Bambi Eloriaga-Amago
In this increasingly materialistic age we’re living in, lavish and extravagant weddings have seemingly become the norm. But for Turkish couple Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat, tying the knot instead became a gateway to acts of kindness and charity.
Üzümcüoğlu and Polat both live in Kilis. As the town is right on the Turkish border, it has become a place of refuge for Syrians numbering in the tens of thousands, all fleeing their war-torn country. The groom’s father volunteers for Kimse Yok Mu (KYM,) a relief organization that operates a soup kitchen responsible for feeding about 4,000 Syrian refugees a day.
The elderly Üzümcüoğlu thought that hosting a banquet for family and friends was “unnecessary,” when so many taking shelter in the town were going without food. He talked to his son about it and the then about-to-be-married couple heartily agreed. The two decided that instead of having a reception, they would take their savings and donate it to feed the 4,000 refugees.
The newlyweds even made it a point to work at the soup kitchen themselves, still garbed in wedding attire and all. KYM tweeted a photo of the moment and the image quickly became viral on Facebook and Instagram.
Since 2011, when a series of violent demonstrations escalated into an all-out civil war, an estimated 11 million Syrians — mostly women and children — have fled their homes to escape the armed conflicts. The Syrian Civil War is said to be the worst humanitarian disaster of our time.
