The ground shook, in the night, on February 6 at a magnitude of 7.8, in Syria and Turkey. As it is a very high magnitude, the impacts were formidable and deadly. Right now, it is estimated that 47,000 people are dead, thousands of others missing and millions homeless, their homes and lives reduced to rubble and grief.
Tremors followed for hours and other quakes are still happening two weeks after, like this one on February 20 at 6.3 magnitude, hitting the same areas and deepening the already existing damages. A lot of the survivors have started to sleep in cars, too afraid to sleep in solid and wake up buried under rubble, like many of their neighbors, friends and family members.
The search and rescue teams are now just trying to recover bodies while municipalities and more generally authorities struggle with providing shelters, food and medical assistance as well as securing the risky areas. It has been better dealt with in Turkey, the most affected country, than in Syria where war (remember, the war that the world has forgotten about?) is still ongoing and help just cannot come easily from abroad. As most Western countries have cut their ties with the Syrian President’s government and that all access to the field is regime controlled, it is just impossible for organizations and missions to get there and help.
I decided to target this post towards what we can do to help at that level. It is normal to feel quite hopeless and distraught when facing such a tragedy, as there is very little practical it is possible to achieve from our comfortable lives in the West. That is why many organizations and smaller associations are asking for funds and have launched specific fundraisers after the earthquake. This money will go towards direct help like providing food baskets or medical help for example, as well as undirect assistance through the financing of operations. Whatever the amount, all will help, believe it!
Here is the few I selected from people I know and trustworthy organizations:
- In Syria, the White Helmets are the only people able to help in the areas affected that are not regime controlled: https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/?fbclid=IwAR3eBn67Hp-fHBJZE25ZfDBuE7iJTxcRHG1bF3WL6C6x6sjq2y_ATLampMk
- Someone I know has started a birthday fundraiser torwards Norsk Folkehjelp, that participates in the assistance efforts both in Turkey and Syria: https://www.facebook.com/donate/503919221925983/503919251925980/
- Doctors Without Borders targets its effort towards Northwest Syria: https://www.msf.org/msf-scales-response-after-earthquakes-hit-south-t%C3%BCrkiye-and-northwest-syria
- Caritas has also started a dedicated fundraiser: https://www.caritas.org/earthquake-syria-turkey/
- Let’s not forget about mental health! Clown Without Borders and Clown Me In work on providing laughter in the aftermath of tragedies and wish to do the same for the earthquake survivors. I know them at a personal level and I strongly encourage you to support them too: https://www.facebook.com/david.lichtenstein.77/videos/521664963196798
Thank you for reading and donating!
Meanwhile in Norway... 