Sirkhane Darkroom: Earthquake appeal

The vital work of the Sirkhane Mobile Darkroom, working with displaced refugee children, has grown even more significant in recent months since a devastating earthquake hit Turkey in February. This fundraiser is an urgent appeal to all that believe that photography can be a fun, engaging and therapeutic medium for children to interact with new surroundings and people.

Sirkhane is a Mobile Darkroom based in Turkey's South East, which has been operating for six years, led by Syrian refugee and photographer, Serbest Salih. The darkroom unites local children with refugees, teaching them how to take and develop their own photographs. Serbest believes in photography's ability to help refugee children tell their story, and the project encourages them not only to use photography as a language and a therapeutic medium, but also as an activity to help them assimilate into their new surroundings and to bond with other children in their new communities.

A month after the earthquakes occurred, it was reported that more than 850,000 Syrian and Turkish children were displaced. Serbest is moving the darkroom to Adıyaman and Kahramanmaraş, two of the affected earthquake zones and travelling to different locations every week to host workshops for displaced children in these areas. They urgently need funding to be able to continue this work which is why we have set up a GoFundMe page on their behalf, with the aim to raise money to help support them through this particularly challenging time. This money will go towards buying the materials needed for the workshops, such as film and cameras, and contribute to the more logistical expenses of fuel and car rentals which allow Serbest to travel to affected zones across the country.

DoBeDo has been an active supporter of Sirkhane Darkroom over the last year, beginning with our fundraising book ‘Friends No Borders’ which was released last summer. We are reaching out to our extended community of friends and followers to support with any amount they can, all help is greatly appreciated.