Fida is delivering aid to the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

The earthquake that hit south-eastern Turkey and norther Syria has killed more than 38,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless. Fida responds to the emergency in the first phase through Turkish churches. Fida’s partner in Turkey is the Protestant Kurtuluş Kilisesi Church, which has 42 congregations across the country.

Several kurtulus local parishes operate in the earthquake area, some of which have already started relief work. Not all congregations have been contacted since yesterday’s quake. From Ankara, the denomination has sent help to the badly affected areas, including a field kitchen and two rescue teams. 

– Many churches are also prepared to accommodate those who are left without housing. Planes take aid to the earthquake affected areas and also transport those who have lost their homes away to safety, says a Fida employee who lives in the Alanya area. There, too, the quake shook buildings, but the actual area of destruction is about 600 kilometres away in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. 

At the moment, shelters such as blankets and tents, as well as clean water and food, are desperately needed in the earthquake affected area. The humanitarian situation is made especially dangerous by winter. 

– It’s really cold in some places, and now that the quake has destroyed the infrastructure, there is no electricity, no water, no food. 

The earthquake was felt in Iraq until 

Turkey was rocked by a 7.8-magnitude quake that caused widespread damage in Syria as well. Aftershocks have come often. The earth also shook on Monday in Iraqi Kurdistan, where Fida workers living in Erbil were forced to move to asylum to wait for the aftershocks to subside. 

Photo: A woman watches as rescue workers dig survivors out of the rubble. Hatay, Turkey, 7.2.2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

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By donating to Fida, the survivors of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria will also receive food, shelter, warmth and hygiene kits. Donate here.