There are 4 million Syrian refugees and countless Iranian, Afghan and other refugees in Turkey.
Most of them face poverty, language difficulties, the trauma of displacement and many other hardships, but Turkish Christians Find Creative Ways To Love And Supportrt them.
In Izmir, the Christian association Ekmek is at the service of Syrian refugees through the Asma laundry, where poor refugees who have no place to wash their clothes and cannot afford to go elsewhere, can let them get cleaned. Asma washes 55 loads per day.
The Asma laundromat has become a hub for friendship and integration support. He has employed three Syrian women part-time, running washing machines, allowing them to support their families financially and care for their children.
Refugee children are the ones who struggle the most to attend school when they are also overcoming language and other issues.
Numerous women rely on the Asma laundromat to bring their children, so that they have fun but also receive an education in the courses that the volunteers organize there.
The Covid-19 has reduced some activities at the laundromat, so that adult customers are not yet allowed to enter the space, but they can deliver their clothes to the door and pick them up later.
Small groups of children are always welcome during the day. The younger ones are ahead of the curve in Turkish reading and writing, while some of the older ones are now getting excellent grades in their report cards.
The project also provided computer tablets, so that students could access the courses online.
