Syria is one of the countries where ISLS has gained a huge power, and the social dislocations are continuing. More than 12.5 million people need humanitarian support at the moment, and many of them have decided to escape their country with taking the risk; the number of Syrian refugees ran into 8.7 million.
Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt are the top 5 countries that have accepted 5.6 million refugees in total. Especially, Turkey has accepted roughly two-thirds of them, which are equivalent to more than 3.6 million.
Most of those refugees in Turkey are suffering from malnutrition, which comes from financial difficulties. Even if they are lucky enough to get a job, their salary is quite unstable. They try to eat cheap carbs, which causes obesity. Obesity further causes lifestyle diseases, and they can’t afford medical costs. There are in a poverty trap. The United Nations has tried to call for contributions, but it hasn’t been going well.
So, what can we do to help this situation? Since this is a complex issue, there would be no single meaningful international engagement. But offering support not only materially but also mentally would be important. Most refugees are mentally pressured because they haven’t get used to new environments.
Even if we’re not psychologists or therapists, we can still help them mentally through volunteering, like accompanying them to the shopping or planning some activities for children. Since my major is politics, it would be helpful to analyze this issue from political aspects, with considering the best measure for refugees. My disciplinary skillsーcooperativeness and critical thinking skillsーcould contributing to improving the situation. I believe these skills will help me to understand the issue from several aspects and give consideration to their feelings.
Merhaba Turkey! 