Our Earthquake Disaster Response is Ongoing

By far, the most devastating and heartbreaking reality in the 21st century is the reality faced by the Syrian people. After 12 years of destruction, thousands of lost lives, missing persons, and millions of physically and mentally wounded individuals scattered across the globe, comes another disaster to bury what's left of the people in their homes under freezing temperatures. On Monday, Feb 6, two major earthquakes hit Southern and Northern Turkey, leaving 21,000 dead and thousands still under the rubble as we write this newsletter.

We are doing everything we can on the ground, navigating a complicated situation of areas divided politically and militarily; it's very challenging to access many affected areas. We are working with partners and volunteers on the ground and trying to be as dynamic and flexible as possible to meet the urgent needs of people who lost their homes and fill the gaps in aid on the ground.

After our team members in South Turkey and our partner organizations in Syria, and their families, miraculously survived, we started helping families in Northern Syria by equipping temporary shelters and providing heat and ready-to-eat meals. So far, our partners and volunteers on the ground have responded in Janderis, Maarat Misrin, Ram Hamdan, Harim, Bab AlHawa, Azmarin, Al-Tloul in Salkin. We are also supporting volunteers in Aleppo, Latakia, and Hama. 

Meanwhile, like most residents in Gaziantep in southern Turkey, our team members who are based there have been sleeping in their cars or seeking shelter in mosques and schools for the past four days, after they all lost their homes in the earthquake. As they recover, they have been planning for their next interventions on the ground to respond to the most urgent needs in the area.

We salute their courage and their humanitarian drive, as they are looking to support the needs of those who suffered from the earthquake, while they also suffered great losses themselves.

The need is enormous and will continue to rise in the coming days and months. Please donate and share our campaign to help us extend our efforts on the ground.