Three recent high-magnitude earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria have caused people to lose their lives as building after building fell. Many others have been seriously injured and in need of medical care. Some few have been rescued, not for want of trying. The death toll is now over 45,000 people.
Those fortunate enough to survive have lost their homes and face a bitterly cold winter with little shelter or food. Tents, meals, and medical supplies are needed immediately. And later the people must rebuild, but that prospect is daunting, as the devastation is so extensive.
Erin Kandamar — a Newton resident whose husband, Ozan, was born in Izmir, an area not damaged by the quake — notes that the number of dead as a result of the earthquakes equals about half the population of Newton. The Kandamar family, which includes two children in the Newton school system, is active in the Turkish community in Newton. Although their extended family was not injured by the earthquakes, their family has been emotionally and spiritually impacted. Newton is home to many Turkish-American and Syrian-American families.
Kandamar is asking for help for the people devastated by these quakes. She points out that the best way to help is to send cash, rather than goods, which cannot reach to the far corners of Türkiye and Syria while search and rescue operations are underway and the roads are damaged.
Kandamar recommends the following three nonprofit organizations, which Kandamar says have wide-spread support among Newton residents with ties to the region. They are all recognized as 501(c)3 charities and work with NGOs in Türkiye and Syria. Newton resident Gul Yanmaz served on the board of Bridge to Türkiye Fund for 10 years.
- Turkish Philanthropy Funds (donate.tpfund.org) has matching funds of up to $1 million available.
- Bridge to Türkiye Fund (bridgetoturkiye.org)
- Syrian-American Medical Society (sams-usa.net)
Other charities working on the ground in Türkiye and Syria include:
- International Rescue Committee (IRC.org)
- World Central Kitchen (WCK.org) has served more than 1,000,000 meals in Türkiye and Syria since the earthquakes.
- White Helmets (whitehelmets.org) is a humanitarian rescue organization.
- Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org) provides medical care.