Najim lost one of his legs 5 years ago when an air attack hit his village in Syria.
Fleeing the violence and looking for proper treatment, he ended up in Reyhanli, a small town on the Turkish side of the border. The local rehabilitation centre of Relief International, funded by EU humanitarian aid, helped him with a prosthesis and adapted physiotherapy.
Being mobile again, Najim could start working in his brother’s store selling baklava, knafeh, and other traditional desserts.
After a while, he even took over the shop, which became a hotspot in town. 2 days before we met Najim, he got engaged, dreaming of a prosperous future in Türkiye.
“When I decided to come to Türkiye, it took me 3 days to reach the border. I had stop often and pass by plenty of checkpoints. Luckily, the medical committee at the Turkish border quickly granted me access and brought me to the rehabilitation centre.”
© European Union, 2022 (photographer: Diego Cupolo)
The centre of Relief International offers rehabilitation services to war victims, but also to refugees with other disabilities.
© European Union, 2022 (photographer: Diego Cupolo)
The EU-funded centre has its own workshop were prostheses and other medical material is produced and adapted to the needs of the patients. Local staff – both Turkish and Syrian – take care of all technical, medical and administrative tasks.
© European Union, 2022 (photographer: Diego Cupolo)
“The economic crisis makes it hard to do business: inflation goes that fast that the ingredients I buy lose their value before I can sell my products. Moreover, I see a growing anti-Syrian sentiment. Even my store has been hit by vandalism recently.”
© European Union, 2022 (photographer: Diego Cupolo)
With EU humanitarian funding, Relief International provides specialised services including mental health support, community health interventions, physical rehabilitation, and protection and livelihood support for refugees with disabilities.
© European Union, 2022 (photographer: Diego Cupolo)
Over the past years, the health and rehabilitation centre in Reyhanli helped close to 1,500 patients with mobility aid. Another 9,000 were supported in other EU-funded centres of Relief International across Türkiye.
© European Union, 2022 (photographer: Diego Cupolo)
Story by Tom De Smedt, EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
Photos: © European Union, 2022 (photographer: Diego Cupolo)
Publication date: 02/12/2022
