About the Country

The Republic of Turkey is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, making it a country of significant importance. Bordered by eight countries: Greece to the west, Bulgaria to the northwest, Georgia to the northeast, Armenia, Iran, and the Azerbajani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east, and Iraq and Syria to the southeast, Turkey also boasts access to the Aegean Sea to the west, the Black Sea to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Rich in religious and biblical history, it ranked as the 6th most popular tourism destination in the world in 2013. Although Turkey is a secular state with no official state religion, the vast majority of the population is Muslim.

About the People Group

Since March 2011, the crisis in Syria has forced many Syrians to abandon their homeland and seek shelter in other countries. Currently, 1.5 million of these refugees reside in Turkey. One hundred thousand of them are living in very basic refugee camps that have been set up for them. The remainder has scattered to various cities around the country in search of opportunities to provide for themselves and their families. However, they face new obstacles–getting a job, finding shelter, learning Turkish, and integrating into a society where they have no rights and are not granted refugee status. They live in miserable conditions, inhabiting abandoned buildings without water or sewage, collecting paper and scrap metal to sell. Three-fourths of these refugees are women and children, preyed upon by criminal rings that hang around the border to find Syrian females to exploit. Of the estimated 636,000 Syrian children living in host communities in Turkey, only 14 percent of primary-school-aged refugees are enrolled in school. One in ten Syrian children is involved in child labor.

About the Need

The needs of children cry out for those who have a background in education and social work, as well as mental health and counseling. While we try to help meet the practical needs of these dear people, we also need someone who can point them to the Savior of every nation, tongue and people.