A month after strong earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, here’s a short update on the contributions collected by the Focolare Movement’s Emergency Coordination – of which the Politics for Unity Movement is a member – a and a glimpse of a first intervention phase launched in Syria in February, which will run through August.
On 7 February, the Focolare Movement’s Emergency Coordination launched a fundraising campaign in support of the people of Turkey and Syria, through the NGOs Action for a United World (AMU) and Action for New Families (AFN). Currently, the contributions collected amount to close to 580,000 Euros, and a first instalment of 100,000 Euros has already been sent to some Syrian regions affected by the earthquake.
In Syria, in the first phase (February – August 2023), the response program directly targets about 2,500 people, will indirectly reach between 5,000 and 10,000 people in the three earthquake-affected areas of Aleppo, Latakia, and Hama, and will cover three areas of intervention: assistance with basic needs, housing rehabilitation, and psychological support.
Useful Links
- Update with communities in Turkey and Syria: https://youtu.be/S_F0ELXyf_k
- For more information: https://www.focolare.org/en/2023/03/15/italiano-terremoto-in-medioriente-azione-e-assistenza-per-le-popolazioni-colpite/
- To read about the Politics for Unity Movement – Focolare Call to the international community, governments and the European Union: http://www.mppu.org/en/earthquake-financial-embargo-suspension-to-syria-for-humanitarian-organizations/
- Article by Domingos Dirceu Franco* reporting on the situation in Syria between war and earthquake (in italian): https://www.centropersonalista.it/latenda/2023/02/13/la-siria-tra-guerra-e-terremoto-quando-si-arriva-al-limite-della-sopportazione-2/
*Economist. Contact person for the RestarT (Restart to Stay) program – Program to create job opportunities that are appropriate for the current Syrian market and can guarantee a minimum income for people.
