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Sabah Deniz Gulensoy with her partner, right and her friend, left, who has lost his home in earthquakes.
A Turkish visitor who came to New Zealand six months ago is thankful to the community for helping her gather support for earthquake victims back home.
Sabah Deniz Gulensoy, 27, arrived in New Zealand in September 2021, on a working holiday visa. As she picked blueberries in Hastings, Gulensoy didn’t know how hard it would be to return home.
The young woman, who lost her friends and her partner’s parents in the deadly earthquakes in February, decided to raise funds and awareness of the earthquake victims’ plight.
Gulensoy has been touched by the kindness and love shown by New Zealanders – even as they struggled with two natural disasters.
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“I wanted to do something for all the people in the earthquake zone [in Turkey], not just for my people.
“Kiwis are so supportive and helpful. Even though I am not a resident here, and at this time [when the country faced floods and cyclone], people came forward to give me ideas.
“A member of parliament [Golriz Ghahraman] suggested creating a petition as I wrote to her on ways to help the earthquake victims come to New Zealand on temporary work visas.
“It is so kind of the MP and the people to help me do something that can help victims make some money here and then go back to Turkey to restart their lives.”
Supplied
Sabah Deniz Gulensoy, who works as a blueberry picker in Hastings, is an avid traveller. She has been to 15 countries to explore different cultures.
Gulensoy saved and raised $3500 in a month to send to earthquake victims.
“My partner got the bodies of his parents after 11 days under the rubble. His siblings have lost their home. I have lost friends. It is a very challenging time for us.
“I wanted to go back to my country, but I changed my mind. If I stay here, I can earn more money and send that to Turkey.
“My partner has been helping many victims by supplying them water, food and clothes. My friends have converted a school into a dormitory to offer shelter to people.”
She said the funds would help her friends and partner carry on the rescue and recovery work.
Gulensoy submitted a petition in Parliament asking the New Zealand government to issue temporary post earthquake visas to the family members of Turkish community in New Zealand.
Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, a former refugee, said she knew the struggle of people who escape a difficult situation back home, be it a war or oppression.
“Essentially, the community has come to us and asked for compassion. I think Kiwis can understand as something has happened in New Zealand recently and we wanted to help our family members. Across the world that sentiment is equal, and we would help and do our fair share when a terrible atrocity like this happens.”
Ghahraman said she would accept the petition, on March 29, and the Green Party would join the community in calling on the government.
Drone footage shows the extent of a tear in the earth in the Turkish village of Tepehan, which was created by the force of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria.
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