Turkey

At a window, chefs are serving hot meals, while a group of women waits in front of the window.

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 acts as a crucial link between Europe and Asia. A large number of refugees from the neighboring country of Syria have sought refuge in Turkey in recent years. The situation worsened in February 2023, when the border region between Turkey and Syria was struck by severe earthquakes.

The Earthquakes in February 2023

On February 6, 2023, two catastrophic earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.7 occurred in the Turkish-Syrian border region, with further quakes following in the weeks that followed. More than 50,000 people lost their lives in Turkey alone. In the province of Hatay, up to 80 percent of the public infrastructure was destroyed. The earthquake hit an area already marked by a humanitarian crisis: approximately 4.7 to 5.0 million Syrian refugees or internally displaced persons lived in the earthquake region, with 1.7 to 2 million of them in Turkey.

By the Numbers: The Situation in Turkey

Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees worldwide: The majority of the 3.6 million people come from Syria, but people from other countries such as Afghanistan or Iraq have also sought refuge here.

After the Earthquakes: Aid for Local Population and Refugees

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.

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