Devastating earthquakes have hit Turkey and Syria, killing thousands of people and reducing buildings to rubble. People need urgent aid to survive.
The first deadly earthquake struck while people were inside their homes, asleep in their beds, with no warning signs. Thousands of buildings, including hospitals and schools, have collapsed and infrastructure has been badly damaged. Local responders are desperately searching through the rubble for survivors. People have been left without shelter in freezing winter conditions and desperately need blankets, emergency shelter, food and clean water.
Disasters Emergency Committee charities and their local partners are among the first responders providing urgent help. Immediate priorities are search and rescue, medical treatment for the injured, shelter for those who have lost their homes, heating in safe spaces, blankets, warm clothes, and ensuring people have food and clean water.
You can help people affected by the crisis by making a donation and helping to raise money for the DEC appeal. This will allow DEC charities and their local partners to scale up their response and reach more people. Donate now to help save lives:
£10 could provide blankets to keep two people warm;
£25 could provide emergency food for a family for ten days;
£50 could provide emergency shelter for two families.
Councillor James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council said:
“On behalf of Leeds City Council and the people of the city of Leeds I want to express how deeply saddened and shocked we are by the recent earthquakes which have happened in Turkey and Syria. Our thoughts are with the people impacted directly by the disaster and with those Syrian and Turkish people who already call Leeds their home who may be affected and have lost friends and family.
“It has been heartening to see the Leeds community response to the situation and see the city really pull together to arrange community fundraisers, including our very own Active Leeds team, who have worked together to arrange a GoFundMe for a member of staff who has been directly impacted by the disaster. As a council we are responding to requests for help from charities, such as sourcing tent manufacturers and suppliers, and we will continue working alongside our partner organisations in the city to provide the necessary support and reassurance that may be needed.”
As many people across Britain look to support international aid efforts in response to earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Fundraising Regulator are urging the public to ‘give safely’. This comes as the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launches a Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.
The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently in times of crisis overseas. The Appeal aims to secure urgent funding and support for people across Turkey and Syria who need immediate help to survive after disastrous earthquakes have had widespread impact across both countries since the 6th February 2023. The scale of this disaster cannot yet be determined as the situation on the ground continues to evolve, what we do know is that it is a race against time to save lives.
Please donate generously to our Türkiye Syria Earthquake Appeal now:
Disasters Emergency Committee (dec.org.uk)
Islamic Relief UK – A Muslim Charity Guided by Islamic Values (islamic-relief.org.uk)
Syria Appeal – Donate to Syria | Islamic Relief UK (islamic-relief.org.uk)
THANK YOU
