7 February 2023

Philea expresses solidarity with the victims of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

We were dismayed, like so many others around the world, at the shocking devastation and loss of life resulting from the recent earthquakes in Turkey’s southern Gaziantep Province and in northern Syria. In the immediate aftermath, our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those in immediate need: of food and shelter, of clean water, medicine and health services.

On behalf of everyone at Philea, we would like to express our most sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the people in Turkey and Syria: the victims, their families and their loved ones.

The crisis continues to unfold and below we are maintaining a list of responses by Philea members as we learn about them.

If you are a Philea member and you would like a response listed, please get in touch.

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** The content below is updated regularly. Last update – 23 February **


Overview of the situation

Turkey

  • The earthquakes severely affected the 10 provinces of Kahramanmaras, Adana, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Kilis and Osmaniye, where about 13 million people are residing
  • 105,505 people injured and 35,418 deaths were reported.
  • At least 70,000 people are displaced
  • Official figures stand at 47,000 buildings heavily damaged. At least 150,000 people are homeless but more than 1 million people are staying in temporary shelters.

Syria

  • More than 4,400 deaths and 8,600 injuries have been reported in north-west Syria.
  • In northwest Syria, the earthquakes directly affected an estimated 280,000 individuals, who are in immediate need of shelter and/or emergency relief commodities
  • Three border crossings are now opened for UN aid delivery to north-west Syria: Bab Al-Hawa, Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ee.


Member and associate responses

  • Maecenata Stiftung has accredited the Turkish organisation Support to Life to enable it to receive tax deductible donations from Germany (22 February)
  • TUSEV has published an overview of how CSOs, philanthropy and private sector are responding to the situation (16 February)
  • The International Committee of the Red Cross has deployed teams to assess the humanitarian situation and bring life-saving assistance to those affected in Turkey and Syria (14 February)
  • The Lego Foundation is working with partners on the ground to support the children of both Türkiye and Syria (14 February)
  • Caritas Austria is providing essentials for survival to local people in the earthquake zones and making funds available to partner organizations for acute care (13 February)
  • The Amgen Foundation is donating $1 million to relief efforts in Turkey and Syria (9 February)
  • The European Cultural Foundation is preparing to provide targeted support through the established crisis response mechanism of the Culture of Solidarity Fund and media programmes (9 February)
  • The Serbian Philanthropy Forum is launching a campaign to collect aid for victims in Turkey and Syria (8 February)
  • The IKEA Foundation is giving €10 million to provide emergency assistance to provide life saving care as well as 5000 emergency shelters (8 February)
  • The King Baudouin Foundation is setting up a donor circle to collect donations for humanitarian relief and longer-term reconstruction (8 February)
  • Novo Nordisk Foundation is supporting rescue and emergency operations in north-west Syria with DKK 5 million donation to Røde Kors and Dansk Flygtningehjælp (7 February)
  • The International Rescue Committee announces they have 1000 staff working in Syria to support affected communities (7 February)
  • UNHCR is delivering immediate assistance to those in need in both Turkey and Syria, helping both refugees and host communities (7 February)
  • Fondation de France is mobilising 100,000 euros and launching an appeal for donations to provide emergency aid to those affected (7 February)
  • The Lutheran World Federation is calling for donations to support people affected by the earthquakes (7 February)
  • Mercy Corps is conducting rapid needs assessments and will be responding to the earthquake in Northwest Syria, and aiming at resuming emergency water, sanitation and hygiene activities as soon as possible (6 February)
  • The King Baudouin Foundation United States is joining Give2Asia to raise earthquake relief and recovery funds for Turkey and Syria (6 February)
  • The International Rescue Committee has teams on the ground in Syria working to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those affected (6 February)
  • The Charities Aid Foundation is working with donors and relief organisations to send donations in support of relief efforts (6 February)


Situation reports


Funding appeals from humanitarian agencies