From our special correspondent in Gaziantep – Nearly a week after the deadly earthquake in southern Turkey, foreign students Abdelaziz, Ahmed Ali, Yassir and Mustafa are helping survivors of the quake in the city of Gaziantep. They say they are happy to give back to the country that has given them so much, and that they have fallen in love with.
"It is my duty to help others in this ordeal," says Ahmed Ali, who did not even stop to think before reaching out to help his community in Gaziantep. After the earthquake hit Gaziantep on February 6, the 25-year-old Egyptian, who had just graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, immediately set to work with his friends, who are also foreign students. Their goal? To help those in any way they could who have now lost everything.
"Some [of the students helping] come from Egypt, others from Jordan, Syria or Iraq," says Abdelaziz, a 23-year-old Palestinian mechanical engineering student. "After the earthquake, we decided we would help everyone, it doesn't matter whether Turkish or Arab."
On the very first day after the devastating quake, Abdelaziz and Ahmed Ali started collecting food with help from Yassir, an Iraqi, and Mustapha, a Syrian dentistry student they had met at Gaziantep University’s accommodation. They paid for some of the items themselves, while more food came from local shopkeepers and the Turkish authorities.
"Restaurants provided us with free soup," says Abdelaziz. "We make rounds depending on what we are given, sometimes every day."
'Chorba! Chorba!'
Today, Yassir's Turkish friends, Halil and his fiancée Güler, have joined the small group of helpers. They have two cars and stop first at the private Iraqi school Dar Alsalam, where 25 families are currently forced to live.
The students get to work straight away to get the hot soup [called Chorba] to locals as quickly as possible. Moustafa and Yassir prepare the cardboard containers, Ahmed Ali then hands them to Abdelaziz, who fills them using his pink plastic jug. The school’s wooden reception desk is covered with bowls of soup.
"Chorba! Chorba!", Halil calls out as he knocks on a few doors on the ground floor.
Children and then parents appear, only to disappear almost as quickly, with the nourishing broth.
"We need to show some humanity, there are many women and children who need our help," says Abdelaziz, who is from Jordan, and has lived in Gaziantep for five years.
Students and public give what they can
Then it’s time to pack up quickly so the soup doesn’t get cold. The volunteers have their work cut out for them, as they are visiting parks, still intact buildings and an orphanage for Syrian children. In the black sedan, Halil and Güler tease each other to keep their spirits up between calls to help quake victims.
"We have lists of people we call to check on and see what they need, then we go and drop the items off," says a maths teacher, while giving Halil a new number to call.
The families they visit are short on everything, from pasta, diapers and blankets. The two crews stop at the city's convention centre to stock up on state-funded goods. "We pay for some of the aid ourselves, but the rest comes from the government," says Abdelaziz, whose every penny is being used for this purpose.
"This country has given me much more than I expected," says Ahmed Ali, who was hoping to enter the job market soon. "I have my friends, I studied here, graduated here and have lived the best days of my life in Gaziantep. It is my duty to give back."
Coordination is relatively easy for Abdelaziz, as he knows the city like the back of his hand: "I've been here for five years, I know where the most disadvantaged are. We distribute to those who need it, even in the small villages."
Hours driving around Gaziantep and the surrounding villages
The boots of the two cars are overflowing. It's now time to go further afield, to the stricken villages.
On the road, the atmosphere is good-natured. "We hadn't planned all this. We met at the university shelter, I only met Halil today," says Ahmed Ali. "We work together to help others. We are like a family when we help others. It makes us feel so good to give back."
Abdelaziz agrees: "It's a great feeling to know that you can help." It’s also a good way to try to forget the fear. "It's unbelievable what has happened, it is very tough. We are still afraid, that's why we don't want to go home. We live in the museum inside Gaziantep University. We haven't been back home for four days."
‘I want to stay in Turkey’
The students' faces are increasingly drawn. The nights are short at the university shelter, where they now live, traumatised. They associate their flats with that sinister night. "I was about to go to sleep when everything started to move. The bed literally slid 50 cm with me," recalls Ahmed Ali, noting that he got out immediately. "Then I remembered that I had a friend who lived on the fourth floor. I went to look for him. Afterwards, I didn't return home until the next day to collect my things. I left because I don't know if it's safe."
However, they do not plan to return to their home countries. "I want to stay in Turkey, but only if it is safe. I am waiting to hear what the government says," says Abdelaziz. "I love this city, I don't want to leave."
This article is a translation of the original in French.
