Turkey was shaken by two major earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş. The first is 7.7 and the second is 7.6 magnitude earthquake; It caused great destruction in Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Diyarbakır, Adana, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, Malatya and Hatay. Nearly 40 thousand of our citizens lost their lives, thousands injured. Some lost their homes, some lost their jobs, some lost their beloved ones.
One Heart aid night was organized for earthquake victims in Turkey.Almost all television channels broadcast together, and the solidarity of the century was signed with record donations. While large sums of donations poured in from the leading business people and famous names of the country, the citizens mobilized to heal the wounds of the earthquake victims. Aid sent via SMS and IBAN numbers will be donated to earthquake victims through AFAD and Red Crescent.
While the total donation was announced as 115 billion 146 million 528 thousand TL on the historical night, 9 million 10 thousand SMS donations were made.
Apart from this, aid campaigns were launched all over the world for the earthquake disaster in Turkey.
The United Nations (UN) announced that it has launched a campaign against Turkey and Syria.
The US Agency for International Development announced that it will provide $85 million in aid to Turkey and Syria. Millions of dollars of donations were collected with the calls for help made by many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the USA.
The UK Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) launched a donation campaign to support Turkey. It has been reported that the British government will add up to £5 million to the campaign.
The EU Commission will contribute to the work with 3 million euros of emergency aid for earthquake victims in Turkey.
Sweden has decided to donate 37 million crowns (approximately 3 million 438 thousand dollars) to be used for the needs of earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.
In Spain, both official institutions, private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGO) mobilized to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Turkey. It was learned that at least 20 trucks of material were collected only in the first 24 hours of the campaign.
Liberals in the European Parliament (EP) launched a large-scale campaign to support earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.
Azerbaijan Red Crescent launched an aid campaign called “I’m with you, my Turkey” and called on citizens to help our brother country Turkey. The “Turkey Century Unity and Solidarity Platform”, created by Turkish businessmen in Azerbaijan, also launched a campaign.
The amount of donations in the “Hand in Hand for Turkey” campaign held in the Netherlands exceeded 2 million euros in 5 hours.
The in-kind aid campaign organized for earthquake victims in Turkey in Doha, the capital of Qatar, continues with intense participation. Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamed Al Thani also donated 50 million riyals for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.
So far, 561 thousand 546 people have participated in the aid campaign organized by the King Salman Aid Center in Saudi Arabia. Within the scope of the campaign launched in the digital environment, approximately 193 million 166 thousand riyals (approximately 51.4 million dollars) have been collected so far.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Red Crescent called for participation in the aid campaign called “Bridges of Goodness”. UAE-based company Al-Ansari Exchange announced that it has donated 3.67 million dirhams (Approximately $1 million). Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, mother of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, also donated 50 million dirhams (approximately 13 million 600 thousand dollars) for earthquake victims.
And many other countries do not leave Turkey alone with their small and large-scale aid campaigns.