How you can help the people of Turkey and Syria Sea ice around Antarctica is shrinking to a new low

The willingness to help is huge in Turkey. Not only professional aid workers are on duty, civil society also provides assistance, for example in the construction of emergency shelters or in the purchase of relief supplies.

In Syria, the situation is more complicated: victim assistance is made more difficult as a result of the civil war. This is not only due to the destroyed infrastructure, but also due to the political situation in the country. Because: The region affected by the earthquake is still a combat zone divided under the control of rebels. The zone is difficult to reach.

Reports about the precarious situation in Turkey and Syria are also cause for concern in this country. Many people want to help.

How Switzerland supports the two countries – and how you can make a difference from home:

These aid organizations are on the ground

International aid began after the first hours of the earthquake. Switzerland sent relief supplies and experts to Turkey on Monday evening – the day the first quakes hit – to search for survivors.

These organizations include on site – without guarantee of completeness:

Swiss Red Cross (SRK)

The Red Cross gives priority to search and rescue assistance, urgent medical assistance and the provision of emergency shelters.

rediscover

REDOG, the association for search and rescue dogs in Switzerland, traveled to Turkey on Monday evening to search for people buried with rescue dogs. 22 members are deployed with 14 dogs in the earthquake zone on the Turkish-Syrian border. The association is a business member of the SRK.

UNICEF

In Turkey, UNICEF targets those involved in search and rescue operations. In Syria, the focus is on ensuring that affected children and families have access to clean drinking water and sanitation.

Doctors Without Borders / Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders is mainly active in Syria. The medical aid organization was already supporting people in northwestern Syria before the earthquake. Now the 23 health facilities in the Idlib and Aleppo region have been reinforced with staff.

charity

Caritas Switzerland is currently focusing on emergency aid in Syria, as the organization was already present in some regions before the earthquake.

Relief Organization of the Evangelical Churches of Switzerland (Witch)

HEKS has also been active in Northern Syria for years. In a first step, the aid organization provides humanitarian aid for 1 million Swiss francs. Temporary shelters have been set up and blankets, food and hygiene products have been distributed.

Save the kids

Save the Children has started a relief effort to support the survivors on the ground with the most important resources. In Turkey, a team is already on duty to cover the affected areas with warm blankets and winter clothing. In Northern Syria, Save the Children works together with a partner organisation.

These organizations have initiated relief measures

Terre des Hommes

Terre des Hommes distributes food, blankets and warm clothing through local partners. The organization is still looking at how and where it can help in Turkey.

International Rescue Committee (IRC)

IRC provides health services and shelter to affected children and women through partner organizations.

helvetas

Helvetas supports partner organizations with food and other relief supplies.

These supplies are most urgently needed

It is freezing cold at the Turkish-Syrian border. Many people have lost their roof under their heads and are currently living on the streets. Warm blankets and radiators are therefore desperately needed. Money can be donated through many aid organizations so that they can buy these relief supplies and daily necessities.

Swiss Solidarity does not recommend in-kind donations. “We advise people to donate money if possible,” Judith Schuler, spokeswoman for Solidarity, told the Aargauer Zeitung. The logistical effort is very high and such transport is also not advisable from an ecological point of view.

The willingness to donate is so great

The wave of solidarity is reflected in the donation pledges of Swiss Solidarity – the Swiss charitable organization collected a total of CHF 13,035,332 in donations on Saturday morning. The foundation describes the sympathy as impressive.

(cst)