Voices from the field
In Turkey, due to the difficulty to get a legal status, economic problems, language and cultural barriers, certain Syrian refugees face difficulties in accessing health facilities and other public services. In order to improve access to the relevant services, and therefore their integration into the Turkish public system, Dunya Doktorlari (DDD) case managers help the refugees in addressing a variety of specific needs. The needs include education, legal advice and administrative support when faced with discrimination based on race or nationality.
The case manager starts by meeting the beneficiary, listening to him/her and assessing the needs and concerns. Depending on each beneficiary needs and demands, the person is referred and accompanied to relevant services when needed (NGOs, lawyers, education services, administrative services, health services). The team helps beneficiaries to have access to legal status, shelter, administrative, healthcare education and, juridical services…
Several beneficiaries have already felt the impact of the program and the following success stories illustrate the situation. 3 stories, 3 different people, 3 lives that changed.
Ayman is a 32 years old Syrian Refugee, who started to feel more empowered after 4 months of looking for a way to receive an ID card to help him access secondary health care service to treat his infected leg. He tried alone but all doors were closed. He was dealing with pain and uncertainty for a while but now he is much better and ready to move forward. DDD assisted him in applying and receiving the Kimlik (ID card) from Safakoi immigration Center and also helped him access a governmental hospital and got the surgery he needed after 4 months of suffering and hopelessness.
Ayman is healthier, stronger, and finally managed to secure a job at a small market in Sultan Gazi, Turkey. He told us: “The DDD case management program has helped me to regain my independence, self-worth and self-esteem, literally it helped me save my life.”
Aysha is a 34 years old Syrian refugee, she managed to enroll her kids in school a year after her arrival in Turkey. She knocked on many doors, visited many schools but never received the assistance she needed due to the language barrier and lack of information about schools accepting Syrian students. The team helped her in searching a school for her kids and enroll them after one year being in Turkey. She is now ready to look for a job and support her family.
Ahmad is a 19 years old Syrian Refugee who feels more independent and empowered after completing a free Turkish language course at ISMEK language school. Ahmad is a very skilful machinery technician, he has been looking for jobs for more than a year with no results. Employers acknowledged his skills but refused to hire him because he couldn’t speak Turkish. He couldn’t afford a private language school back then and felt powerless.
DDD case management program helped him enrolling in a free language course, gave him the emotional support he needed and now he is working for Elektronik Makas. Ahmad says he is smiling a lot more these days and he is now able to envision success in his new life.
The case management team is the driving force behind these success stories. The number of beneficiaries requesting to participate in case management is steadily growing and the team is looking forward to improving lives for more and more people…
