Orphans from around the world meet in İstanbul

While they enjoy the daylight as other children do, they have to deal with the grief of loneliness at night. This is an anguish they feel but can't express. They do, however, understand each other. The orphans were brought to İstanbul by the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) to participate in the 4th International Orphans' Get Together Program to be held at Haliç Exhibition Hall tomorrow. They will share their grief and their joy. They will console each other. As one child said of another, “I do not have a father, but she does not have either of her parents.”

Semer Mehdi Ahmad is an 11-year-old boy living in the war-torn region of Darfur in Sudan. His mother died of a mosquito-borne illness while she was working for a humanitarian relief organization. His father was an engineer; he died of an asthma attack. But Ahmad was too young to remember when these things happened. Now he and his two brothers live in their uncle's home. Ahmad's day usually starts with going to school; this is the only luxury in his life. His real life welcomes him upon his return home, where he does the cleaning and takes care of his brothers. He has never had a toy; he plays the role of his parents. Ahmad wants to be a doctor. He wants to help people in need. His only wish is for toys for the children of Darfur because the game of life is pretty rough.

Orphans from around the world were brought to İstanbul by the Humanitarian Aid Foundation to participate in the 4th International Orphans' Get Together Program, to be held at the Haliç Exhibition Hall tomorrow.

Vifak Isa al-Sayir, a 9-year-old girl who has four other sisters and brothers, brought the dust of Darfur's streets with her to İstanbul. Her father died of a disease; she lives with her elder brother, three sisters and mother. She saw a Barbie doll and a computer in an İstanbul market, and she desperately wants them. Her long-term goal is to become a doctor and take care of patients free of charge. Al-Sayir loves Turkey. She said she is pleased to be here. She will recite a poem about Darfur at the get together tomorrow. She will deliver a message from all the orphans in Darfur calling for an end to the violence in her poem, and she will welcome peace.

‘I wish my dad was holding my hand’

When Laila Rakip's father died of an illness, the 12-year-old girl from Macedonia was left to take care of her five brothers and sisters. A fifth grader, Rakip said Turkish people have treated the orphans well; however, she also added that she misses her father a lot and wishes he was holding her hand when she sees other children with their parents.

Sehra Hassan is not old enough to understand why people wage war and why they are wounded or killed. Her father is dead, and Hassan and the rest of her family -- her three brothers and sisters and their mother -- struggle to survive.

Before coming to İstanbul, she had visited a park once in her lifetime. Hassan said İstanbul's parks and homes are very beautiful and that she always wants to go to the park.

Together the world’s orphans would be the eighth most populous nation

İHH President Bülent Yıldırım stated that the İHH is trying to help orphans from the world's most problematic regions who are victims of natural disasters, wars and violence, adding that they are unable to directly address these problems. Yıldırım said: “These kids become victims of organ mafias and drug gangs. Some health institutions in Africa use these kids as subjects in medical testing for newly invented drugs.” Yıldırım further noted that 500 children went missing in Turkey last year, while the number rose to over 600 in the first five months of this year, stressing that proper measures should be taken to deal with this growing problem.

Yıldırım said children from East Turkistan and Palestine were unable to attend the meeting because of the ongoing chaos in their lands. He also provided statistics pointing to the grave situation of the world's orphans. “There are 143 million orphans, and 400 million defenseless children in the world.

Every year, 5 million children die of famine and malnutrition before the age of 5. Every 5.2 seconds, a child dies of malnutrition, disease or negligence. Thousands of children become orphans because of wars. There are 85 million orphans in Asia, 43 million in Africa and 12.4 million in Latin America. Orphans would make up the eighth most populous nation in the world if they were brought together,” he said.

Entry to the get-together is free. During the event, the orphans will participate in performances based on the folklore of their native countries. Artists and well-known figures will attend the event to support the orphans and draw attention to their problems. The orphans will also make presentations in Kayseri, Konya and Diyarbakır after the meeting in İstanbul.