Fri, 10 Feb 2023
We have all read with sadness about the major earthquakes and aftershocks in Türkiye and Syria, with thousands killed and tens of thousands injured.
Reports indicated that the magnitude 7.8 earthquake was the most devastating to hit the earthquake-prone region in more than 20 years and was as strong the one in Turkey in 1939, the most powerful recorded there.
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy says that this disaster exacerbates Syria’s ongoing, complex humanitarian emergency. Reliefweb (a service run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) reports that in northwest Syria 4.1 million people already depend on humanitarian assistance, with the majority being women and children.
It’s also winter, with snow and close-to-freezing conditions adding to the situation and adding health risks to people in the affected region.
A number of organisations have launched appeals relating to the disaster. Philanthropy Australia encourages you to complete your usual due diligence in making donations.
Some examples of current appeals by Philanthropy Australia members include:
Emergency Action Australia – a coalition of leading Australian charities
Medicine Sans Frontières | Doctors Without Borders
Australia for the UNHCR (the United Nations High Commission for Refugees)
Unicef are running a virtual webinar at 6pm AEDT time, Thursday 16 February. This webinar will be a live cross to the affected areas in order to know how UNICEF response is helping the children from the bordering areas of Türkiye and Syria. Register here.
