On the morning of May 18th, the Turkish Tzu Chi Foundation held a training session at their office in Istanbul to teach volunteers how to gather information and assess situations effectively.

In recent years, due to the high inflation in Türkiye, the number of families in need of urgent assistance has increased. During the last two weeks alone, the number rose by 274 households. The volunteers have been providing care to over 7,000 Syrian refugee households every month. Everyone is working tirelessly to ensure these families receive immediate help.

In addition to caring for Syrian refugee families, the volunteers have been assisting earthquake survivors since the major earthquake in Türkiye and Syria on February 6th this year. On the afternoon of May 18, volunteers Faisal Hu, Nadya Chou, Mohammed N Aljamal, Hayk Mohammed, and Üncü Mohammad visited the home of an earthquake survivor named Hajar.

Hajar the Survivor

Originally, Hajar, a beautiful 14-year-old girl, lived in Antakya in the far south of Turkey. During the earthquake, her father, mother, and younger brother lost their lives instantly; she herself was trapped under a fallen concrete slab for 40 hours. Fortunately, her younger sister emerged unharmed.

She recalled: "I never imagined that I would lose the most precious things in my life. Now I am working hard to overcome everything I've been through and to forget those tragic moments. My mother and father have not disappeared from my mind. Now all I want is to live for my sister because there is no one else. If I'm gone, who will take care of my sister?!"

"At that moment, I felt a sense of relief because my uncle was right beside me, and I hoped he would stay with me always. When I was trapped under the rubble, he saved me and gave me water. I felt so happy. I'm very sad because I lost one of my legs, and now I can't walk."

During the 40 hours she was trapped under the cement slab, her uncle dug a hole in the cement wall to provide her with water and food to keep her alive. After being rescued and taken to the hospital, she had to undergo amputation below the right knee; her left leg was also covered in scars, which is heart-wrenching.

Gratitude

Her uncle brought her and her sister to Istanbul to live together. Hajar said that, at the beginning, she refused to eat or drink and could not sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see again the tragic scene of her parents' death. She said: "I believe that Allah is testing us so that we can become closer to Him. At this moment, my heart only longs to hear my parents' voices and sit beside them. During this time, I couldn't sleep because, when I closed my eyes, I saw the same horrifying events that happened to us, and I remembered my mother and father. Later, with the encouragement of my grandmother in Syria and my uncle, I started to change slowly."

Volunteer Nadya asked Hajar her biggest wish now. Without hesitation, she said: "I want to walk!" She said that, if she could walk, she would help her uncle and aunt with many things. She was willing to do anything she could. She said: "Currently, I'm using the wheelchair provided by Tzu Chi. If I can have a prosthetic leg, my life will be better. I will strive to turn all my negative thoughts into positive ones! I am grateful for the financial and moral support you and everyone else have provided us. Thank you for your concern."

The volunteers brought emergency assistance funds and red packets of blessings and wisdom to Hajar and her uncle's family. They hope to help them get through this difficult period.

A Jing Si Aphorism says: “The true measure of love comes from the benefit to others, not from the amount of giving.”

Join Tzu Chi. Let us bring hope and Love to the needy.

Story by Nadya Chou from Türkiye