Emergency intervention for earthquake-stricken Turkey and Syria - Completed

After a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey (officially the Republic of Turkiye) and northwest Syria on February 6, 2023, freezing temperatures, snowfall, and damaged roadways hampered desperate search and rescue operations for people trapped under collapsed buildings. The number of fatalities has crossed 21,000 and is still rising every hour. In an area already devastated by the nearly 12-year conflict in Syria and the refugee crisis, thousands more people are hurt. More than 2,800 structures were destroyed in Turkey, according to local media. Millions of Syrian refugees reside in the nearby cities of Nurda and Gaziantep, which are just outside the provincial capital. Along the border, which has been plagued by the almost 12-year conflict in Syria and the refugee crisis, the earthquake increased the suffering. According to the UNHCR, which operates one of its main operations from Gaziantep, Turkey is home to the greatest population of refugees in the world, or over 3.6 million Syrians. In the midst of winter, hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless in both countries. Many people have set up temporary shelters in parking lots for supermarkets, mosques, along roadsides, and among the rubble, frequently in need of food, water, and heat. The provision of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), as well as assistance with health, shelter, and protection, are top priorities. Shelters need fuel and heat since the cold and below-freezing temperatures are a serious worry. Another top priority is providing tents, beds, and blankets to individuals who have been made homeless by the earthquake. The inability to rescue those who are trapped due to a lack of tools, expertise, and support has been lamented by many in Turkey, sometimes even as they could hear calls for assistance. The earthquake-affected youngsters are now incredibly defenseless and at risk. 

There are currently hundreds of thousands of homeless people, many of whom have likely been torn from from their families and are at risk of disease transmission, child labor or early child marriage, as well as other forms of exploitation and abuse. In Northwest Syria, there were already urgent humanitarian needs, and this devastating earthquake has made an already dire situation much worse. Even before several of the facilities were destroyed, they were ill-equipped and unable to meet demand. 

Families are coping with the physical and psychological effects of this earthquake while also striving to survive without homes, without access to food, in subzero temperatures. Numerous survivors will require drugs for high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma that were left behind in the wreckage in the coming weeks as search efforts shift to the grim work of collecting dead. Women who are expecting children will give birth in temporary housing and refugee camps. Patients with cancer won't receive therapy. (WHO)

CADIS International is making its effort to mobilize personnel and resources to assist the initiatives of our provinces and delegations. We're joining hands with the Francescan Capuchins in Emilia-Romagna region, with a delegation in Turkey.

CADIS has mobilized immediately to respond to the emergency, alongside the Capuchin Friars who are present in the affected places.The CADIS Emergency Fund is activated to raise funds to send to the missionary stations in Antioch and Mersin. In those territories there are two missionary stations where the Capuchin friars have been part of the local community for many years and are a safe presence for the population. One is Antioch, a city devastated by the earthquake. The other is Mersin, a bit far from the epicenter, sustained  less damage. The immediate needs are financial and materials (food and non-food items). About eighty people as of now have been housed in the premises of the convent in Mersin, including a dozen children and youths and a baby just about 2 months old who lost his father. In due time we will see about investing in other ways, for example by helping in the reconstruction of the buildings as Fr. Lorenzo Motti, the provincial superior of the Capuchin in the Emilia-Romagna region, reported. The convent in Mersin sustained minor damages and was declared safe by the engineer who inspected the structure as safe. Two Turkish sisters of the Incarnate Word, Sister Diba and Sister Ancilla, helped in organizing the rooms for the guests and the management of the shelter. In Mersin, four religious are looking after the survivors - Fr.  Roshan, the guardian and pastor, Fr. Mariusz, Fr. Royston and Fr. Francis. 

The help being given to the survivors is shelter with full meals and other non-food support. All the necessities have been purchased to ensure stability in the coming days. Guests are provided with washing machines, refrigerators and other utilities to sustain their autonomy. The guests are involved in the management of the shelter. They organized shift of duties to keep themselves busy and engaged in ordinary activities of housekeeping. This will help them overcome their trauma and fears. Spiritual support is extended to the survivors. They are given a space and time to ventilate their tragic experience. The friars of the community live together with them and are always available to assist their needs, foreseen and unforeseen, and handle inevitable tensions. In Antioch, on the other hand, the situation appears more dramatic. The convent has collapsed almost completely. Efforts of cleaning and recovering some parts of the center are being done, but it is difficult to estimate how long it will be finished. Some families have been offered hospitality in Selcuk (Ephesus/Smirne), where the local Catholic community meets, and in Izmir. One family with a young child is already hosted in the Capuchin convent in Istanbul. 

An important assessment is being done thinking ahead of a post-emergency project to help the families build their future  after this emergency. Together with Caritas, discussions have been initiated to activate resilience project  for the small Christian communities in the area to prevent them from being dispersed again. The Capuchins are very grateful for the generosity of the people and continuously make their closeness felt in the areas affected by the earthquake through their contribution.