What can B.C. residents do to help the people of Turkey and Syria dealing with the devastation of last week’s earthquakes?
While there is a lack of food, clothing, shelter, water and sanitation, the difficulty of getting material goods to the shattered region makes it unlikely a made-in-B.C. clothing or food drive would have an immediate effect.
Money is what is most required to speed up relief efforts, says Breanne England, the Canadian Red Cross head of region for the Middle East and Africa, and she’s asking residents to donate what they can to the Red Cross relief efforts.
“At this time we don’t encourage in-kind donations, just because they need to be gathered, shipped, warehoused, transported and inventoried,” said England. ”What we encourage Canadians to do is donate financially and by doing so that money can be used immediately on the ground. It’s as flexible a possible and it lets the first responders and humanitarian organizations get those lifesaving interventions underway."
The federal government will provide matching funds for every dollar donated to the Red Cross.
“Canadians are extremely generous and I do know we’ve had a very generous response,” said England. “That being said, we’ve had a huge death toll and we’re talking humanitarian needs that will stretch into months and years, so anything people can give is both needed and appreciated.”
More than 35,000 people have been reported dead so far and the death toll continues to rise.
“This is catastrophic, we have not seen something like this in the last century,” said England. “People are displaced, they’ve lost their homes. They’ve lost their family members. It’s unseasonably cold right now and they’re living on the streets with no protection from the elements. They have no hot water, no food and it’s been extremely difficult for them.”
Residents fearing aftershocks are afraid to return to their homes and sleep in their vehicles or camp outdoors. Soccer stadiums and tent encampments provide temporary shelters, but it’s not nearly enough to replace the damaged homes.
“I’ve heard some incredible moving stories from our Red Crescent colleagues, how they were able to save a mom and her young daughter and it took over six hours,” said England. “The daughter was laying on a stretcher and she looked up her rescuers and waved and said ‘Hi,’ and they all just melted. You can imagine after all of that how grateful and happy this sweet girl was to see daylight and be alive.”
The situation in Syria has been made much worse by the 12-year civil war which has complicated the arrival of humanitarian aid.
“Before this earthquake there were already 90 per cent of the population (in Syria) under the poverty line,” she said. “People were relying on humanitarian assistance. They had been displaced from the conflict sometimes three or four times over the years. There’s been a COVID pandemic they’ve had to endure while displaced and a cholera outbreak and there’s been an economic decline that means many people are in poverty now The humanitarian needs we’re seeing right now are not just about the earthquake.”
