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INTERVIEWS WITH SYRIAN REFUGEES IN REYHANLI - I<br />
ORSAM<br />
Most of us do neither have heating stoves at<br />
home, nor blankets. Sometimes aid organizations<br />
provide Syrians with aid. However, only<br />
those who live in central Reyhanlı receive the<br />
aid provided. By the time we hear about the<br />
aid, it is already distributed among those who<br />
live there and we cannot receive them.<br />
* This interview was made by Feyyat Özyazar<br />
in Reyhanlı district of Hatay on 15 January<br />
2013.<br />
An Interview with Necmi Ali Kiro abu<br />
Mahfuz who came from Syria to stay in Hatay<br />
Reyhanlı<br />
53 year old Necmi Ali Kiro, who migrated<br />
from Al Rif district in Harim from Idlib Province<br />
in Syria, is a farmer and a father of 5 children.<br />
ORSAM: Could you tell us about your life before<br />
the civil war in Syria, and what you went<br />
through during the civil war?<br />
Necmi Ali Kiro abu Mahfuz: I had 20 decares<br />
of land in Harim, and my children and<br />
I made our living by planting vegetable on<br />
this land. This year we planted broad bean,<br />
onion, peppermint, pepperweed and parsley.<br />
I used to sell them to restaurants, butchers<br />
and to the people in bazaar in Salkin and Sermade<br />
districts. Beforehand, we did not even<br />
have life safety while harvesting the crops,<br />
but when Jaish al Hur seized control in our<br />
area and we found the opportunity to treat<br />
our water thanks to the centrifugal machine<br />
and to provide electricity through generators,<br />
we could both do farming and also were provided<br />
with water and power. Thus, we could<br />
meet our basic needs but due to the decrease<br />
of purchase power of the people and the fact<br />
that only a few people remained in the area,<br />
farmers brought their products to Turkey<br />
through vehicles or sometimes on their back<br />
to sell them in Turkey.<br />
One of my children is at his military age, but I<br />
did not send him and he is still in Jaish al Hur.<br />
He took part in besieging Taftanaz Airport<br />
which is located near our area. And the other<br />
family members are in Turkey. We go to Syria<br />
and come back to Turkey in every two days,<br />
and we harvest whatever we grow in our field.<br />
It is problematic to come and go, but we do<br />
not have a job and income.<br />
* This interview was made by Feyyat Özyazar<br />
in Reyhanlı district of Hatay on 15 January<br />
2013.<br />
An Interview with Omar Asım al Hadravi<br />
abu Rıdwan who came from Syria to Turkey<br />
and settled in Reyhanlı district of Hatay<br />
Omar Asım al Hadravi abu Rıdwan, who<br />
made his living by selling kitchen utensils,<br />
came to Turkey after his store was bombed.<br />
He says that Syria is now in a total mess, and<br />
it will not get any better for a long time.<br />
ORSAM: Could you tell us about your life before<br />
the civil war in Syria, and what you went<br />
through during the civil war?<br />
Omar Asım al Hadravi abu Rıdwan: I am<br />
from Al Afa Neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria.<br />
I am 45 years old, and a father of 3 children.<br />
I had a store where I sold kitchen utensils.<br />
Rich people and high level officials came<br />
to my store for shopping. Violent conflicts<br />
broke out after August 2012 in Aleppo. After<br />
the civil war broke out, all the rich people in<br />
Aleppo started to leave the city. The bazaar<br />
was bombed. When the opposition seized<br />
ORSAM<br />
Report No: 157, May 2013 71
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