Overview
Imagine, sleeping in your home at 4 am to suddenly awake to feeling a violent shaking. You realize everything around you is shaking. Not knowing what to do you race outside only to find buildings collapsing, families screaming, people getting stuck in the rubble. We may just be imagining it, but for the people in Syria and Turkiye this is a reality.
On February 6, 2023 at 4:17 am a 7.8 magnitude Earthquake hit Southeast Turkiye and Northwest Syria. Two weeks later, on February 20, 2023 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkiye. As of now over 40,000 people have died, nearly 80,000 more have been injured, and 6,000 buildings have been destroyed. According to the World Health Organization, 26 million people need assistance across both countries. We are working with IRUSA to help provide aid to our brothers and sisters in Syria and Turkiye as they face a hard winter along with devastating climate disasters.
Focus on Syria
For 11 long years, conflicts have killed many Syrian women and children. 6.9 million people have been displaced and 6.8 million people were forced to leave their homes and country. Due to the conflict the standards of living in Syria are very bad. Many women and children do not have access to water, electricity, food, and education. This inaccessibility puts children at risk of contracting waterborne diseases, such as, Cholera and Hepatitis A. They do not even have access to proper medical aid as only 59% of hospitals are functional.
After the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit northwest Syria, the situation only worsened. More than 1,700 buildings have been destroyed and more than 8,500 buildings have been partially destroyed.
Today, 4.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. This earthquake also hit four camps where 62,000 Palestinian refugees were located with 90% of them estimated to be in need. More than 11,000 people in the region are homeless. Due to the harsh winter conditions, shelter is the number one need in Syria.
We are teaming up with Icna Relief to provide medical supplies to clinics and blankets and tents for the homeless in the middle of winter. Below is a complete list of long-term care that Islamic Relief has been providing for Syria.
Islamic Relief Interventions:
- Food Aid
- Access to Water
- Sanitation
- Hygiene
- Other emergency items (Blankets, mattresses, tents, heating materials)
Focus on Turkiye
Turkiye is the largest refugee-hosting country in the world. The Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change said that as of February 23,
164,431 buildings have collapsed or have been heavily damaged due to the earthquake.
4.6 million children and more are located in the earthquake affected areas. The damages are
estimated to cost $34.2 billion dollars. In this time of need
ICNA Relief is offering cash vouchers, so victims can meet immediate needs. They have also provided food, healthcare, and education aid for Syrian and Iraqi refugees.