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The Turkish border region with Syria hosts a large number of Syrian refugees – and was also hit by severe earthquakes in February 2023.
Turkey is considered one of the so-called emerging markets and serves as an important political, economic, and humanitarian bridge between Europe and Asia. Since the outbreak of the war, a large number of refugees from neighboring Syria have sought protection in Turkey over the past years. More than a decade after the beginning of the conflict, the situation of many of these people remains precarious.
On 6 February 2023, two catastrophic earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.7 struck the Turkish‑Syrian border region. In the weeks that followed, tens of thousands of aftershocks were recorded. The disaster is considered the deadliest earthquake event in Turkey in decades.
In Turkey alone, more than 53,000 people lost their lives, and over 100,000 were injured. In the province of Hatay, up to 80 percent of public infrastructure was destroyed or severely damaged, including hospitals, health centers, water and power supply systems, and transport routes.
The earthquakes hit a region already shaped by a prolonged humanitarian crisis. Around 4.7 to 5 million Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons were living in the affected areas, 1.7 to 2 million of them in Turkey. Many lost their homes yet again due to the disaster. The already strained situation in healthcare, water, sanitation, hygiene, and medical infrastructure deteriorated dramatically.
Together with the Turkish organization International Blue Crescent (IBC), action medeor immediately launched emergency aid measures after the earthquakes. These included, among other things, the distribution of hot meals, relief supplies, and medical care for families affected by the earthquakes. In a newly established community center, people received support, hot meals, and also access to psychological counseling services.
Even before the earthquakes, action medeor had already supported people in refugee camps in Turkey: In 2015, an action medeor staff member visited refugee camps in the Turkish-Syrian border area and coordinated the delivery of aid supplies, including medications and medical materials, to care for people in the refugee camps.
With your donation to the work of action medeor, you help us provide access to healthcare for people in countries like Turkey and offer aid in times of acute need!
Your donation enables us to provide medical care to people in crisis and disaster regions.
A lot achieved and still a lot to do: one year after the devastating earthquake in Turkey and