Remar SOS In Turkey

On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey, resulting in the collapse of approximately 300,000 buildings and the loss of over 50,000 lives. The Remar SOS team immediately directed its efforts to Turkey. Beginning from the second day of the earthquake in the Hatay region of Turkey, we launched operations with our mobile clinic, mobile kitchen, doctors, chefs, and other volunteers to aid those affected by the disaster.

A vast number of people lost their homes and had nowhere to seek refuge. Therefore, due to the emergency situation, we distributed tents, blankets, coats, food parcels, hygiene kits, and all specific necessities to those in need. Here are the details:

• For six months, we served hot meals and bread to over 1000 earthquake victims at each meal from our mobile kitchen.
• With our mobile clinic and doctors, we treated over 100 patients daily for six months.
• Within the first two months, we distributed tents to over 200 families who lost their homes due to the earthquake, also assisting with tent setup alongside Remar SOS’s courageous volunteer teams.
• Throughout the initial six months of the earthquake, we distributed over 240,000 food boxes and 50,000 hygiene kits to all regions of Hatay, Turkey.
• Additionally, we distributed thousands of blankets, shoes, slippers, clothing, and coats.

Once everyone had tents, to provide them with a more comfortable living space, we began constructing a container city in collaboration with the municipality and the government.

We established 65 containers equipped with all necessary items such as air conditioning, sofas, beds, refrigerators, etc., for families temporarily displaced by the earthquake, container offices for those who lost their workplaces, an industrial kitchen for hot meal service, and a Cultural Center for children’s development and education. Within our camp:

• We provide daily hot meals to over 300 earthquake victims.
• In our Cultural Center, we offer daily educational activities and English and Spanish language courses for children residing in our container city and its vicinity.
• We also provide separate English and Spanish courses for mothers and adults in our Cultural Center.
• We continue to distribute hygiene kits, food boxes, and suitable clothing and shoes to all areas of Hatay.

We procure goods from small businesses affected by the earthquake and support them in their rebuilding efforts. In doing so, we not only aid these businesses but also support earthquake-affected families by purchasing products from them.