Helping earthquake survivors in Türkiye

Redhill, United Kingdom – On February 6, 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, killing more than 50,000 people and injuring 100,000 more. Overall, the devastating effects of the earthquake affected approximately 26 million people. It left a catastrophic level of damage in its wake, destroying or severely damaging more than 160,000 buildings in Turkey alone. According to the Turkish Consumer Rights Association’s 2022 report, only about 10% of the country’s population lives above the poverty line. The effects of the earthquake in Turkey are likely to exacerbate this problem, making domestic and international assistance vital.

The impact of natural disasters on poverty

According to CARE International, humanitarian disasters such as earthquakes can inhibit people’s ability to move upwards and cause an inevitable cycle of poverty. At a global conference on disaster risk reduction in 2011, Robert Glaser, Secretary General of CARE explained: “Poverty causes disasters, and disasters cause poverty. When disasters strike, poor people often lose the assets on which their survival depends.” At the same time, their limited resources and lack of access to education and health services can increase their vulnerability.” Natural disasters disproportionately affect developing countries due to limited resources, and natural disasters often exacerbate existing wealth inequality problems. Limited funding for adequate housing, sanitation and infrastructure can exacerbate the effects of natural disasters.

Losing a home can often mean a loss of a person’s livelihood, hampering their ability to purchase a new home and removing their economic security. According to a report by the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, about 26 million people fall below the poverty line each year due to severe natural disasters. These people can no longer engage in consumer activities, resulting in a global loss of $520 billion annually.

Ali’s story

The Borgen Project spoke with Ali, a 15-year-old boy who was involved in earthquake relief efforts in Turkey. The situation was very terrible. It was really hard and sad because there were no more homes. The earthquake destroyed all the houses and everything in the cities and villages. There was no electricity or lights working. It was really sad to see these things; A lot of people were out because they didn’t have a home anymore.”

When it comes to people’s first reaction, Ali says: “We were there to make tents and makeshift dwellings for people to sleep in. There were a lot of people, dead or injured, under the destroyed houses – and people were trying to get to them. People had no food, nothing.” Not at all. The situation really broke my heart and I wanted to stay and help them for years, not days or months. Anyone would feel that way if they saw her.”

Community volunteering

I was in Adiyaman (Kurdish: Samsir), which is next to my city, Mardin. I was volunteering with an Islamic organization called something like the Science and Law Charitable Foundation in English (Ilim ve Irfan Vakfi). Ali explains that he “volunteered every day for a month instead of going to school because there was no school at that time.”

“I was in a group of 20 people who came from my town to help, a few were my friends, and then others. Every day, we unloaded supplies from the trucks and delivered them – tents, clothes, food, emergency response items.”

Ali explains, “We used to make hot food and give it away – some people were cooking and others were washing dishes. I was washing dishes. We traveled from village to village helping people in the area. We helped so many people. It’s not possible to count the number. When we gave People have food and supplies – when they saw we were helping them, they felt happy. Helping them was the best part, it just put that energy in me that I wanted to keep helping them.”

I wanted to help because my cousin died in the earthquake. He was in Hatay on business, went with his cousin, and they were only there for a few days when the earthquake hit – they both died. It was not just one city, but many cities that were affected. I really wanted to help people and see what it was like. We had no international charities with us, and most of the work was done by locals. The Turkish Red Cross and the army were there. People in the cities donated supplies for us to give.”

Turkey’s foreign aid

The international response to the earthquake was massive, likely due to the significant humanitarian aid provided by Turkey in the past. The focus has shifted from rescue to recovery as Turkey tries to rebuild not only its homes but also its economic activities. By February 18, 2023, 102 countries have pledged to support Turkey, and more than 74 international teams have participated in the rescue effort. The World Bank sent Turkey $1.78 billion, the United States contributed $185 million, and the United Kingdom provided £25 million to Turkey and Syria.

In response to previous aid to Turkey, even countries struggling with their financial problems rushed to Turkey’s aid: Somalia with $3 million, Bangladesh with pledges to send medicine and food and Afghanistan with $165,000, Al Jazeera reported.

Despite all the local and international aid, recovery from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria will take many years. However, as long as there are people willing to donate money and volunteer their time, all hope is not lost.

– Tasha B. Johnson Photo: Unsplash

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