Luxembourg NGOs, Turkish Embassy Launch Earthquake Appeals

Following the deadly earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday 6 February 2023, various Luxembourg non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have launched emergency appeals; the Embassy of Turkey in Luxembourg is also leading a donation drive.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck overnight on 6 February near the town of Gaziantep in south-central Turkey, near the border with Syria. The major quake - one of the deadliest in recent world history - was followed by several aftershocks. One week on, as of Monday 13 February 2023, the death toll has reportedly topped 36,000, with over 31,000 deaths in Turkey and more than 5,000 in Syria (source: Reuters). Millions more have been displaced and many have suffered injuries.

Caritas Luxembourg

Caritas Luxembourg has released emergency funds and deployed a coordinator on site in northern Syria as part of its humanitarian response to the earthquake. The NGO has been present in the affected region in Syria for almost a decade. Caritas Luxembourg is also supporting victims on the Turkish side of the border, where it has been running a project for migrants and refugees through a local association for the past two years. In a first instance, Caritas Luxembourg released €50,000 to provide earthquake victims with necessities such as food, blankets and medicine. The NGO and its local partners have so far distributed such items to thousands of people in need. As of Friday 10 February 2023, the Turkish local partner's rescue team, which includes tracking dogs, had managed to pull sixteen people out of the rubble. Given the scale of the disaster, Caritas Luxembourg has sent a coordinator to the area to further strengthen the NGO's work on the ground.

Fares Al Safres of Syrian humanitarian organisation SARD (Caritas Luxembourg's local partner) expressed his gratitude to Luxembourg donors: "We have been able to save so many lives here, we are now responsible for ensuring that the survivors do not die of hunger or cold."

Anyone wishing to support Caritas Luxembourg's efforts in Turkey and Syria can do so by making a donation either online at https://www.caritas.lu/en/get-involved/make-donation or via bank transfer to the CCPL account IBAN LU34 1111 0000 2020 0000 with the reference "Tremblement de terre".

Handicap International

Handicap International has mobilised its teams and appealed to the Luxembourg public's generosity to assist its work in the affected region, where the NGO has been present since 2012. Handicap International's teams are currently on the ground assessing the humanitarian needs and helping survivors in north-west Syria. More specifically, these teams are offering physical and functional rehabilitation services to injured people. "We expect a huge need for rehabilitation," said Mehdi Magha, Director of Handicap International Luxembourg. "There are thousands of injured people and many of these injuries can worsen or turn into permanent disabilities if people do not receive appropriate rehabilitation services." Handicap International will also provide psychological support to survivors; individual support sessions will be made available and a mobile team will be sent to the field. The NGO is distributing mobility aids, such as wheelchairs and walking sticks, working together with other NGOs to ensure that the specific needs of the most vulnerable people (i.e. older people and people with disabilities) are taken into account.

To guarantee this assistance, members of the Luxembourg public are invited to make a donation online via Handicap International Luxembourg's website.

Luxembourg Red Cross

The Luxembourg Red Cross is appealing for donations to support its sister national societies in Turkey and Syria in supporting the victims of this natural disaster. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies remains in close contact with the two organisations concerned to assess the mobilisation of the Emergency Response Unit, in which Luxembourg volunteers could be deployed.

Luc Scheer, Member of the Executive Committee at the Luxembourg Red Cross, said: "The winter temperatures in the region are making the situation of the victims even worse. […] Our Turkish and Syrian colleagues and the other organisations deployed on the ground are facing an extreme emergency - let’s support them!"

As President of the Luxembourg Red Cross, Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg recently expressed her "deepest sympathy and the solidarity of our entire organisation with the hundreds of thousands of families affected by the deadly earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria [...]."

The Luxembourg Red Cross has appealed for donations either online or by bank transfer to the CCP account LU52 1111 0000 1111 0000 with the reference "Séisme Turquie Syrie".

MSF

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), another NGO with a Luxembourg section and an existing presence in Syria, has similarly mobilised its teams to respond, together with its local partners, to the increasing needs in the region. MSF lamented that one of its staff members in northwest Syria had died and others had lost family members in the earthquake. "We are very shocked and saddened by the impact of this disaster on the thousands of people touched by it, including our colleagues and their families," said Sebastien Gay, MSF Head of Mission in Syria. "Health facilities are impacted and overwhelmed, and the medical personnel in northern Syria is working around the clock to respond to the huge numbers of wounded arriving to the facilities."

MSF's teams have been treating thousands of wounded people and the NGO has deployed its ambulances to assist the population. More specifically, MSF provided immediate support to more than 20 health facilities across Idlib and Aleppo governorates (Syria) by donating emergency medical kits and providing medical staff to strengthen their teams. MSF teams have also distributed blankets and essential kits among the displaced populations in northwest Syria, where, according to Sebastien Gay, "the needs are very high." MSF is currently assessing the situation and needs in Idlib, northern Aleppo and south Turkey to scale up its response accordingly.

To support MSF's efforts on the ground, donations can be made to the MSF Emergency Fund, which enables immediate help to be given to victims of natural disasters, as well as during epidemics or conflicts. Further details are available on the MSF Luxembourg website.

SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde

SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde and its partners are launching an emergency intervention to support children and their families affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The non-profit, which has been present in Syria (particularly in the Damascus and Aleppo regions) since 1981, is calling on the solidarity of the Luxembourg public to support these efforts. The emergency intervention is expected to target about 25,000 people in the long term. The first measures will focus on the protection of children who find themselves alone, the essential needs of children and families, the opening of child-friendly spaces and psychological assistance. Subsequently, the non-profit will look at strengthening the resilience and the rehabilitation of children and families.

"Children are the most vulnerable during emergencies. At SOS Children's Villages, we want them to understand that they are not alone," explained Samer Khaddam, Director of SOS Children’s Villages Syria. "It is our responsibility and our duty as humanity to respond immediately, deploy everything we have and provide assistance at such critical times. We are organising our efforts, together with our partners, to alleviate the suffering."

To support these relief efforts, members of the Luxembourg public can make a donation via bank transfer to the CCPL account LU65 1111 0050 0053 0000 with the reference "Urgence séismes Turquie-Syrie 2023".

Turkish Embassy, cultural association

In addition to the efforts of NGOs, the Embassy of Turkey in Luxembourg is organising a donation drive for in-demand items which will be transported to Turkey, with the support of the embassy's partners, and distributed to people affected by the earthquake there. The embassy sent off a first convoy of relief materials to Turkey via Brussels Airport last week. Currently, the embassy is collecting the following items: blankets, generators, heaters, sleeping bags, camping mattresses (for tents) and bedchairs. Further information and updates are available on the embassy's Facebook page.

The ACTL Turkish cultural association in Luxembourg is also raising money for the AHBAP voluntary network in Turkey to contribute to the needs of earthquake victims and search and rescue teams in the region. More information about this fundraising campaign is available on the ACTL Facebook page.

UNICEF

UNICEF is also actively providing humanitarian assistance to children and families affected by the earthquakes. In Turkey, the NGO's teams are mobilised to support search and rescue operations for survivors. They are also distributing essential supplies such as hygiene kits, blankets and winter clothing and helping to evacuate children to safe places. In Syria, the teams are working to provide access to drinking water and sanitation services for families and children who survived the disaster. UNICEF is also distributing food and medical supplies through its closest warehouses in Lebanon and Jordan. Its teams are providing psychological care for children having suffered trauma and identifying and protecting children separated from their parents with the aim of reuniting them with their families. As many schools have been damaged, destroyed or are temporarily housing displaced people, UNICEF is also setting up temporary education structures. For more information about the NGO's work in Turkey and Syria, and how to support these efforts, visit the UNICEF Luxembourg website: https://www.unicef.lu/seismes/.