How did the opportunity to join this committee of volunteers arise?
This opportunity arises following the work done by the 1st team of the NGO Together International - Portugal, which included a doctor specialized in intervention in disasters, Ricardo Bordon (CUF), and also a Social Worker and Professor at the University of the Azores, Eduardo Marques, two weeks after the earthquakes.
In this 1st mission of the NGO Together International in Turkey, the immediate approach was to create conditions to bring to the field community centers for psychosocial support, and that is where the most challenges arise, given the need to harness the strengths of the community and promote their resilience in the face of tragedy.
Given the lack of responses in the area of adults, particularly the elderly, the opportunity arose to support this specific public, in order to integrate the team on site and respond through a plan of psychomotor support activities. By integrating the 2nd Portuguese team, and after arriving on site, a set of therapeutic actions were developed, namely with women, considering the inexistence of occupational support answers.
What did you find upon arrival in Turkey?
On arrival, in the field, there is a feeling of fear. Arriving at a temporary homeless camp is to immediately feel respect for all the people you come across. They have lost their homes, family members, neighbors, businesses. I asked my Portuguese colleague anxiously, "what do we do now?" He just said "stop, watch and wait. Everything will take place in its own time."
We arrived at 07:30 in the morning, and, after the first meal, we participate in a briefing where we discuss, with the local team, what actions should, or should not, be carried out during the humanitarian mission period.
The first welcome was given by the tireless field medic, Dr. Adalat, who is part of the field management team. Before we start working, it is important that our attitude is one of active listening, so that "false steps" are not taken within a field that is emotionally wounded.
We would then leave for the field, based in the Hatay Expo. Getting to know its dynamics, spaces, activities, organization, and volunteers from other organizations was part of the 1st field day.
On this first field day, I didn't even remember that it was my birthday.
And even people who lost everything cared to give us so much. The heart freezes when someone offers you dinner, in a house that is no longer a home, after having lost 11 relatives. How is it possible?
The resilience of this man who offered us dinner represents all the Turkish people we know: after losing everything, they always gave us double. At that moment I already felt part of a family that shared the same pain and hope for a better future.
How many elements were included in your group?
We were three Portuguese members. The second Portuguese mission was made up of: Dr. Ricardo Bordon - a doctor specialized in intervention in disasters (CUF); Dr. Rui Alberto Silva - specialist in Emergency Management, Disasters and Humanitarian Crises (ISO-SEC), and myself.
Do the images we saw on television do justice to the real scenario of destruction?
Yes, but the television does not accompany the dimension of the catastrophe. There are kilometers of destruction, totally ruined communities with no possibility of recovery. The buildings that are still standing are all cracked, about to collapse.
What is one aspect of the experience that you have been passionate about?
Dozens of times I heard: "What a spectacular experience...you must come with your heart full..." but, in fact, this is not what you want to hear. We go back to our routine with a feeling of insufficiency, of unfinished work.
For all the work that is needed, the organizations, the resources, and accessibility are insufficient to develop therapeutic actions to support the population. Parallel to this feeling, this is a life experience that, over a longer period, allows us to acquire knowledge of how to act and support populations in situations of disasters or humanitarian crises.
How many days did this experience last?
The mission is prepared for a period of 10 days. Both teams consider that amount of time insufficient for all that you have to do in these temporary camps for displaced people. There are hundreds of people, with hundreds of needs, one of the obstacles being communication. But, while many of the people I came across were not proficient in English, we realize that love is the most universal language, understood by all, regardless of religion or culture. Also, there is always a Turkish volunteer who is quickly available to be a facilitator of communication. In addition, translation applications are essential tools in the event that we need to communicate more immediately without the presence of Turkish colleagues.
Was there a desire to return?
Yes. On the way back, the heart comes empty. And so does the soul. There's a total surrender to the country. As an Azorean, we find bonds. The distance is not that great. It's impossible not to be impressed and touched by this event. Especially as Azoreans we should be aware of the risks.
What message would you like to leave to young people considering doing the same kind of volunteering?
Volunteering implies responsibility. It's not "voluntourism", in which volunteers, in their inherent willingness to go on a mission to help disadvantaged communities, especially in developing countries, end up taking advantage of the trip to venture out and get to know a destination. This is a volunteering that requires a lot of responsibility, professional training, proficiency in English, interpersonal skills, humanitarian spirit, and the ability to work in a multicultural environment, in partnership with local organizations and showing respect for the cultural specificities of the place where he/she is inserted. The volunteer must be prepared to be integrated in the therapeutic plans of the provisional Community Centers, and undergo training before leaving for the Humanitarian Mission.
The NGO Together International was responsible for my humanitarian mission as a volunteer. With headquarters in the Netherlands and representation in Spain and Portugal, this organization operates in Turkey as part of the international response coordinated by the United Nations, being responsible for monitoring and preparing all the necessary procedures to integrate the work on site. Currently, one its missions is to establish a series of Community Centers in affected areas in Iskenderun, providing services such as psychological and educational support.
