Updated 23 May 2023
Oxfam's Response - 3 Months On
Oxfam, together with our partners in Turkiye (Turkey) and Syria, is working to reach nearly 2 million people – 10 per cent of the population affected by the quake – with aid and support so that they can rebuild their lives.
Turkiye
Over the past three months, we reached 24,053 people in the most affected areas, including Gaziantep, Hatay, Sanliurfa, Maras and Osmaniye.
So far, together with our partners, we:
- Installed 140 toilets, 59 showers and 16 tapstands in Maras.
- A second batch of 750 toilets and 175 showers is being prepared for deployment to Maras, Hatay and Gaziantep.
- Offering 750 meals per day in Gaziantep, Hatay and Sanliurfa.
- This is being done through the community kitchens we helped establish, which are staffed by women affected by the earthquake.
- Distributed 2,200 hygiene kits and 930 menstrual pads in Hatay.
- Hygiene kits include items like bleach, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, shampoo and towels.
It will be months, if not years, before these communities can rebuild their lives. That’s why we’re not only looking at immediate rescue efforts, but also long-term needs as this disaster will have deep impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.
Syria
In Syria, we have reached 250,133 people with a Syrian national partner in the four impacted governorates: Aleppo, Hama, Idlib and Latakia. So far, we have:
- Trucked safe drinking water to 38,731 people
- Installed 40 water tanks, benefiting 6,367 people
- Repaired damaged water systems to ensure 151,532 people have access to clean and safe water in their households
- Distributed 3,728 hygiene and latrine cleaning kits in shelters to 16,919 people
- Conducted solid waste management activities in shelters
- Reached 30,526 people by fixing water taps and toilets, and cleaning sewage in shelters
- Supported safety checks for 6,200 buildings
Moving forward, we will:
DistributeAquatabs and chlorine sachets to prevent against cholera outbreaks.
Distribute hygiene and dignity kits, including menstrual pads, flashlights and other supplies to meet the needs of women and girls.
Distribute cash to help people purchase what they need with dignity.
Rehabilitate damaged bakeries and deliver dry yeast to bakeries.
Carry out basic repairs on water infrastructure in Aleppo, Latakia and Hama.
Özge Sağaltici, who survived the earthquake and works for Oxfam KEDV, said: ‘I’m very grateful for the support that’s been given so far but the earthquakes have caused huge damage. It won’t be easy to fix. We will need more human power, and lots of financial support to help us rebuild our lives.’
Please donate now to support Oxfam's emergency relief work in Turkiye and Syria affected by the earthquake.
Situation
In the early hours of 6 February, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkiye and northern Syria – one of the strongest in nearly 100 years. A second earthquake measuring magnitude 7.5 rocked the region.
The scale of death and devastation is unimaginable and will only continue to rise. Some places have become mass graveyards. Survivors need a roof over their head and food, water, toilets and showers.
If we want to prevent further disasters, we need to support these survivors now. Otherwise, we will have to deal with diseases, and people dying of cold and hunger, which is all preventable.
Members of the Matiya Women’s Cooperative and Oxfam KEDV Neighbourhood Leadership program packing meals for earthquake survivors in Turkiye.
Yalcin Ciftci/Oxfam KEDV
Oxfam KEDV hygiene kits in Samandag, Hatay Province, Turkiye.
Mustafa KaraAli/Oxfam
Oxfam staff distributing hygiene kits in Samandag, Hatay Province, Turkiye.
Mustafa KaraAli/Oxfam
An Oxfam team checking the reparation work for damages in the water system caused by the earthquake in Al-Ashrafieh neighborhood in Aleppo. This is to make sure drinking water reaches families through the main water network.
Islam Mardini/Oxfam
An Oxfam hygiene promoter delivering a session to residents in Aleppo about how head lice spreads and how to prevent it, and distributing anti-lice shampoo to keep families protected.
Islam Mardini/Oxfam
Oxfam, with our partners in Syria, is delivering hygiene materials (including soap, shampoo and menstrual pads) to families who left their homes and are now staying in collective shelters.
Dania Kareh/Oxfam
Oxfam team support the sorting of supplies at a distribution center in Gaziantep.
Tineke D’haese/Oxfam
A young woman uses her phone to share her loss.
Tineke D’haese/Oxfam
Oxfam staff. Oxfam, together with our partners in Turkiye (Turkey) and Syria, is working to reach nearly 2 million people – 10 per cent of the population affected by the quake – with aid and support so that they can rebuild their lives.
Tineke D’haese/Oxfam
Two local residents gathering belongings from their destroyed home, before joining to the thousands of displaced survivors of the disaster.
Tineke D’haese/Oxfam
Ali Dalmen, his wife Betul and their four children survived the earthquake and now live in a warehouse building that is housing up to 7,000 people seeking shelter and refuge. ‘We were shaking and we were so scared; I thought it was my last day. When I looked at the walls, I felt like they were moving towards me, so we went to a wide space to keep us safe,’ Ali Dalmen told us.
Tineke D’haese/Oxfam
Oxfam delivering water to shelters in Aleppo city.
Islam Mardini/Oxfam
Oxfam delivering hygiene items to families in one of the shelters in Aleppo city.
Islam Mardini/Oxfam
Oxfam delivering water to shelters in Aleppo city.
Islam Mardini/Oxfam
A family in Aleppo escaped their home when the earthquake struck on 6 February. ‘I had to pull my three children out of their beds to evacuate our shaking building. The fear I saw in their eyes is beyond description.’ - Mountaser, 49
Islam Mardini/Oxfam
Some survivors are now staying in a cemetery in Al-Salheen of Aleppo.
Islam Mardini/Oxfam
