The invisibles of Basmane

There are three main categories of population living in Izmir: 1- Syrian refugees registered in Izmir. They have access to the temporary protection status, which allows them to access for free all the Turkish public service systems (and schools) as well as support from international NGOs 2-Syrians and other nationalities registered in other cities under temporary or international protection. They can access public services… but only in their registered city. 3- Undocumented migrants. They are divided into two main groups: people on the migration route and settled ones. It is not possible to predict the number of these groups, however both of them are quite visible in the Basmane district. They don’t have access to rights, health and education.

Activities in Basmane

Our program focuses on settled families from groups 2 and 3, as their children do not have access to school. To have the best impact the selection criteria are only the motivation to join of child and his/her parents. Nationality or legal status of the child is not and will never be a selection criteria. During our previous activities in Basmane, we realized that migrants coming from the African Continent are the most isolated and rarely have access to support from other NGOs. This is why we give our focus to them.

An holistic approach

In this difficult context, educational activities are necessary but not enough. That is why we also provide support to the children’s families. It includes among other things access to medical services, and support in residence permit requests. We always work to provide the best support possible.