Dear colleagues and friends,
On behalf of Mehmet Konar-Steenberg, Eric Janus, and Andy Taylor, we encourage you to consider supporting earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria.
The three of us each have connections to the areas in Turkey devastated by the recent earthquake. Professor Janus served in the Peace Corps in southeast Turkey, which was widely devastated by the earthquake. Andy spent time as a student in Gaziantep, near the earthquake’s epicenter. Professor Konar-Steenberg’s 85+ year-old aunt lives in Antakya (ancient Antioch) near the Syrian border. She is safe but had to flee her home because it is in danger of collapse.
The number of dead is nearing 20,000, with many unaccounted for. To make matters worse, the region faces a harsh winter storm. And of course the earthquake comes on top ten years of civil war in Syria. Refugees from that conflict sheltering in both countries now face new miseries.
The pictures coming out of Turkey and Syria depict a disaster of overwhelming proportions, and many of you have reached out to ask how you can help. We hope you will consider contributing to one of the many NGOs providing relief in Turkey and Syria. Below is a New York Times excerpt with links to relief agencies.
We thank you for your consideration and compassion.
Mehmet, Eric, and Andy
Many national and international organizations are helping.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, better known as UNICEF, said it is in Syria and prioritizing water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition, and also focusing on helping unaccompanied children locate their families. UNICEF is accepting donations.
Global Giving, which helps local nonprofit agencies, is collecting donations to help fund emergency medical workers’ ability to provide food, shelter and medicine, among other necessities. As needs in Turkey and Syria change, the organization will focus on long-term assistance, it said.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is requesting donations for its Disaster Response Emergency Fund so it can send “immediate cash assistance.”
OXFAM, an international organization that fights poverty, said it is working with women’s cooperatives in Turkey to determine an appropriate immediate and long-term response plan. It is accepting donations.
CARE, an organization that works with impoverished communities, is accepting donations that will go toward food, shelter and hygiene kits, among other items.
Doctors Without Borders, which responds to medical emergencies around the world, is collecting donations.
The Syrian American Medical Society, a United States-based humanitarian group that supplies medical care in Syria and nearby countries, is collecting donations to deliver emergency aid. At least one of its hospitals in northwestern Syria, Al Dana, received major damage.
Save the Children is accepting donations for its Children’s Emergency Fund, which will help provide children with food, shelter and warm clothing.
The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, which since 2012 has provided medical relief and health care services inside Syria and to Syrian refugees in Turkey, is collecting money.