ERZURUM- The refugees told their story of survival in the home they were stuck amid the coronavirus pandemic, as they faced hunger.
The refugees are among the social groups, who had the most harsh life conditions during the coronavirus quarantine period. The refugees, who came from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan to Turkey with a hope to to finally arrive in Europe, told their story of survival to Mezopotamya Agency.
One of the refugees, Nevzer from Mahabad, İran summarized the misery they have to get through as he told that "We live like the beggars. We have nothing but the dry bread at our dining table".
Nevzar had to migrate together with his wife and two children from Iran's Mahabad city in 2013 due to political reasons. He has been living in Erzurum for 7 years. Because of the fact that the the change of city is not allowed, he were not able to get out of Erzurum for years, as he was stuck in the city, not with his three children and wife. They need to pay 800 TL for the rent, but he got no license to work. He told that "I had a herniated disc. I can not even get an injection in the hospitals. They demand form me various papers. That is why I wait to get better myself without no treatment."
LIFE OF A BAGGER
Sharing the information that they have been trying to survive with the help of their neighbors, Nevzar resembled the life they live to a bagger's: "This is the life of a bagger we live in. I have no penny to pay my rent. Most of the time, we hae nothing but the dry bread at our dining table."
As all this was not striking enough, Nevzat shares how he tries to help his children somehow who have only bread to eat: "I tell them to imagine the bread as if it is some meat they are eating".
DEATH DOES NOT FEAR THEM, BECAUSE...
"We are not afraid of death", this is what Nevzar said as he adds: "Because ther eis no life we live in. We had o money to buy a mask or a bottle of cologne. How can we afford to buy a mask if we have no money even to buy a loaf of bread? They did not give us from those free masks. There is an arbitrary apporach against the refugees in Turkey. I had a friend (another refugee he mentions), he got some help from the Social Aid Center, but I could not."
HIS SALARY NOT PAID
Qeys came from Afghanistan 5 years ago. He tells he has been working in the construction sites for 1,500 TL for a month- this is belov the minimum wage. For the last two months Qeys could not work due to the pandemic, but the two months before that was also problematic as his salary was not paid as well.
Qeys lives in a shack in slums together with his wife and kid, the little home needs to be paid 300 TL monthly.
Qeys shares his story as follows: "I am looking for a job for two months, I got only a day-job for a day. I have no penny in my pckets to buy any food. Neighbors help us. We were supposed to be delivered a food package for Ramadan, but we still don't have it. We wait for that package. We had health insurances before, but all got cancelled. That is why we can not go to any hospital."
'CAN'T WORK, CAN'T PAY MY RENT'
Another Afghan refugee, who shared his story with MA is Rustem from Afghanistan, who needed to left his wife and kids back in his homeland 3 years ago. Rustem lives in a small house, which he needs to pay 400 TL each month. Telling that in order to send money back home to his family in Afghanistan he has been working as a construction worker with no insurance, Rustem stated how he faced with hunger as follows: "I was working as a tile worker in the construction sites two months ago. Due to the coronavirus I can't work now and can't pay my rent for two months. The landlord wants their rent, but I got no money neither to give him or to send to my family in Afghanistan. I was borrowing the bread. But the market owner does not lend me bread anymore. I went to the municipalities and the aid institutions. They told me, since I list as a single man, unmarried, in their official records, I was not supposed to be delivered food aid. Their approach to us is based on their own benefit."
MA / Dindar Karataş