On 25/06/2018, International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation (IBC) Kilis facilitated a cultural day to celebrate World Refugee Day. The activities were facilitated as following:
Our Music Teacher and his students started the celebration with a musical performance. Then Ms. Melek welcomed the attendees and gave a speech on the significance of refugee day where she provided the beneficiaries with some information on the rights and duties of refugees. Later one of the employees told his refuge story to the attendees. Then a one of our students Told his refuge story and how he adapted to the new life within the host community in Turkey. Then Mr. Alper informed the beneficiaries about the IBC project and distributed brochures We had a piece of cloth hanged in front of the door of the first floor where everybody immersed his /her hand in finger-paint and imprinted it on the piece of cloth. We had a refugee day photo frame, which contained refugee day photos and writings. whoever wished to be photographed using this frame, his photo was taken and later it would be uploaded to the IBC website. There was an open buffet as a refreshment to the beneficiaries. Then The beneficiaries were taken for a tour through our center. The tour included the drawing room, the handicraft room, the rug making and the recycling room, Where in each room we had an exhibition of the products produced in the last six months. Then we had five workers doing the following tasks: Two employees drew on the children’s faces, another had the children painting on masks and another distributed balloons and candies.
Later we accompanied the beneficiaries to our English class where a movie was displayed, while our hostess lady prepared popcorn in the kitchen and served it to the movie audience. The PSS team facilitated a peer-to-peer support session to the vulnerable, and at the end of the support session bottles of perfumes and hand watches were distributed. Note: Because our center could not contain more than 150 person at the same time. Only 150 persons could attend the morning celebration, while we had another 150 persons attending our afternoon celebration which lasted until 06:00 PM. The outreach workers invited some Turkish traders and some neighbors of the center to attend the planned Refugee Day celebration.
All of the invited traders, neighbors, ALRISALA Center staff, DAR ELSHIFA Rehabilitation Center patients and DRC organization Staff attended the activities.
