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 Syria's conflict has left hundreds of thousands dead, pushed
millions more into exile, and had a profound effect on children who
lost their homes or became caught up in the bloodletting.
Hassun and her family are living with nearly 3,000 other people -
1,000 of them under 12 years old - in Yayladagi Refugee Camp, a
former tobacco factory converted by the government just across the
border from Syria in eastern Turkey. Her father works illegally in
Turkey and rarely visits.
She plays with the other children, but her artwork points to the
mental scars borne by her and many of the 2.3 million Syrian
refugees living in Turkey, more than half of them children.
Providing mental security as well as physical shelter is one of the
challenges facing Turkish authorities. A Reuters photo story from various camps in the region shows the
children at play and displaying their drawings. It all appears very
normal - a girl skips rope, another poses in front of her tent,
others weave, teenage boys play football.
To see the photo story, click: http://reut.rs/1N99tK9
 "We have to find a way to let these children forget the war and what
they experienced," Ahmet Lutfi Akar, president of the Turkish Red
Crescent, told Reuters.
"These (children) grow up in camps. We have to teach this generation
that problems can be solved without fighting, and we have to erase
the scars of war."
The Turkish government, aided by the United Nations and
non-governmental organizations, has set up 27 "Kid-Friendly Fields"
across the country, used by an estimated 100,000 children between
the ages of four to 18 who receive support and education, and a
chance to be children.
The centers are the latest effort by authorities to ramp up their
humanitarian response and provide long-term care for refugee
communities unlikely to be able to return for years. From the age of
9, the Arabic-speaking children are taught Turkish to help them
integrate.
"When they arrive in a different country they have difficulties
living in a different culture, in a world speaking a different
language," said Meryem Dolgun, a youth worker. "They have
self-confidence problems, fear. Some think they are worthless."
PICTURES OF TANKS, CRYING MOTHERS
The most severely traumatized are sent to specialist hospitals, but
the rest are given support within the camps.
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"They draw tanks, war planes, dead people, wounded children, crying
mothers. Drawings are the evidence of their trauma, the reflection
of their inner worlds," Dolgun said.
The need to provide schooling and a future for Syrian children in
Turkey - and prevent what Dolgun called a "lost generation" - has
become a high priority.
The work has taken on greater political significance since Turkey
agreed last year to try to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, in
return for 3 billion euros ($3.23 billion) in European Union aid and
moves towards visa-free travel for Turks.
Turkish officials say they have spent more than $8 billion
responding to the Syrian crisis. But if migrant numbers are to drop,
Turkey's refugee response needs to be scaled up.
With just 330,000 places available in camps, and many refugees
preferring to take their chances begging or working illegally in
Turkey's major cities, only a fraction of children are receiving
help. Yet the system is already creaking.
In November, Turkey's disaster management agency urged displaced
Syrians to stay in camps in their own country, rather than crossing
to Turkey.
Many Syrian children in Turkish camps dream not of Europe, or even
staying in Turkey, but of returning to their homes.
"If they go back home they will catch happiness. This is their
motto," Dolgun said.
One such is six-year old Gays Cardak. He is already planning to use
what he learns at school in Yayladagi to help his country, shattered
by nearly five years of war.
"I'm going to be a doctor and an engineer. We the engineers will
rebuild Syria, and I'll take the (soldiers) to hospital," he said,
wrapped in a small winter jacket in the bitter cold.
(Writing by Jonny Hogg; Editing by Nick Tattersall/Jeremy Gaunt)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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