Action Against Hunger joins the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) in launching an appeal today to raise urgent funds to help people affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, which have killed more than 11,000 people and injured many more.
DEC charities and their local partners are among the first responders, working with locally-led relief efforts. Survivors of Monday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria most urgently need sleeping kits (mattresses and blankets), heaters, fuel, hygiene kits and medicine, according to an initial assessment conducted by Action Against Hunger staff inSyria and Turkey alongside local agencies. The rapid report also confirmed the urgent need to rehabilitate sanitation and hygiene systems, provide psychological support, and distributeemergency cash for affected households.
The DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities at times of crisis overseas. Fourteen of these are responding in Turkey and Syria including Action Against Hunger.
Appeals to raise funds to support this work will be broadcast on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky today (9 February) following the evening news. BBC radio appeals will be broadcast throughout the day.
The UK Government will match the first £2 million of donations from the British public to the DEC’s Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal to provide vital humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people affected by the disaster. This is part of a wider package of support from the UK Government and is in addition to ongoing UK Aid support in Syria and Turkey.
Response in Syria
“The death toll has already surged past 7,000, and survivors urgently need food, water and protection from winter weather,” said Darius Zietek, Action Against Hunger’s Country Director for Syria. “We’re working closely with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the Aleppo Health Directorate and tapping our expertise in water and sanitation systems to assess the damage and try to prevent the outbreak of disease. There is an urgent need for water trucking services since the water supply to the affected neighborhoods has been cut off so that it does not hamper rescue operations.”
A large-scale humanitarian response is needed to support people in Syria who, after more than a decade of conflict and economic crisis, were already heavily dependent on humanitarian aid to cover their basic needs.
“Organizations such as ours, which are already present in the affected areas, are best placed to provide this assistance because of their local knowledge and capacity for rapid response,”Zietek said.
Response in Turkey
“As emergency teams frantically search for survivors, they must also deal with the catastrophic aftermath of thousands of injured people, broken water and hygiene systems, and demolished buildings. The situation is still insecure, there is a lot of uncertainty.”
Daniel was in Gaziantep, Turkey with his family when the earthquake hit. He continued: “The vast majority sleep in cars, because many houses have large cracks and until the buildings are evaluated, it is not safe to return. In our house, there was no gas, electricity, or drinking water.”
Action Against Hunger’s emergency team in Turkey includes an emergency coordinator; a logistician; a water, sanitation, and hygiene coordinator; and a health and nutrition coordinator. They are working with others to help coordinate the logistics of the emergency response, which will include urgent shipments of water and hygiene products, as well as shelter, nutritional, and other supplies.
When Martin felt the earthquake begin, he ran to grab his children and seek protection under a door frame. He said, “The earthquake felt like it was never going to end. The house was swaying like a sail. We couldn’t run because it was snowing. But, we were lucky.”
Psychological support is also important for survivors and rescue and humanitarian personnel. Martin said, “There are people very affected by what has happened.”
Stay up to date with developments in Turkey and Syria, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts with the DEC on Twitter or on Facebook.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
For more information or interviews with Action Against Hunger spokespeople, contact David or Jo press@actionagainsthunger.org.uk or 0208293 6130 to arrange.
Action Against Hunger is the world’s leading charity stopping life-threatening hunger in its tracks. By training parents and healthcare workers to spot the signs, we get life-saving care to people who need it. Action Against Hunger’s research drives forward understanding of how to predict, prevent and treat life-threatening hunger. With unbeatable knowledge and unstoppable determination, the charity supported more than 26 million people across 51 countries in 2021.
For more information, please visit Action Against Hunger UK’s website or follow Action Against Hunger UK on Twitter and Facebook,LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.
Fourteen of the DEC’s 15 members are either responding or planning to respond in Turkey and Syria and will receive funds from this appeal. Some may work through trusted local partners. They are Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.
A collection of images and video footage of the aftermath of the earthquake and DEC charities responding is available here.
Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently Pakistan Floods Appeal and Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, both in 2022. The UK matched up to £25 million of public donations to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through UK Aid Match.
Enquiries about UK Aid Match and UK Government support for Turkey/Syria should be directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Newsdesk. Please email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk.
How to donate:
- Online: Action Against Hunger UK