A launderette to serve Syrian refugees in Turkey

There are 4 million Syrian refugees and countless Iranian, Afghan and other refugees in Turkey.

Most of them have to face poverty, language difficulties, the trauma of displacement, and many other trial, but Turkish Christians are finding creative ways to love and support them.

In Izmir, the Christian association Ekmek is serving Syrian refugees through the Asma launderette, where poor refugees who do not have a place to wash their clothes and cannot afford to go elsewhere, can leave them to be cleaned. Asma washes 55 loads per day.

Asma launderette has become a hub for friendship and integration support. It has employed three Syrian women part time, running the washing machines, enabling them to provide financially for their families as well as care for their children.

Refugee children are the one who struggle the most, to keep up with school classes when they are also overcoming language and other issues.

Many women rely on Asma launderette to bring their children, so that they have fun but also receive an education in the classes that the volunteers organise there.

Covid-19 has curtailed some of the activities at the launderette, so that adult clients are not allow to come into the space yet, but they can deliver their clothes at the door and receive them back later.

Small groups of children are still welcomed throughout the day. The youngest ones get a head start in reading and writing in Turkish, while some of the older ones are now getting excellent marks in their school reports.

The project also supplied computer tablets, so that the students could access online classes.