Stories
By:
  • IOM Türkiye

Throughout history, migration has helped us to foster new connections, exchange innovative ideas, and enrich each other’s lives. Now more than ever, it is important for us to come together to ensure that everyone receives the support and protection they need for communities to thrive.

“It Takes a Community” showcases and celebrates how all people, regardless of where they are born, can contribute to making our communities better places for us to live and call home. These photos taken by IOM photographers and partner organizations, highlight IOM’s work in the field from Şanlıurfa to Adana to İzmir to IDP camps in northwest Syria.

Curated in line with IOM’s global campaign, this exhibition takes us on a visual journey through stories that show how local communities, migrants and refugees, are working together to build more inclusive societies for all. The stories and beneficiaries demonstrate how the spirit of collaboration and innovative ideas contribute to more resilient communities.

Girls from Turkish and migrant communities warm up before a football tournament organized by IOM’s Psychosocial Mobile Teams in cooperation with the İskenderun Youth Centre. ©IOM2022 Begüm Başaran
Hüseyin proudly makes pita bread at this bakery in İskenderun. He received a cash grant from IOM Türkiye’s Livelihoods Project to sustain his business during the COVID-19 pandemic. ©IOM2022 Begüm Başaran
Ukrainian refugee children in Edirne participate in recreational activities organized by IOM Psychosocial Support Team. ©IOM2022 Begüm Başaran
Mustafa arranges fruits and vegetables at his storefront in one of the IOM-supported camps in northwest Syria. He opened his business with support from IOM and its partners. ©IOM2022
Dried mandarins are among the many items produced at an IOM-supported solar dryer facility in Mersin which provides income-generating opportunities to women from the community. ©IOM2021 Begüm Başaran
A woman paints a tote bag during an activitiy organized across Türkiye as part of the European Union-IOM Harmonization and Social Cohesion Programme on the occasion of International Friendship Day. ©IOM2022 Cansın Bakırcıoğlu
A young girl tests her physical limits at a rock climbing wall. She was one of 19 children who took park in an outing to an adventure park organized by IOM Türkiye and the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality ©IOM2022 Enver Muhammed
Kids play drums and dance to the rhythm during a Children’s Day Festival organized by an IOM-supported Municipal Migrant and Community Centre in Adana. ©IOM2022 Begüm Başaran
Turkish and Syrian women learn the art of creating mosaics at a workshop organized by IOM Türkiye’s Psychosocial Support Team in İzmir. ©IOM2022 Gamze Adlı
Leyla is an LGBTQI+ community member and activist. She is also a refugee who fled from Lebanon to Türkiye. She and her children have settled in Mersin with the help of the IOM-supported Municipal Migrant and Community Centre. ©IOM2022 Begüm Başaran
Women dance in celebration of International Women’s Day during an event hosted by the IOM-supported Municipal Migrant and Community Centre in Adana. ©IOM2022 Begüm Başaran
Alaaddin and his mother fly a blue balloon–a symbol of autism awareness– during an activity organized by IOM Türkiye’s Psychosocial Mobile Team in Hatay on the occasion of Autism Awareness Day. ©IOM2021 Nil Kaya
People with disabilities from the community in Şanlıurfa visit the city’s Archaeology Museum, organized by IOM Türkiye’s Psychosocial Support Team on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. ©IOM2022 Begüm Başaran
Children hold up their drawings during a dental hygiene awareness session in İstanbul, organized by IOM to prevent dental diseases among children and improve oral hygiene habits. ©IOM2022 Melis Güner
Nader is a teacher from a village in Idlib, northwest Syria. He lives in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp supported by IOM where he set up a small tailor shop. ©IOM2022
Alireza is a swimmer from Iran who has a genetic disability leaving him unable to walk and use his hands. Despite this, he continues to work towards his dream of competing at the Olympics. ©IOM2022 Burak Çerçi
A Syrian migrant receives medical attention at IOM’s Migration Health Assessment Centre in İstanbul, where migrants and refugees undergo medical check ups prior to resettlement. ©IOM2020 Emrah Özesen
Two young women hold up an erbane, a traditional wooden folk instrument, during a music activity organized by IOM Türkiye’s Mobile Psychosocial Teams in Şanlıurfa. ©IOM2021 Begüm Başaran
A seven-year-old girl pours water on her father’s head on a hot summer day in northwest Syria. IOM, through its partners, ensures a steady water supply for thousands of residents in IDP camps. ©IOM2022
A father and his daughter make their way back to Edirne from Pazarkule border crossing after their failed attempt to cross the border into Greece. ©IOM2020 Emrah Özesen

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