SOS Children’s Villages Responds to Earthquake Disaster in Turkey and Syria

On February 6th, 2023, a devastating earthquake struck Turkey and Northern Syria, leaving behind a trail of destruction that continues to unfold and will be felt for years to come. So far, more than 6,000 fatalities have been confirmed, and the WHO predicts that this number could rise to over 10,000 in the coming days.

Impact on SOS Children’s Villages Programmes

In the wake of this earthquake, we are thankful to report that all children and families in our care, as well as our staff located in Damascus and its rural areas, are safe. We conducted an initial inspection of all our programmes to assess the situation, and we can confirm that none of them were damaged.

The city of Aleppo, which was closest to the epicentre of the earthquake, is where much of our family strengthening programme takes place. All families in the programme in Aleppo are currently safe, however, one family had to leave their home and are now temporarily staying in a mosque as their home and neighbourhood were heavily damaged. Our Al-Thawrah School in Aleppo, which we renovated in 2018, was not affected by the earthquake.

Long-Term Impact on Children and Families

This earthquake will have a profound impact on children and families in Syria. In a disaster of this magnitude, vulnerable children are at the greatest risk. Thousands of families are now homeless in both Syria and Turkey, and in desperate need of shelter, medical aid, food, and sources of heat.

The situation in Syria was already unstable, with many living in overcrowded conditions or in displacement camps, and the impact on those who were already the most vulnerable will be felt most keenly. Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees in the world, with roughly 3.7 million registered Syrian refugees in the affected area, meaning some of the country’s most vulnerable children and families are impacted.

Hospitals and medical facilities are overwhelmed, with some forced to evacuate due to damaged buildings. The situation is further compounded by poor weather and freezing conditions in Syria, hindering rescue efforts and creating an even more pressing need for those who have been displaced by this disaster.

Our Earthquake Response in Syria

SOS Children’s Villages Syria is actively spreading public safety messages through social media to help people stay calm, avoid damaged buildings, and stay clear of walls during earthquakes.

At this time, we have not launched a fundraising appeal for the earthquake. However, supporters can donate to our Emergency Readiness Fund, which helps increase our resilience against disasters like this. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and may adjust our approach as the country moves into the ‘Recovery’ phase of addressing the social and economic damage caused by the earthquake.

As an organisation we are encouraging more funding for the ‘Preparedness’ phase of humanitarian action, including promoting the development of early warning systems to alert people of earthquakes so they can seek safety. In 2021, Google launched an early warning system in Turkey that alerts Android phone users.

As the largest NGO in the world which is dedicated to supporting children without parental care or at risk of losing it, including during disasters, we are committed to keeping families together, providing alternative care, supporting young people towards independence, and advocating for children’s rights. It is essential that countries, communities and families increase their resilience against such disasters, which seem to be becoming an ever more present reality across the world.