On February 6, 2023, at 4:17 a.m. local time, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck southeast Turkey near the Syrian border, with its epicenter near Nurdağı and Gaziantep in Gaziantep Province. The earthquake had a depth of 11 miles and resulted in at least 120 aftershocks. It affected 13 million of Turkey's 85 million citizens and at least 10 Turkish provinces, including Adana, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Malatya, and Sanliurfa.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in the affected area. However, the World Health Organization estimated that the disaster could affect 23 million people, including 1.4 million children, who were already in need of aid due to the ongoing conflict in Syria. The earthquake also impacted Syria, with cities like Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, and Idlib badly affected, exacerbating the already existing humanitarian crisis in the region.
The earthquake has left hundreds of thousands of children and their families homeless and vulnerable to disease, exploitation, and abuse. The harsh winter weather and damage to shelters and water infrastructure have increased the risk of hypothermia and waterborne diseases. Children are unable to return to school as buildings have been deemed unsafe. The disaster has added to the already severe humanitarian crisis in northwest Syria, creating the perfect environment for a health crisis with reduced healthcare capacity and disease outbreaks.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, Humanity First dispatched its team to the disaster zone to provide vital assistance to the affected communities. The team, comprising volunteers and doctors, is transporting Syrian refugees to shelter, food, and medical aid, setting up food services, and arranging for temporary medical facilities to treat the injured and prevent the spread of disease. Humanity First is committed to providing ongoing support until the communities have fully recovered from the disaster. However, it still requires support from donors to continue its work, and anyone can assist by donating here (link)
