Young Girls' House

    News      Pictures       About the project      

Latest News From Young Girls' House
In Turkozu

>>

Our Youth House for Girls
looks down on the city from the hills

By : Oya Fisek
(President, Fisek Institute Science and Action Foundation for Child Labour)

If you have watched the play "KESANLI ALI DESTANI" (Epic of Ali from Kesan), you probably would remember even after all these years, this famous play of Haldun Taner talks about how life goes on in the ghettos. Played by Engin Cezzar and Gulriz Sururi, this milestone of Turkish Theatre, starts with a song by the chorus:

"This is Sineklidag (Fly mountain)

looking down on the city.."

Our Youth House of Boztepe Quarter is one of the houses of this shanty town looking down on the city. The inhabitants of Gazi Osman Pasa Quarter (one of the posh sections of Ankara), can easily see our small white house with purple windows and door frames across the hill, with the sign saying "Fisek Institute Science and Action Foundation for Child Labour" on it.

Our 3 room house is much smaller than what would be considered "normal size house", as a Turkish saying saying goes, "Chick pea bed room, bean living room"(meaning a tiny house). It is heated by a wood stove in the middle, but any volunteer would say "it is very cute and loveable". We turned one of the rooms into a library and computer room. The smallest room is reserved for our Sibel, the responsible big-sister of our house, who is a Librarian and a graduate of Hacettepe University. This room is also used for mothers and daughters who wish to have private discussions. The third room is arranged as a classroom where the girls can do their homeworks after school. During weekends, mathematics and english tutoring classes take place in the same room, conducted by Melek Bölü and Sibel Koca, (Big sisters). Last but not the least, Nazli Koca"s contribution as a drama coach is very valuable for us and the girls.

All our three volunteers make the girls feel special through the love they give from the heart.

With the help of all volunteers, our girls feel valuable, perhaps for the first time in their lives, feel their self-confidence increase and they relax, surrounded by huge circle of love. Talking about increase, we would like to mention that their marks go up noticeably. Their teachers also notice the improvement of their homeworks prepared by the help of the library and the internet. We had to take precautions though, because they always preferred to play on the internet compared to reading boks. While restricting the time spent on the internet, we put forward rewards for the ones who read boks and wrote summaries, like taking them for excursions in Ankara, visiting Ataturk"s Moseleum and such. They were overjoyed by this idea, you should have seen them ! And now the reading rate is definitely increasing.

We have 52 girls now. We asked them why they come to use the "Youth House for Girls". Here are some of the answers:

So, these are some of the reasons why our girls visit our "Youth House".

Meanwhile some of our friends who hear about our activities ask us if we had a party and did not invite them to the "opening". And we say "No, we COULD NOT have an opening, because even while we were trying to move in, mothers and daughters started knocking on our door. Questions poured in. It is impossible to stop the girls. When the schools were closed for mid-term one week earlier than planned, that did it. The house was filled with girls, they did the opening of the Youth House which was meant for them anyway."

I am hoping that our friends who just found out about the unofficial opening, will join our happy appreciation of all the volunteers, all the work achieved so far in the three months since the Youth House has opened. Everything is going smoothly, so we clapped and congratulated ourselves this week also. To accomplish and the continuity of this accomplishment is very important.

The doors of "the Youth House for Girls" open for mothers every Wednesday. We give work to every mother who sends her daughter to the Youth House and she gets paid for her work. Their poor faces light up. They are proud women who endure poverty with much strength.

I would like to share with you an emotional experience with one of them: Lets call this beautiful woman with a big heart, Zeynep. That day her face was white, it was easy to see her pain, she was suffering. I ask her : "What is wrong with you?" , "I am bleeding for 3 days and cramps are endurable" she says. "Did you go see a doctor?" I ask, she says: "I have a green card (special health care card for poor people) but the bus fare is too high"

I am almost choking, "Let me pay the bus fare for you" I suggest , embarrassed, although knowing I should not be the one to be ambarrassed. "No, I cannot take money now. You will pay me anyway when I finish the pot-holders you told me to make."

Next week she delivers the pot-holders and gets her payment. The week after I ask her again whether she went to see a doctor, she says, "Yes, he gave me a perscription, so if you pay me for the pot-holders I brought, I can go and get my medication."

Her bleeding continued for a month, I do not want to even think what if she did not have any pot-holders to make or what if we did not pay her on time.

In Boztepe, there are lots of women like Zeynep. Most of their husbands are either seasonal workers, or are unemployed. But it is good to observe that whatever training or work they receive here in the Youth House help them to get by. Now we ask your support, dear friends, we must sell the products the mothers made, so we can get more material to give them.

On Wednesdays we work and talk at the same time, looking for solutions. The topics are, women"s rights, violence, hygiene, birth control, reproductive health. The future help of any specialist is highly appreciated. We told them about 8th of March Women"s Day one week before and told them that we would celebrate it. And we kept the promise, we got cakes and cookies and started to wait for the mothers. Yes, at 13.30, there they were in their beautiful clothing and delicious home made local dishes like stuffed leaves or peppers, creps, potato salads. They all were shining with joy. "Where are the children" we asked them, "well, you said it is Women"s Day, so we left the children with husbands and came here to enjoy our day !" they said and rightly so we had a wonderful time, singing, laughing eating and drinking tea. At 15.00 hrs, the girl students joined us also. So for the first time the women of Boztepe celebrated the Women"s Day, looking down on the city, along with the city women.

The spring has arrived in Boztepe dear friends. Come on, help us to improve with your voices, with your strength. We are waiting for all of you to visit our "Youth House". We know we will be stronger by sharing.

Celebration At Young Girls' House

By : Oya Fisek
(President, Fisek Institute Science and Action Foundation for Child Labour)

The school bell at "Boztepe Primary School" rang for the last time and all students rushed out of their classes with report cards in their hands into the streets with cheerful screams. The school building became silent until 15th of september when it re-opens. The children arrived at the Young Girls' House, carrying all the joy and the report cards:

- I am on the honor list..

- My grades are all better than last term..

- I passed, I passed... I even got good grades in Math and English also...

They are all talking at the same time, jumping with joyful energy .

- Can we throw a party here?

- Please !

- We'll do everything!!

Silence. With big question marks in their eyes, they all stare at us. The word "No" will sweep away all their joy and energy. None of us would dare to do that. We are a bit curious about our girls' party as well. When one of them asks in a whispering voice:

- Can we please organise a party here?

Of course we do not hesitate to say:

- YES ! ..

All passers by look in curiosity at the windows and hear the overflowing sounds of joy and happiness.

The very same day our girls prepared and distributed the invitation cards with hearts on them.

We were happy and excited to go to our "house" on the "party" day. The living area was prepared for the party with couches and chairs all around the room. There were some neighbours sitting already. Our girls were welcoming the guests while some of them were busy in the kitchen, all of them very smartly dressed. Some of them even had make-up. When all the guests arrived, music started. Our girls put up an excellent show of dances, folk dances and sang songs, then started the service of tasty home-made delicacies.

In the afternoon we did our part of the show by organising games with presents as prizes at the end. This was a novelty for them and a big source of happines. Even the smallest gift we gave them made them thank us over and over again. And of course we silently thank them and couldnot help but reflect on their peers who live in down-town of the big-city.

And the time to end was getting closer, the mothers started to talk among themselves:

- Dinner has to be prepared

- "Wait a moment" we said, "we had made a promise in winter to take you to Ataturk's Mausoleum, so make a list and put down your names, so we can hire a bus for this outing!

Suddenly everybody started cheering but some couldnot help but worry:

- My husband would never let me or our daughter to go..

- If we all go then they will give the permission...

- I hope my mother-in-law would take care of my baby

- The husbands just sit around, doing nothing, what if they take care of the children just once in their lives !...

- We shall visit Ataturk !..

- Oh my god, we are going to the city !..

- I have been living in Ankara for fifteen years and only once I went to the border of Boztepe and that was with my husband..

- Yes, I took my son to the Health Center for vaccination once..

- Come on ladies, lets go home and convince the husbands !..

- Put all our names and the daughters' names on the list, please do not leave without us!

We are excited as they are, we made a division of labor, some of us got the prices for bus rental, Emel Kilicaslan and Banu Pehlivan signed the contract with 2 buses of 46 people seating capacity. We agreed to meet at 9.30 in the morning at Boztepe's border because the streets are narrow and busses cannot go upto our "house". We had our big box of lunch sandwiches prepared by Jale Sengul and Tulin Koca and all other volunteers.

When we went to our house the next day early in the morning in order to welcome the mothers and daughters, they were already there in their smart dresses and lunch sacs in their hands.

They were ready for the Zoo visit after Ataturk's Mausoleum as we promised them earlier.

We started to walk down the hill when everybody on the list was ready. Some of the other neighbours were watching us through closed curtains or waving hands openly in front of their doors. Our group was walking with their head up, proud which made us proud also. We were sure "We are doing the right thing at the right place" . Everybody knew where we were going, but some of our girls were telling the neighbors all the same:

- We are going to visit Ataturk's Mausoleum

- Then we are going to the Zoo, we wont be back before the evening

One of the grandmothers who stays behind pours a bucket full of water (as a Turkish custom-meaning a wish for safe journey-) saying: " They are in Allah's care and then yours, go with joy !" She thinks that the big city, which she watches from the hills, is soo far away .

Yes, the big city welcomes our girls with its noise, heavy traffic, crowds, high rise buildings and sirens and 2 level busses.

They all listen with utmost attention to the stories of Ataturk's life and Liberation Wars which Jale (our volunteer) tells them on the stairs of the Mauseloum. They visit and watch with intense feelings everything on display about the Liberation War and Ataturk in the museum. Some of them even sheds a few tears. They all take turn to write their feelings in the note books at the exit . We note some of them in our note pads:

"Atam (A respectful and loving address to Ataturk, which can be translated as My Ancestor)
My name is Zeynep Aktan.
I am in 6-B class of Boztepe Primary School.
I am sorry that I could not visit you earlier. But I live so far away, and my father works only in summers, that's why we do not have that much money, so I don't think I can come and visit you again. But I love you dearly, you said: "Girls must go to school" I am going to school and working hard. I am on the honor list this year. When I start earning money, I will come and visit you again. Zeynep (who loves you very much)"

"My Dear Ataturk,
We have your speech for youth hanging on the wall in our classroom. We read it everyday. You have given us a lot of responsibilities. You trusted in us. Rest in peace. We are all working very hard to fulfill our duties you gave us. My father is unemployed for 2 years, so I don't know whether I can continue to go to school or not. But nevertheless I still promise that I will be a girl like you would want me to be.
Sinem"

We ask the mothers if they would like to write a few lines also. Clouds pass through their eyes. One of them says: "All women here were taken away from school at early ages to be married. I had my first baby when I was 15. We grew up with our children. I could write something barely lisible but I would be embarrassed , especially towards Ataturk !"

We feel as if our hearts are wrung, are they the ones to be embarrassed?

The program continues without any hesitation or stop. We enter the picnic area of the Ankara Zoo at 1 pm. The girls run towards the swings, slides and sea-saws. Mothers open up the lunch sacs. All picnic tables are illuminated by different home-made foods and we distribute the sandwiches we prepared before. Some mothers are uncomfortable because of the "city" shoes they wear perhaps only once or twice a year, so they take them off, and run towards the swings or play ball and have fun along with their daughters. Soon there is no difference between young mothers and daughters, enjoying their stolen childhood. They absolutely love the animals at the zoo. It is very difficult to say "Hey its time to go.."

Upon arrival at Boztepe we all hug each other to say goodbye. They thank us over and over again. And we thank them also, because we grow and become stronger by sharing their happiness.

They all wave goodbye, at the end of a beautiful day when they all left behind their unemployment, poverty, health problems, and enjoyed themselves like care-free children.

To all friends who say : " What can I do?" "How can I help?" , whom ever hearing our voice, we call them to join us in the fight to overcome the facit-circle, join hearts, hands and efforts. We never lose our belief that they will be on our side in everyway.

Click for more details about Young Girls' House Project

Fisek Institute Science and Action Foundation for Child Labour
Selanik Cad. 52/4 Kizilay-Ankara Turkey
Phone : 90.312.4197811, Fax : 90.312.4252801
http://www.fisek.org