Do good and have fun at ‘expat-heavy' charity events

Istanbul has an active fundraising and charity community, with many an expat having jumped on the bandwagon to provide their services in any way they can to help the needy in their host country. Since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict, Turkey has taken the weight of the burden of refugee influx, becoming the world's biggest refugee hosting country with over 1.7 million registered Syrian refugees alone. This knowledge makes it a pertinent time to join in any way you can, which could just happen to be heading to one or more of these excellent events to have a good time and help at the same time all while getting the opportunity to mingle with those like-minded individuals in the city.

We are all Refugees



On Saturday, May 30, Yabangee, Turkey's top expat portal teams up with Sonikraft to host the second edition of their "We Are All Refugees" benefit concert event held as a fundraiser for the refugee community. The event, which will showcase over 15 musical acts, many of which are expats themselves, will be held at Tunnel Sahne in Beyoğlu. The event kicks off at 4:30 p.m., so get yourself ready and get out for a full day of music and fun for this awesome fundraiser for the Syrian community in Turkey. Admission is free with a donation and all benefits will go to a number of charity organizations that will also be accepting donations in the form of books, school supplies, clothes and household goods.

Caritas in Turkey, which works closely with a variety of people in need, ranging from refugees, migrants, ill-treated women, children, the elderly and handicapped to name a few helps to provide services in the fields of emergencies, health, education, social adjustment and employment. Their volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds and work in collaboration with other Caritas organizations all over the world. Their most active program at present is unsurprisingly, assisting refugees and migrants from Syria and Iraq. Caritas will be accepting any household and clothing items you may have to offer and have specifically requested summer apparel, baby and children's clothing, curtains, tablecloths and bed sheets.

Small Projects Istanbul is a grassroots organization helping those affected by the Syrian conflict to be self-sustainable outside of refugee camps. This largely expat organization aims to provide access to supplemental education and scholarships to assist students and families from Syria succeed in Turkey and beyond. They have especially requested Turkish language books and children's books as well as any sort of language tools or school supplies, such as pencils, erasers, sharpeners, paint and colored pencils. Also keep your eye out for Jasmine Baladi, who will be selling masks and head-wear made by children in Syria in an effort to raise funds for a Syrian-run non-profit organization based in Reyhanlı.

Not only will this event go a long way toward benefiting these excellent organizations, but there will also be over 15 bands and DJs performing all day and into the night on two stages set up at Tunnel Sahne, a popular live music venue in the quaint Asmalı Mescit neighborhood off of İstiklal. With a majority of the line-up being foreigners, this is a great opportunity to check out Istanbul's lively expat music scene.

Istanbul's resident expat rock band "Rubber Walrus," with members from the U.S., Belgium, Turkey and even Iran, take the stage as will the well-loved Turkish dream pop band "The Away Days." "Foton Kuşağı" is also a predominantly expat alternative rock group as is the "The Young Shaven" another alternative country-esque rock band with a blend of foreign residents and Turks. Golden Horn will be performing alternative, acoustic psychedelic, while folk guitar singer-songwriter Dylan Ware, who hails from New Zealand will also be gracing us with his silky vocal stylings.

"KOMA PÛŞ - Haystack," is a group of musicians from Syria combining guitar, bouzouki, cello, violin, qanun and drums played by an Italian, while "The Bear Princess," a recording artist from Denmark, will be dishing up electronic, dance and pop. "Captain Jack and The Bleeding Hearts," a collaboration of Turkish and expat musicians who reside at The Koç School will also be taking the stage and there will also be a special showcase by "Spoken Word Istanbul," to name just a few of the many gigs lined up for this not-to-be-missed musical charity extravaganza.

Bomontİ Kermes

On Saturday, May 30, the annual Bomonti Kermes will be held to benefit the Little Sisters of the Poor elderly home. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., all sorts of handcrafts, clothes, books and gift items, as well as foods from around the world will be on sale at this popular mart, frequented by locals and foreigners living in the city. There will also be a raffle and all proceeds will go to benefit the elderly in need.

Held at the Fransız Fakirhanesi, this charity event also provides the perfect opportunity to check out Bomonti, one of Istanbul's oldest neighborhoods. Located in Şişli, this neighborhood gets its name from the Helvatian Bomonti brothers who founded Turkey's first beer factory in 1894. Although now defunct, you can check out the factory right across the street from the Fransız Fakirhanesi on Silahşör Caddesi. Conveniently held on Saturdays, Istanbul's oldest weekly organic market is also just around the corner should you want to double up on shopping for gifts and greens for a good cause.

Handmade Istanbul Summer Market



Next weekend on Saturday, June 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Handmade Istanbul, an expat and local mix of handcrafters, will be presenting their wares at over two dozen stands set up in the St. Helena Chapel and Courtyard next to the British Consulate in Tarlabaşı, Beyoğlu. The event is free and proceeds from the stands will be donated to refugees housed at the St. George Hostel awaiting relocation from countries including Syria, Iraq, Sudan and Sri Lanka.

Speech Bubbles - Sweet Charity

On the following weekend of June 12-13, Speech Bubbles Theatre Group presents their summer musical Sweet Charity at Profilo Mecidiyeköy. The Speech Bubbles School of Performing Arts is a unique Istanbul-based drama group consisting of musicians, actors and performers of all varieties, ages and nationalities that perform all sorts of musical productions. Established by Tom Godfrey in 1992, this English language drama school originally consisted of English and drama teachers who wrote material especially designed for English language learners. It has since grown into a large multicultural group of professional and amateur actors, singers and musicians of all ages who perform seasonal musical productions to raise money for charities that support underprivileged children and education. Sweet Charity is a fun comedy penned by Neil Simon that includes some of the genres most popular song and dance numbers such as "Big Spender." Showings will be on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.