Dame Prue Leith supports Disasters Emergency Committee's Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal 

Top chefs, including Action Against Hunger supporter, Dame Prue Leith, and Yotam Ottolenghi, have lent their support to the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal as charities race to respond to a deepening food and nutrition crisis following the disaster.

Donations to the appeal have now reached £88.1 million in eight days, including £5 million matched by the UK Government through the UK Aid Match scheme.

The earthquake has killed at least 41,000 people. In Turkey (now known as Turkiye), over 47,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged, the UN said yesterday, leaving many thousands of people without access to cooking facilities.

In Syria, even before the earthquake over 12 million people did not have enough food.

DEC charities and their partners have been working round the clock to provide urgent lifesaving assistance including hot meals, food kits, cooking equipment and clean water in both Turkey and Syria.

Chef and restaurant owner Yotam Ottolenghi hosted a live virtual cookery demonstration yesterday to raise money for the DEC’s appeal. Acclaimed chef and TV personality Dame Prue Leith, who supports DEC charity Action Against Hunger, also expressed her support.

She said: “What has happened in Turkey and Syria is truly shocking. The need for nutritious food is immense as so many people have lost everything. Without their homes and kitchens they are unable to cook. It is terrible. I would encourage everyone to give whatever they can.” 

According to Action Against Hunger, the risk of widespread food insecurity has soared in the aftermath of the earthquake. The damage caused by the earthquake has meant that people have lost their homes, jobs and livelihoods; all of which means that access to food is even more difficult than it was before the emergency.

The charity and DEC member is providing food to people affected by the earthquake through ready-to-eat rations, including canned chickpeas, chicken, and tuna, to help people reach their recommended daily number of calories. They have also started a community kitchen in a village near Kahramanmaras, which gives 3,000 people per day the chance to cook their own food. It also means that people can foster connections and support each other after such a life-changing event.

Cristina Izquierdo, Nutrition & Health Coordinator for Action Against Hunger’s Emergency Team, who has been in Turkey since the day after the earthquake, said: “People who found themselves in a vulnerable situation before the earthquake took place are now at higher risk of not being able to meet their basic needs, where food security is included. Moreover, those who were in a financially stable situation might not be able to, at least temporarily due to the shock, access markets due to disrupted food supply chain.

“Ensuring they have access to sufficient and nutritious food reduces their distress by making sure they can feed themselves and their family members, especially their children, leaving them room to focus on other pressing needs, such as finding shelter,” Christina continued.

In light of different cultural practices, Action Against Hunger has been adapting its response to the emergency. In Turkey and Syria, this has mainly been around the provision of food. People in these countries follow a diet with food which is not always present in a typical aid food basket; these baskets normally contain non-perishable goods like canned vegetables and fruits. The charity has ensured that people are receiving a diverse diet, including fresh foods and local dishes containing oil, olives, yoghurt, fruit as well as vegetables and grains – all typical of a Mediterranean diet.

With food becoming more difficult to access, malnutrition rates are expected to increase according to Deputy Country Director for Syria at Action Against Hunger, Haidi Sadik. She said: “The nutrition status of people affected by the earthquake, especially children under five, who are already malnourished, and pregnant and lactating women, is expected to significantly deteriorate.”

To reduce and prevent this, Action Against Hunger has started malnutrition screening programmes and emergency feeding for infants and young people.

Haidi adds: “Emergency feeding for infants and young people will be a priority in these conditions. Women in collective shelters may no longer feel safe to breastfeed, and combined with a current reported prevalence in shelters of breastmilk substitutes – which do not give children the same level of protection against life-threatening illnesses as breastmilk – safe and effective breastfeeding becomes jeopardised. Action Against Hunger is planning to establish baby-friendly spaces inside collective shelters to prevent this.”

Action Against Hunger continues to prevent hunger through its other programmes in health, water, sanitation and hygiene.

ENDS