Thanks to your generosity and dedication, once again we have been able to respond rapidly to earthquake relief and rebuilding efforts in Turkey. You have been vital to the success of this campaign. Therefore, we would like to say thank you.
When an earthquake struck Elazig and neighboring cities in January of this year, TPF alongside more than 20 civil society organizations in Turkey came together to establish “Afet Platformu.” The goal was to be able to respond to disasters faster and in a more organized and efficient way. These organizations stand together again, this time for the Izmir earthquake, taking action in minutes to organize and respond to the needs on the ground. They continuously analyze the needs and have been working tirelessly to provide services and allocate donations while cautiously taking safety measures for COVID-19.
We see our role as filling the gaps between emergency relief and long-term development programs that can revive earthquake hit areas both socially and economically, and give new opportunities to the survivors and Izmir and neighboring regions in general. Our selection criteria have been implementation capability, efficiency, financial strength, and transparency. We are excited to announce that AKUT (Search and Rescue Organization), Kadinbalikcilar Dernegi (Fisherwomen Society), The Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG), and NEF Foundation (in collaboration with NeedsMap) are the recipients of TPF’s Izmir Earthquake Relief Fund.
- AKUT (Search and Rescue Organization) will be using the grant amount of $9,259 for purchasing and disturbing packages containing non-perishable food, hygiene items, disaster awareness brochures, and protective masks to 250 households (approximately 1,000 people) between Nov 6th and Nov 15th. AKUT team will share its decades-long experience with the disaster awareness brochures and will inform people on how to protect themselves from COVID-19 while distributing the bags.
- Women Fishers Society (in collaboration with KAMER) will use their grant amount of $10,741.00 for their Solidarity Among Fisherwomen Project, which aims to deliver equipment and fulfill the urgent needs of fisher families, who make their living with fishing and have already been experiencing financial difficulties due to COVID-19 pandemic measures. In collaborations with the local authorities, 54 fisherwomen, who are affected by the earthquake are identified. They will receive hygiene kits (disinfectants, pad, detergents, etc), food support (rice, lentil, oil, vegetables, etc), and fishing equipment (tarpaulin suits, blanket). The project will start on November 16, 2020, and will be finalized on February 16, 2021. Our partner organization KAMER is in partnership with the Fisherwomen Society.
- The Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG) will be using the grant amount of $6,624.39 for supporting the coordination costs and hygiene products of 500 volunteers. TOG has been working with its volunteers and a field coordinator on the ground to plan and carry out food distribution, tent setups, and conducting needs assessments for 15 days. The support will cover the field coordinator’s 15-day salary, volunteer activity vests, face shields, masks, medical gloves, and hygiene materials for the volunteers to work on the ground safely.
- NEF Foundation (in collaboration with NeedsMap) will be using the grant amount of $88,520 to provide rent support for those who lost their homes. “Bir Kira Bir Yuva” Campaign will cover the cost of five-month rents of 25 households who lost their homes during the earthquake. The project will i) determine damaged buildings and the regions that are affected by the earthquake, ii) identify the rent/home needs of households via a map-based portal, iii) monitor the rent contributions through the map-based portal, and lastly, it will iv) conduct the project evaluation in cooperation with İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, NeedsMap, and Disaster Platform.
Team TPF
