February 6, 2024
News
Emine and her husband lived in an old house. When the earthquake struck Türkiye last February, their house collapsed within moments, trapping them both inside. "We couldn't get out. We were scared, we didn't want to die. We started praying for it to be over," Emine recalls while sitting outside a container in a makeshift town on the outskirts of Malatya, Türkiye. The earthquake took the lives of nearly 60,000 people, and millions more lost their homes. A year after the earthquake, Emine and her husband continue to live in a temporary shelter.
I am better, but it is not the same
When the couple finally got out of the house after the tremors, they stayed close to the house because they had nowhere else to go. "After a few days, someone came to us and asked if we needed anything. They brought us food and helped us get to a tent city," Emine says of the first days after the devastating earthquake. "We wanted to go back home and get some things, but when we got to the house, we saw that it was destroyed. We lost everything," Emine recalls, bursting into tears.
After a while, Emine and her husband moved from their tent to a container on the outskirts of Malatya, where we meet them now. They have three children, but they live elsewhere with their families. Emine describes the impact the devastating earthquake left on her. "I used to feel much better, before the earthquake I used to go out a lot and take care of our garden. But after the tremors I don't feel well, I've lost the desire to do anything," says Emine in front of the living container that now forms her temporary home.
"Now I'm a little better than I was immediately after the earthquake, but it's still not the same. I am not able to cook my own food, I have difficulty moving and I cannot stand for long, so my neighbours help me," says Emine.
Emine has been staying in the temporary shelter for almost a year now, and is likely to stay for months or years to come. Across Türkiye, hundreds of thousands of people still remain in temporary shelters. As construction of new houses continues, these people continue to need humanitarian assistance. Caritas Czech Republic is providing help to the affected people. In a temporary town with containers on the outskirts of Malatya, Caritas Czech Republic distributed hygiene supplies, including feminine hygiene products, which are necessary to ensure decent hygiene in temporary conditions.
Emine greatly appreciates the help. "Thank you very much for your help. I am praying for you and for things to get better," she said.
Caritas Czech Republic's help after the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria
Caritas Czech Republic started helping immediately after the devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria. Together with our partner organisations, we distributed drinking water, hot food, food parcels and basic kitchen utensils so that people could prepare food even in temporary conditions. We provided the locals with hygiene supplies, which were essential to ensure decent sanitation and prevent the spread of disease.
The catastrophic earthquake hit both states in the winter when the area was experiencing low temperatures. We provided safe shelter to the affected people as well as warm clothes, thermal blankets and fuel to safely survive the winter. In the Turkish province of Hatay, we built living containers with portable toilets and showers in cooperation with local partners.
We also provided much needed psychological support to help people cope with the trauma of the devastating shocks. In Syria, we organised group therapy sessions for children and young people and leisure activities for children affected by the earthquake. In Syria, a network of volunteers from 62 local organisations, trained by Caritas Czech Republic and Violet, were involved in the immediate relief efforts after the earthquake. Thanks to the training and knowledge that the volunteers had previously received from Caritas Czech Republic, they were able to provide aid effectively in the first hours after the earthquake.
We are able to help the people affected by the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria thanks to the donors who contributed to the Caritas for Türkiye and Syria fundraising appeal. We are also helping thanks to funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the European Union and in collaboration with partner organisations Violet, SARD and IBC.
Thank you to everyone who helps together with us.
