Monday’s earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria has left thousands homeless and stuck, without access to fuel or warmth. As of this writing, the death toll is over 5,000. The WHO says up to 23 million people could be affected by this disaster.
There are water and electricity shortages, and many are spending nights outside in below-freezing temperatures. Over 5,500 buildings have collapsed. Hundreds or thousands are still buried under the rubble. Roads, runways and highways have cracked, which, on top of heavy snow, are making rescue access extremely difficult. Rescue workers are exhausted.And on the Syrian side, this has affected cities that were already ravaged by war.
The staff in the cafe where I am writing this, a thousand miles away, are watching news updates on their phones. Every so often, the sounds of crying and shrieking come through the speakers. I can’t help but wonder how many of them have family or friends in this area.
It’s hard not to feel helpless. But if you are in any position to donate—remember, $5 goes a long way here—I suggest the following organization:
(use Google Chrome to translate it if it only comes through for you in Turkish)
Founded by a famous Turkish musician, a social justice advocate who has a hell of a story, it has been recommended most often by people here as the most trustworthy of ways to send donations to those who need it most.
I will update this if necessary. Thank you to all who have checked in.
UPDATE: Apparently donating to AHBAP is tricky from North America. Bridge to Türkiye is a US-based organization that’s working with AHBAP. Donations here are also tax-deductible and you can check on the site if your company can match your donation.
https://bridgetoturkiye.org/
SECOND UPDATE: Many donations and aid is going to Turkiye, but it seems Syria is being forgotten. Molham is said to be a reputable organization through which you can help the people in Idlib, Syria, who are also very badly impacted by the quake. Thus far I haven’t found any orgs that are outside of this area who are able to take donations, but I’ll keep updating this page.
Thank you so much.