Service Projects

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the southern region of Türkiye, Gaziantep, bordering Syria on 6 February 2023, followed by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake on the same day and more than thousands of aftershocks. This is the strongest ever recorded in Türkiye for nearly a century.

Foaz Sallom(56) and his family are one of the Syrian families who lost their homes in the earthquake. "I worked for 30 years to be able to afford my home. Now everything is gone. I don’t want to live in a shelter," he says.

Widespread damage following the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, and throughout 12 years of conflict, infrastructure including the healthcare system is already overwhelmed in Syria. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees are estimated to be affected by the earthquake. Extreme cold weather and snowstorms at that time have further placed the vulnerable at risk.

The devastating earthquakes resulted in widespread damage in Türkiye and Syria. In particular, Syria has been afflicted with over a decade of conflicts prior to the seismic events, leaving the healthcare system decimated. Besides, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Türkiye are estimated to be affected by the earthquake.

The earthquake not only causes the loss of homes of those affected but also brings indelible grief to countless families. Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) provided medical and psychological support to Elif, who was injured in the earthquake and lost her husband, to reduce her emotional distress and to unburden herself.

While the recovery phase has begun, humanitarian needs are still high in the affected areas. Mid-to-long-term accommodation, food, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, health services and Psychological Support Service, etc., are needed.

As of now, the HKRC allocated about HK$15,000,000 to support the relief operation in Syria and Türkiye, including purchased 3,765 thermal blankets, 320 family tents and 2,200 heaters for distributing to affected people; and the procurement of medicines,mediacal kits (including surgical drugs, anaesthetics, antiseptics, dressings, medical gloves, suture kits and plaster materials), cholera kits, and 16,640 hygiene kits and dignity kits. Approximately 2,000 families were provided with emergency cash assistance to address their immediate needs. 240,00 persson-times are expected to benefit.

For people affected in Türkiye and Syria, this is just the beginning for rebuilding their homes, and humanitarian support is in dire needs in the coming years. The needs in the affected areas will keep evolving over time and along relief progress. Your donation enables HKRC to take timely response to support the vulnerable communities.

We are dedicated to walking with the survivors in the future and providing appropriate support in response to the need assessment of humanitarian work. Your support matters!