Update from Turkey
This weekend the Crisis Response Team have been back to Hatay, Turkey to provide the next level of support to orphaned and vulnerable children we made contact with during our first and second deployments.
On the 6th February 2023, there was a magnitude 7.8 earthquake followed by aftershocks which devastated regions and cities across Turkey and Syria.
750,000 total building were destroyed, many during the earthquake with more following during aftershocks
300,000 of those were in the Hatay region alone.
Our team revisited the area over the weekend, bringing practical supplies and a glimmer of hope to many of the orphaned children located during the initial two deployments. We were so honored to work closely alongside the ministry and social services, with permission from the governor of Hatay who supported the distribution. It was fantastic to have two social workers join us throughout the visit to ensure the kids are connected with social services for long term support. Many of the teens that we visited told us that their dreams were to become doctors, nurses, structural engineers and teachers and so we wanted to provide them with the necessary tools to aid them on their journey.
The London Stock Exchange & Smellie Savage
These laptops were purchased because of a generous grant we received from London Stock Exchange Foundation- an incredible resource for these teens, meaning they can now reengage with learning online and achieve their dreams. Huge thanks to the London Stock Exchange for making this possible. Thanks also to our friends at Smellie Savage who prepared the laptops for us so they were ready to use on opening.
Crafting Groups
We would also like to say a huge thank you to all of our lovely knitters who spend so much of their time and money creating lovely gifts like blankets. A colorful warm gift like this will make such a huge difference in these kids lives.
Aquabox
Another huge thanks to our friends at Aquabox sponsored by Tenterden Rotary. Accessing clean water can be a huge problem post crisis - a year on and this is still a huge issue in the Hatay region of Turkey. Aquabox have produced this amazing piece of equipment which cleans dirty water making it safe to drink.
The team are now home safe, and we are so thankful that this trip was a huge success. Thank you to everyone’s continued support we would not be able to do this without you!