“We haven’t been able to pay our rent for the last two months. At times we have no milk or nappies. But my in-laws still wish they could also come to Turkey, since the conditions are so challenging for them in Syria.” —Zülafa Muhammed, 21, Istanbul

“My husband has a Turkish friend in Istanbul. He welcomed us in his house with our five children, then paid for us to get started in our own place. I can’t really find the words to express our gratitude for what he has done.” —Necah Muhammed, 40, Bursa

“In Turkey I have a different perspective on the world. I have gained self-confidence. In Syria I had never got on a bus. Now I can walk on the street, get on the bus alone and go to the promenade to enjoy the view of the sea.” —Cihan İsa, 29, Bursa

“I feel sorry for both sides when I hear negative media coverage about Syrians. The people I have so far met have treated me well, always showing great respect.” —Eman Hagabdalh, 61, Eskişehir

“My neighbour in Istanbul taught me Turkish; now I can do my own shopping in the weekly market. My three sons are at home; they can find no jobs. Only one of them is working, caring for six people.” —Maisswn Hamdan, 45, Bursa

“Our Turkish neighbours are nicer than my mother-in-law, who beat me and my children. But when the children make some noise, the neighbours complain to the real-estate broker. I don’t know why they don’t just talk to us instead.” —Esma Habeş, 42, Istanbul

“We are living here as if we were half-dead. Our house is cold, my husband has no job, sometimes we have nothing to eat, my children get frequently ill. But how can one return to a country beset by war? Only in a shroud.” —Ravze Al Muhimid, 33, Eskişehir

“I was working in a textile mill. Boys tried to harass me because I am Syrian. It was hard; in the end I became ill, and I had to leave my job.” —Büşra Muhammed Er, 22, Istanbul

“We fled the war, and we do not want to return. In Syria women stay at home; here we go out and take care of everything. It is good, but it is tedious, because there is a lot to do at home as well.” —Ravdah Alnushoukati, 41, Bursa

“After a bomb fell onto our house, we fled to a village on the Turkish side of the border. They gave us clothes, and treated us well. A Turk also helped us get a surgery for daughter. Thank God there are still such people.” —Mizgin Muhammed, 31, Istanbul