This is an English translation of a conversation we had with the president of Children of Hope Shelter,

Ferhat Sahin. We spoke about his childhood, personal experiences that he endured while living on the
street, and how he came to be such a large part of the Children of Hope Shelter in Istanbul, Turkey.

Alp/Esin: Does the government drop children in the foster care system after they turn 18?
Ferhat Sahin: Not exactly, only if the kid has a disciplinary issue.
Alp/Esin: What kind of disciplinary issue?
Ferhat Sahin: For example, if he breaks a window or hits someone with a ball on accident, or
says a curse word, he will be removed from any care on behalf of the foster care system. If at that
point he has nowhere else to go after being exiled from foster care he will most likely find
himself on the streets.
Alp/Esin: Really? They just leave you to fend on your own?
Ferhat Sahin: Absolutely. After a child in the system turns 18 the government doesn’t have an
obligation to care for that child anymore. Any small disciplinary infraction is enough to cut ties
with the kid. This is very harmful to the child because these are the years when kids need to be
looked after the most. I too came from the streets at the age of 6 and grew up in the foster care
system.
Alp/Esin: What was the reason that you were on the streets at such a young age?
Ferhat Sahin: There were a lot of problems within my family and I dealt with child abuse. I had
to work to help my family’s financial situation by cleaning shoes. I was just starting elementary
school and would deal with physical and verbal abuse there as well if I could not learn the
information correctly, and would also deal with physical abuse at home if I could not earn
sufficient money. It was a small town and therefore you could not run away. A neighbor would
recognize you and always bring you back home and the abuse would continue.
Alp/Esin: Where did you live?
Ferhat Sahin: Hereke. One day I saw a train departing and asked the worker where the train was
going. He told me it was going to Istanbul. I asked him if Istanbul was far from Hereke and the
worker said it was. Then I asked him if anyone would be able to find me in Istanbul and he
responded, no. That was all I needed to hear and got on the train.
Alp/Esin: And you were 6 years old when this happened?
Ferhat Sahin: Yes. I experienced a lot of interesting things after I made that decision. When I
was escaping my life of abuse I was entering a new life of abuse as well.
Alp/Esin: When you came to Turkey did you begin living on the streets or enter yourself into the
foster care system?
Ferhat Sahin: I was newly living on the streets when the government workers found me and
took me to foster care. I would run from the foster care centers and they would bring me back
time and time again. During this process, I become acquainted with life on the street as well as
with the other kids from the foster care program. Those kids actually taught me about life on the
street because they had all experienced it in one way or another.
Alp/Esin: How long were you on the streets?
Ferhat Sahin: I was on the streets from 6 years old to 19 years old. I was using substances at the
time on the street.
Alp/Esin: What type of substances were you using?
Ferhat Sahin: Tiner (paint thinner), Bali (chemical glue), whatever I could find. Generally, we
would use tiner. One day I was asked to be part of a news interview for a TV program and I told
the man that if he paid me I would partake in the interview. I guess they were interviewing a
variety of students and wanted to get the perspective of someone who was living on the street
and they happened to choose me. Anyway, I ended up winning an award from the program but
they never gave me the award.
Alp/Esin: Why didn’t you receive the prize?
Ferhat Sahin: It went to the Children Of Hope Association
Alp/Esin: This association that you work for now?
Ferhat Sahin: Yes, this association has been around for a while and I would often come to the
shelter myself. After living on the streets for an extended period of time I had become familiar
with some of the volunteers of the association. This organization has been around for almost 60
years, one of Turkey's oldest homeless shelters. When we had no food or money those volunteers
would always find a way to support us.
Alp/Esin: Do you provide food for the men currently residing here?
Ferhat Sahin: Of course. Not just those who live on-site. We also take food to families who are
struggling financially and work with nearby universities.
Alp/Esin: We could help expand the organization in America and gather more support and bring
more attention to the shelter, or start a fundraiser.
Ferhat Sahin: Of course, that would be great. We actually had a mister living in the Netherlands
who was able to give us a very generous donation. I have a friend from the street, Mr.Ugur, who
is a government worker of this association, and I am the head of the association. In many cases,
when we find boys on the streets and we raise them and take care of them and integrate them
back into society they will return to the Children of Hope Association to work with us. Because
of this, this association is able to support itself with those we help and those who grow up and
help us. We don’t have a large number of volunteers, but we are a group that is very tight-knit
and I have no doubt that if I needed help they would do everything in their power to provide that
help. If we find a young boy on the streets who needs dental care we have volunteer doctors in
various hospitals that will provide that care pro-bono. Every winter we raise money to give
winter clothing to children and families in different cities who can not afford those things. For
example, last winter we traveled to Tunceli, and the winter before that we went to Yuksekova
and then Malatya.
Alp/Esin: So your organization is not just limited to cities near Istanbul?
Ferhat Sahin: No, no. We go to places that have harsh weather conditions and make the journey
ourselves.
Alp/Esin: So there is no middleman?
Ferhat Sahin: No, we don’t advertise the work that we do very often. We just make sure to keep
detailed reports for example, how much money we received and how many children we were
able to provide clothes for. We also keep photos of these trips, but ask that those who receive
them do not post it online without permission. 10-15 years ago when people partook in volunteer
activities they would not advertise it. Turkey sometimes doesn’t make the best choices, let me
give you an example. Say you have 1,000 pairs of pants in your possession. Now these pants
aren’t in great condition and can not be sold. However, when you are giving these pants to this
organization you are taking advantage of the fact that this is a shelter and charging me for the
pants without having to pay taxes. I have worked internationally in Berlin and Holland and these
places have an established system to help those who struggle financially and live on the streets,
but Turkey has not yet done so. Everyone kind of has their own system and rules.
Alp/Esin: You said you have traveled to other countries. Was this for the organization?
Ferhat Sahin: No, this was for other social projects. In 2009 there was a project that involved
psychologists and psychiatrists and out of all the questions that they asked, I answered 98%
correctly.
Alp/Esin: So it was like a test?
Ferhat Sahin: Yes, something like that. Because of my score, I was able to travel for free. When
I got there I worked with the homeless shelters and substance abuse and life on the street. But
this had nothing to do with Turkey. It was completely separate. Now when you compare
America and Turkey there are going to be some questions that come up that you won’t be able to
answer. Because America has an established system while Turkey doesn’t when you compare
these systems there will be some questions and gaps. In Turkey, people will come up with a list
of issues but when you ask them for solutions they don’t provide any. In 1997 the place we are in
right now was made hand-in-hand with the Bakirkoy municipality to take care of 18-25-year-
olds and established a protocol, but no one other than us followed the protocol. Everyone just
came, took pictures, and left. But don’t be mistaken, just because the system has not been
established does not mean that the people here lack kindness. A Turkish citizen is merciful, but
volunteering in this country is not great. Most people just come once and then leave. Here’s the
thing, when people volunteer or donate they aren’t doing it for the good of others they are doing
it so that their sins and mistakes are forgiven or so that they can forgive themselves. It’s not that
the people here aren’t goodhearted. The more society improves, the more the government and the
state will as well. What a man doesn’t understand is that by wishing bad for the government, he
is wishing bad for the people of Turkey. His mom, his dad, his uncle, his grandmother. He is
wishing them all bad. How old are you guys?
Ferhat Sahin: 16
Alp/Esin: 16. To the other kids here you are more like 18, 20 in terms of education and
knowledge. When we talk to kids at high schools and college we don’t mention certain
substances by name but since your parents are here I am going to say it. In the last 15 years, a lot
more dangerous substances have entered the streets in Istanbul and Turkey. Methamphetamine
can be acquired by schoolchildren here and is often dispersed for free. Why? In order to get kids
addicted. Then once they are addicted to the free drugs they just become another customer. And
those who can’t afford the drugs, are forced to walk around and help sell it. Now, for the drugs
that were around when I was growing up. When I was on the streets the most common drugs
were tiner and bali. They were the cheapest drugs that we could get and they helped numb the
pain as well as the shame. In terms of tranquilizers – we didn’t have any. There was only
cannabis and that was for the wealthy.
Alp/Esin: What happens when you sniff paint thinner (tiner)?
Ferhat Sahin: You got a headrush and sometimes it would cause hallucinations.
Q: What is bali?
Ferhat Sahin: It was like a chemical glue that people sniffed.
Alp/Esin: And it would make you feel good?
Ferhat Sahin: Yes, it would. It would also get rid of shame. When we were on the streets
begging for money we would be ashamed, but after using the substances we wouldn’t. It also
helped numb pain. When the police caught us asking for money on the streets they would beat us
and the substances helped the pain. Why? Your body is still getting hit but you are in a different
state of mind so you don’t feel it. We didn’t use cannabis because it was for the rich. Nowadays
there are so many synthetic drugs being made in laboratories that even a 10-year-old kid could
get their hands on methamphetamine. The dealers in Turkey will sell to children. Is the
government developing itself to stop this issue? Not enough. I can say this openly; I worked at a
center that focused on substance abuse and there are certain people in the government that know
this issue is happening but choose to ignore it. Take alcohol for example, does it cause a
dependency? Do cigarettes cause dependency? Yes – more so in my opinion. So why are they
still allowed? In Turkey - I don’t want to speak about other countries - the 2 biggest industries in
profit are alcohol and cigarettes. So maybe if certain numbing substances were a source of profit,
it would be better perceived. Now there is another reason why substances negatively impact
people. When you are smoking cigarettes, no matter how much you’re damaging your body
internally you still have control over your mind and your actions. With certain drugs like
methamphetamine, you lose that control over yourself. You are now at the mercy of the drug.
You can be easily swayed. Now what specifically are you researching about substances?
Alp/Esin: I want to know if there is a difference in the type of substances used in Turkey and
America.
Ferhat Sahin: Any drug that is being used in America is being used here. The only difference is
that the substances used in America are originally created there. In Countries like Turkey, they
are replicated which can make them more dangerous. For example, drugs like bonsai
(benzodiazepines) are created in laboratories here and can be stronger than those in America.
Alp/Esin: In America one of the most dangerous drugs is fentanyl. Is that used here? We are
researching the drug epidemic that is taking place in America and around the world. Many
people are overdosing, in 2021 80,000 people died.
Ferhat Sahin: Yes, a lot of people.
Alp/Esin: But in Turkey, the statistics of deaths are far lower.
Ferhat Sahin: In Turkey, people change many statistics.
Alp/Esin: So those numbers are not accurate?
Ferhat Sahin: Of course not. In 2011, I tried to go on the news and speak my truth and I was
arrested. In Turkey, many statistics are not accurate. They are incorrectly stating the number of
covid deaths so that people will go out and live their lives in order to try to fix the economy.
Alp/Esin: Is the economy really bad right now?
Ferhat Sahin: Terrible. I don’t even go anywhere as the head of the shelter. In your country,
$100 is almost 2000 lira. I have lived in other places and the prices are very different. People
here will say it’s not that bad $2.50 there is the same here, but they don’t understand.
Alp/Esin: Was this property given to you by the municipality?
Ferhat Sahin: We came to an agreement years ago and they gave us this land and this building,
but now they want to take it away.
Alp/Esin: I was going to ask about that. Why do they want to take it?
Ferhat Sahin: It’s simple. They don’t like us. We pay 10,000 lira a month to stay here and they
keep raising the prices. They are going against the protocol. They don’t want me to say the truth.
They want me to say the economy is great, there are no substances.
Alp/Esin: Thank you so much you have been so helpful.
Ferhat Sahin: Of course.
[26:30]