Synopsis

Sister Hatune Foundation the helping hand to the poor is an International Organization registered in Germany with chapters in India, Europe and United States. The motto of the organization is to help the homeless, sick, disaster victims and persecuted refugees. The foundation is also actively involved in the support of Iraque War refugees. Consequent to the Iraque war, a large number of refugees resorted all around the world and especially in the neighboring countries. The present refugee population in the neighboring countries as follows:-

These figures indicates the number of total refugees. However the present living situation of the refugees are not improved. In this context Sister Hatune Foundation decided to work to support the Iraque refugees who are staying in Turkey and Jordan as a first stage.

(Clothes Ready for Distribution)

 Relief works of Hatune Foundation in Turkey and Jordan

For helping the Iraque War Refugees Hatune Foundation already started efforts in Turkey, Jordan and Syria. Foundation collected money and materials through various chapters of the foundation world wide and distributed money and materials for the refugees in Turkey and Jordan. The help provided by Wilfred Wong from United Kingdom is also significant and thankfully remember the donors who supported through Mr. Wilfred Wong. On 26th October 2007 a team of foundation members of Istanbul chapter headed by Sister Hatune Dogan made effective efforts in the refugee camps of Istanbul. Similarly another team consists of Jordan Chapter members headed by Sr. Hatune Dogan visited refugee camps in Jordan during November 2007. This is a brief report on the relief activities done by the foundation among refugees as a beginning of works in both countries.

(Distribution of Cloths)

 TURKEY

About 13000 refugees are presently in Turkey. They are spread over in eight cities. The official declared number of refugees are very less than the actual figures. But the countries like Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon etc are not officially tolerating refugees but unofficial refugees are increasing day by day. The unofficial population of the refugee population in Turkish towns as follows.

The Hatune Foundation initially selected to support the refugees Camps at Istanbul. Since it is a big city with 18 million population, the infrastructure and facility of refugees are very few. Our representatives visited the remaining locations of refugees camps and found that most of the camps ~re in towns and villages and comparatively the Istanbul City refugees are staying in a worst condition.

(Once a Rich Family Waiting for an Accommodation)

 Present Crisis in ISTANBUL

Istanbul is the ancient and biggest city of Turnkey with 18 million population. The refugees are spread in 5 places as Yesilkoy, Bakirkoy, Samatya, Tarlabasi and Kadikoy. These are the cheapest and slum regions of the Istanbul city. There exists few old and low cost apartments remaining. These are marked for demolition. These apartments have a storage and service area in the basement floor in underground. Since surroundings are slum and waste water logged area in which basements are wet and foul smelling. Since there is no other alternatives the refugees are staying in these underground basements. It is also below the level of sewer lines and there is no possibility for making toilets. So they dig small pits and made small latrines in the basements where they live. Because of no proper sanitation, the entire basement is faul smelling and they are also cooking in the same place. Even if such a place is make good for stay, maximum two family can stay there. But about 80 persons are staying in one basement floor. There is no privacy for sleeping, or for using toilet. Even rats will not stay in such a circumstances. These basements are controlled by local muscle men and criminals and they collecting E 30 per person as rent for a month without any difference for children or adult. If anybody fail to pay the rent the next day they will throw out them with the belongings to the slum. There are 15 to 20 families are staying in one basement as a common society. There is no privacy or no separate space allocated to families and it can called as a crowd of people instead of families. They are illegal refugees and illegal persons living unauthorisdly and they can not register themselves as refugees. They are not allowed to walk in streets and if police found them, it will lead to jailor dump them back to the border. They are not allowed to work and even the children are not permitted to play in the open space.

(9 Year old girl kidnapped for 19 days and brutally raped)

Few of the ladies used to go to the neighbor houses for house hold servant work and they get only very negligible payments besides the harassment and humiliation. Several reports are found for sexual abusement also from the house owners where they work. But there is no legal remedy for the harassment since they are living illegally and if they complained to the police, the victims will be sent to the jail. Starvation and sickness is dominating due to unemployment and adverse living condition. It is very pathetic to see the helpless unhealthy mothers struggling to breast feed their hungry children since no milk is available on them because of starvation. It is true that starvation is the most painful affair in the human life and several mothers are forced to sell themselves for food and for shelter. I met several families they sell themselves for a piece of bread.

(Born as Rich Live as Refugee)

 Interview with Refugees

Helena is a typical house wife one among I visited. She is 47 years old lived in Bagdad. She was living with husband, two daughters aged 7 and 18 and with mother -in -law. Her husband was working as an electrician in Bagdad. After the vanish of Saddam Hussain from power and the fall of Bagdad. In Iraque their were militants who rule parallel to the Government. As a first face they send threatening letters to the families. Helena's family also got the threatening letter and they did not considered it seriously. One day when her husband was coming to house after his work. The militants was waiting for him at the gate and they fired him with automatic gun and several bullets passed through his body and dead. Within two weeks she got further threatening letters and after the second letter she ran away from Bagdad by the help of a smuggler. What she own that she given to the smuggler for saving her life and reached Istanbul with empty hands and the remaining members of the family consists two daughters and old mother in-law. Now they are also staying in the underground basements along with .30-40 people in a worst living condition and by paying Euro 30 per person as the rent for living. Since they are staying illegally and not allowed to work anywhere there is no income or help to pay the rent and for living expenses. They managed to stay few weeks and finally a wimp approached them offering money for foqd and rent demanding the young body of her elder daughter. The starvation is the most powerful feeling of human being and the 3-4 days starvation for a piece of bread lead that helpless family for selling the eldest daughter for a night to the wealthy people. The next morning that poor helpless 18 year girl returned to the camp with wounds in mind and body. The poor girl attempted to suicide consequent to the psychological problems come out from the sadistic approach of men who persecuted the young body during the past night. Those sadists burned her body with burning cigarette and that young girl torn up by the devilish approach of the sadists. There is no other way for the poor family rather than cry and pray. The each families and individuals staying in the unauthorized refugee camps have stories of persecution assassination of family members. They escaped from the terrible land and staying as unauthorized refugees. They lost their hopes of life and have no idea about the future. But the feeling of expectation seen in their face.

(Shelter under the sack)

Sister Hatune Dogan interviewed certain house wives among the refugees as a typical house wife Mrs. Salam have a heart breaking story.

 INTERVIEW

Question : What is your Name?

Ans.       :  Mrs. Salam

Question : How old are you?

Ans.        : 27 years

Question : When you came Turkey?

Ans.        : 20th August 2007

Question : Where was you staying in Iraque ?

Ans.        : North Iraque Mousel

Question : What was you doing in Mousel?

Ans.        : I am a House wife

Question : Who were in the family when you lived in Mousel?

Ans.      : My husband, me and two Children - Four years and 1 Y2  years

Question : What was the business of your husband ?

Ans.        : He was working in an Oil Refinary

Question : Tell me about the situation for your depart from Mousel?

Ans.        : We were rich people and we have our own house , car and were living peacefully during the Saddam Hussain's period. When he thrown out from the power the militants stared sending threatening letters to us by post. They demanded us to leave the country or ready to be die. One day six masked men came to our house and tide my husband and raped me in front of him by all of them. So we decided to escape from that place.

Question : How you reached here?

Ans.       : Escaping from Iraque especially during this war time is very difficult. It will be possible only with the help of smugglers. Otherwise· during the travel other antisocials will kill us on the way and will take everything. So we depended a smuggler and he was prepared to bring us to Turkey. He have connections only with Turkey only. The smuggler brought us here by changing several vehicles to avoid shooting from militants. There was no option to select any other country since he got connection only with Turkey.

 Que. How much you paid for travel?

Ans. We carried all valuables , cash and ornaments with us when we abandoned our house. We could not bargain with this smuggler for his charges for bringing us in another country. On the way we asked him how much you will charge for bringing us in Turkey. He said whatever you have that is my charges. When we are nearing to the Turkish border they searched our body and belongings and took everything from us. There was another few families are also with us. This was the experience for all. When they dumped us in Turkey only remaining materials was our clothes and I begged for my small wedding ring and finally he give me back my wedding ring to wear in my finger and later I sold it. Here because of hunger.

Que. Have you heard about this country earlier?

Ans. I read about Turkey earlier and I also heard But we were having no idea about Turkey Since there is no choice for us to select the country we came here.

 Que. What is the living situation here?

Ans. Here is like a prison because if we go out the police will catch us. We don't have work here and here is difficult to live and we have only basement corner to live. No windows no toilets. The rats are running here and there and it is unimaginable living situation here.

Que. How you find money for living here?

Ans. We don't have any more money I sold my gold marriage ring to survive But now onwards to stay here is difficult I don't know how to survive. Everything here is very expensive. No income, no work and nothing with us.

Que. What is the approach of other refugees towards you?

Ans. I am shame to look others. They know me well and now they also know that I am raped. But most of them I don't know my situation. I am often hiding me from others. I can't talk with anybody about my situation. I think it is not possible to live here much days.

Que. Do you dream to go back to Northern Iraq back?

Ans. I can not think about it because our neighbors became enemy to us. No more friends there. Nobody to help us. We are too much afraid because they will kill us if we return.

Que. What is you expectation about future?

Ans. We have no idea and we hope we will live one day in peace without war. We pray to God to call us back from this hell.

Que. Are you still strong in your religious life?

Ans. Yes because what .is happened to us is from this militants. Our forefathers were strong believers and they suffered more persecution in the early days and we believe this persecution will glorify our spiritual life.

Que. What helps you are expecting from others?

Ans. Prayer first and please help us to survive and to escape from this terrible situation.

(Little Oxygen to Survive)

Plans of the Foundation to Help the Refugees

 In Principle the Foundation is decided to provide help by way of materials to the refugees in association with various other organizations. As a beginning a new chapter is inaugurating at United Arab Emirates. The foundations Middle East chapters collecting materials like food grains, wheat powder, sugar, woolen clothes etc. by road ways. Indian Association and some other organizations are also joining with the Foundation in this project. Already a Centre is opened in Damascus with the help of Syrian Government. The Syrian Government already agreed to provide all supports to the foundation for supplying materials to the Refugees. In fact the supplies will proposed to start immediately.

(Istanbul Chapter of Sr. Hatune Foundation)

Visit and Financial help done by Sr. Hatune in Istanbul

As an initial visit the Chairperson of the Foundation Sister Hatune reached Istanbul on 26th October 2007 to help the most needy who require immediate helps of money and clothes which are like oxygen. The financial help through Mr. Wilfred Wong and the money collected by the various chapters of the Foundation in Europe were also carried with her. Further woolen clothes and garments collected through the chapter of the Foundation in Istanbul were also carried in trucks to the refugee area at Yesilkoy of Istanbul. She also visited certain families whose daughters Raped in Iraq. They were seriously struggling to pay the rent for their basement floor as described in the earlier chapters. It is paid about 3200 Euro to the owners of the basement directly as rent for this families. Money paid for treatment for the members of the following family who were sick and few girls of the following family affected serious infections.

1. Name Josef and Benjamin 3 children.

2. Riad and Hanna and four children.

3. Helane and Vahed Hanna with two children.

4. Maryam and George with 3 children.

5. Gabi and Rena with 2 children.

The team also, visited newly coming families from Iraq including a priest and his wife and two children. The priest was kidnapped in Iraq and his family secretly paid seventy five thousand U.S. Dollars for the Kidnappers and two weeks later he was released and he left Iraq along with the other neighboring families and as an initial support 4000 Euro give all together to this group.

The team visited another family in which the husband was killed in Iraq and his wife and two young daughters and her grandmother living in basement in a small room. Because of hunger the mother was forced to send her older daughter of eighteen years of age to a rich man for selling the body. I gave them the rent and money for food for six months which is one thousand eight hundred Euro so she doesn't have to sell herself for daily bread. When I gave the money for her mother she fall down on the knee trying to kiss as thankful and it is announced that the thanks are to be given to the original donors who supported by money and not to Sr. Hatune.

Sr. Hatune counseled a group of girls and they started speaking more freely about their situations. The harms and sufferings were explained and also they said they were forced to submit their body and all over their body seems blue marks caused by the persecution of the Militants. The team met another family in which Anna the mother with a daughter of 13 years of age was kidnapped and raped for 14 days in Iraq. The team also gave 8000 US dollars to release of the daughter and then left Iraq, I gave them 600 Euro for renting one room on the basement.

Team visited another family with one daughter 16 years of age half paralyzed father, mentally sick mother. Their 22 years aged son is missing and no one knows where he is. He don't know where his family is. The militants demanded this girl for free pleasure or they will kill her family. They used her for four month and the family left Iraq after that. Hence both family run away from Iraque. I met her and I had no chance to speak freely with her after talking with her she told that what happened to her with details, they phoned her to come to neighbor basement and raped her by four men in the roll while speaking her story she was shivering and nervous and collapsed. Trying to hold her and carried her in hands. The team paid rent for six month.

Another family: Rich family living in Baghdad and their super market was robbed and the father was killed in the supermarket. Shortly after that, two masked men came to their house immediately after the older girl came from the school. She was 15 years of age. They told to mother that we will take the girl for short time and don't interfere or else she will be killed along with all. The elder girl said to me my mother was mentally sick at that time onwards. After they took me to the neighbors basement raped me every day after the school for 2 weeks while my mother came to know my situation and she came under trauma and decided to leave our own house and paid money to the smugglers to send us to Turkey's border. I paid four hundred Euro for the rent according what they need.

Sunday 28th October 2007 the team went to the hall where all Iraqi refugees were gathering. They where so happy to see the team back again. The same Sunday the group visited three families, the first one has four children the mother is forty two years and the father is forty four years the boy was kidnapped, after a week they paid everything they owns to get their son alive. After paid they got their son back then we all flew as refugees to Turkey. The group including Sr. Hatune give two hundred Euro to them to find place to live. This family includes three girls, husband and wife , one girl ten years mentally retarded, young one eight years, the eldest thirteen years. The masked militants came to the house at night catching."the eldest girl starting kissing her and touching her sexually in front of her family telling them we will rape all the family if you don't ran away from this country. The same day they givenup their house with all belongings.

A pretty lady present in camp twenty seven years and mother of two children four years and one half year was living in north Iraq. Six masked men came to the house. They tide the husband and raped his wife in front of him .switching one to another.

On 30th October 2007 the group visited another part of Istanbul named Kurtulus where refugees are staying and distributed woolen dresses to them. It is also visited another refugee family from north Iraq flying to Turkey three months ago they reached Turkey and unable to survive and given financial help to them.

Sr. Hatune collected more dresses and visited in a pick up van to Kadikoy a place where lot of refugees are staying and distributed materials to them and in some cases paid money also.

The same day group visited six families all newly come to Turkey sleeping on the ground without even an old carpet, the group gave mattresses, woolen clothes and 100 Euro to each families. Two men of those family are well educated and the terrorist ordered them to spy on the Americans by satellite network and they refused. They threatened these families by warning letters and the families ran away 2 days later. The other four families has lost one member 6f their family member on murder.

There was a gathering about 1 % tons of new an old dresses given to the group of refugee families. Rev. Fr. E?eter was also with the group for distribution. He introduced one of the family with a girl nine years was kidnapped by three masked men every day for ten days and they demanding for twenty thousand US Dollars to release the girl. But the family reach only ten thousand US Dollars and paid the money to Sunat Sheikh who promised to bring the girl back alive. After taking the money he brought the girl alive, but badly raped.

They also introduced a family with story of suffering that masked men killed the husband to take his position of work in oil fields to give it to their man. They send threatening letters to his wife to persuade her husband to give up his job. They killed him and after death she ran to Turkey with her three kids, losing all the money. She sold her body to support her children and the team gave 600 Euro for rent and 500 Euro for the food promising to see her after six months. She was very thankful for the donator and told that the donor is guiding angel who saved from hell.

On early in the morning collected carpets and mattresses and blankets etc. and reached to the Church Hall. Many families taken away the blankets and clothes. There was girl of 13 years old was kidnapped by three masked men for 60 days then they made a deal with her family taking 14000 US Dollars. They allowed to speak her over the telephone with her parents evidencing she is alive and the family paid money for the kidnappers for release. Hatune spoke to this family and counseled them and paid 200 Euro to them. and spiritually guided them and strengthen mentally.

There was a gathering in the parish hall in which many families came and picked up dresses and woolen clothes. In various camps at Istanbul the group under the leadership of Sr. Hatune made a cash distribution of 14280 Euros where made besides garments ,woolen clothes and medicines.

Visit to Jordan

On 31’st October 2007 Sr. Hatune and the group reached Aman Airport. Hanna Samon and Fr. Immanuel were actively involved and joined with the group for strengthening the mission. The Group came to Mor Ephrem ashrafiye. Fr. Immanuel has the list of the real poor Iraqi Refugees. He handed over a list of 80 Refugee families who are newly come to Jordan camps with empty hands without any penny in their pocket. As an immediate measure Sr. Hatune paid average 200 Euro to the following 80 families.

Story of 9 year old girl brutally raped for 19 days will melt any strong hearts. She is from Bagdad staying with her family. She was on the way from the school and she kidnapped by 3 masked persons and they were very known people to her parents also. They raped her 19 days and finally released her by taking 33000 US Dollars from her parents. The parents collected that money by selling there all belonging at a distressed price.

All families have there own heart breaking stories. For the security reason certain names of the victims are not revealed. Every families have bitter stories of murder, rape, robbery etc.

The group distributed clothes, woolen bed sheets, mattresses and medicines to the refugees. In Jordan alone the cash distribution of 22150 Euro where made besides garments ,woolen clothes and medicines.

Conclusion

The chapters of Sr. Hatune Foundation in Istanbul as well as in Jordan is actively involved in helping the refugees and they are supported by the other world wide chapters of the foundation. During the visit it was very clear that all the refugees having heart breaking stories of murder, rape ,robbery etc. and most of them are the victims of the brutality and humiliation. The foundation thankfully remember the help of Mr.Wilfred Wong from London who collected money and supported the foundation for the effort. Steps are already taken to sent materials by road to various refugee centers from Middle East and it will be in operation soon.