How to help people affected by the Turkey/Syria earthquake

The wreckage of a collapsed building in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Public domain photo provided by Voice of America

By Angelina Herrera

Turkey was rocked by yet another earthquake on Monday, February 20. This 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey near the Syrian border just weeks after an earlier 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6. This latest earthquake was centered in Antakya City.

The earlier earthquakes left more than a million homeless and killed more than 46,000 people, according to Rueters. That number is surely much higher with the second earthquake.

With Syria in a humanitarian crisis and in a civil war, the devastating earthquake just builds upon the many existing problems in Syria. Turkey is one of the “world’s biggest refugee host countries,” according to the New York Times, which has brought Syrian refugees and Turkey residents to be under immense stress.

There are multiple ways in helping those affected by the earthquake. Natural disaster relief is provided for the victims who have been affected.

The World Health Organization says there are over 26 million people in need of assistance. Here are some ways to help.

To help children who were affected, Save the Children is responding to the crisis in Turkey and Syria. Specifically, in Turkey, Save the Children will provide and distribute tents, hygiene kits, clothing, heaters, blankets, and other necessities. With victims in Syria, Save the Children will continue to work by providing tents and winterization kits.

Global Giving, a non-profit organization based in the U.S., is helping victims both in Syria and Turkey through donations in order to help those in need as well. Global Giving has a goal of 5 million dollars to help those in need. They have reached 2.2 million in donations so far. Global Giving works to provide food, water, medicine, shelter, mental health resources, economic relief, and long-term recovery for those who were affected by the earthquakes. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is working to help the animals affected by the devastating earthquake. The IFAW is rescuing animals affected by the aftermath of the earthquake. They are working to provide veterinary care, food, and shelter for any of the animals rescued.