The latest death toll from Monday’s catastrophic earthquake in Turkey and Syria stands at 8,364 and the numbers are expected to increase significantly, Syria’s White Helmets says.
Many charities are on the ground helping with recovery efforts, but also with providing shelter, food and medical supplies.
Charities helping earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria
The Emergency Action Alliance is a group of 15 aid organisations in Australia which work together overseas after disasters.
They have launched an earthquake appeal, and say that by partnering with other agencies it can increase the percentage of money which directly helps those affected. It says it will not deduct more than 10% of donations raised to cover “indirect essential costs such as donation transaction costs, receipting donations, IT costs, administrating the distribution of donations to member organisations, measurement and evaluation, reporting and overheads related to the emergency”.
Alliance members include the UNHCR, Oxfam, Save the Children, ActionAid, Caritas Australia, Plan International, Care Australia, Baptist World Aid, Act for Peace, Tearfund, Anglican Overseas Aid, Australian Lutheran World Service, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, ChildFund Australia, and Christian Blind Mission.
The Australian Red Cross is fundraising for the Turkish and Syrian Arab Red Crescent teams, and say that donations will help provide immediate and longer-term relief to communities affected by the earthquakes.
It says the support may include “emergency relief assistance such as search and rescue and first aid services, health, shelter and non-food items; specialist aid workers to assist local teams to respond to the crisis; helping people to restore contact with family members separated by the earthquakes by offering services to maintain family links and locate missing family members; and monitoring and evaluation of the operation.
Unicef is raising funds for the children affected by the crisis. It says it is especially concerned for the safety and wellbeing of children who have lost their homes, those who are sleeping rough, and those who have been separated from their families.
It says that children in Syria “face one of the most complex humanitarian situations in the world”. It said that even before the earthquake two-thirds of the population was in need of assistance. Before the earthquake, Unicef said it required US$328.5m to meet the needs of Syria’s children in 2023.
Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, says it has mobilised its medical team and is working with local partner agencies to respond to the earthquake.
Most of its initial efforts were concentrated on north-west Syria, where it said it had treated hundreds of people, mobilised its ambulances, provided staff and emergency medical kits to health clinics, and donated blankets and essential life kits to displaced persons.
What to watch out for
The Australian government warns that scammers often take advantage of disasters to pose as fake charities.
It says to avoid being scammed people should:
Approach charity organisations directly to make a donation or offer support.
Check the organisation’s name and look them up. Check the website address to make sure it’s the same as what you searched for, and check its registration on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) website.
If you are approached by a street collector, ask to see their identification. If you have any doubts about who they are, do not pay.
Never send money or give personal information, credit card details or online account details to anyone you don’t know or trust.
