CONTEXT
On February 6, 2023 two consecutive earthquakes devastated parts of Southern Turkey (officially known as Türkiye) and Northern Syria, killing more than 50,000 people and devastating the lives of millions more.
The earthquakes were the latest disaster for families in North West Syria, who had already lived through more than a decade of conflict, widespread displacement, crumbling infrastructure and economic collapse. Over 15 million people in Syria are currently in need of life-saving assistance including food, health care and shelter.
Street Child launched an emergency response within 24 hours of the earthquake, seeking to provide aid where the need is greatest. So far, through our network of five partners we have reached more than 16,250 people in North West Syria with food, shelter and child protection activities.
WHAT WE ARE DOING
We are working with local partners in hard-to-reach areas in North West Syria, where the gap between aid and need is greatest. Through our local partners, we have been actively responding from the beginning when many other humanitarian organizations struggled to access the area. Our response includes providing immediate, life-saving support like shelter and food, as well as longer-term interventions to help survivors as they begin the complex road to recovery.
Emergency Response
Our partners Orange, Amal, Takaful al Sham and Violet are working around the clock to protect survivors who have lost everything. We are providing families with temporary shelter, clean water, warm meals, ready-to-eat food packages and blankets.
Looking Ahead
Street Child will continue supporting survivors who have been forced to rebuild their lives. As we continue to provide life-saving support, we will also be working to reduce the disruption to children’s education to ensure all children affected by this crisis are safe, in school and learning.
Mental Health Support
We have set up recreational spaces and learning hubs for children to play and receive mental health support, because the trauma they have experienced is unimaginable. In Aleppo region, our partners have reported that 99% of children are having flashbacks to the earthquake and 93% wake up crying every night.