Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Wales’ contribution increases to £1.7m on day two of aid appeal

Donations to the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal from Wales have reached £1.7m in just two days.

Across the UK the appeal, which was launched on Thursday, has raised £52.8m, enabling Disasters Emergency Committee charities and their local partners to step up aid delivery in the region.

The overall total includes a donation of £300,000 from the Welsh Government and £5 million in UK Aid Match from the UK Government.

More than 24,000 people are now known to have been killed in the disaster. Many more have been injured and hundreds of thousands left homeless.

Freezing conditions continued with temperatures dropping below zero overnight and tremors were still being felt this morning.

Examples of the work being carried out by DEC charities and their local partners include:

• NGO Violet, a local partner of ActionAid, rescued a young girl from the rubble in north-west Syria after she was trapped for more than 36 hours. On being rescued, she asked to go home before remembering her home had been destroyed.
• The British Red Cross are working through the Turkish Red Crescent which is delivering tents, blankets, kitchen sets and food.
• In Turkey, CARE International has been distributing winter clothes, blankets, generators, food and drinking water. In Syria, it will be using DEC funding to distribute stocks of essential items including tents and blankets provided by the UK Government.
• Save the Children have been distributing hot meals in Hatay, Turkey, one of the most severely affected areas.
• SEMA, a local partner of Age International, delivered 50 emergency shelter tents in Idlib, north-west Syria, and is providing hospital treatment to people injured in the earthquake. Its own staff are among the patients being treated in intensive care.
• The International Rescue Committee is working with partners to support hospitals and other health care services as well as providing dignity kits and household items.

Compassion

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “We’re incredibly grateful to the British public for their hugely generous response to this horrific disaster. It’s impossible not to see the images on TV and hear the stories coming from Turkey and Syria and not be moved.

“Compassion comes in many forms, but we are urging people to donate money rather than things. What people in Turkey and Syria need today may not be what they need tomorrow and giving cash means that DEC charities can get help to people quickly and provide a wide range of support over a longer period of time.”

DEC Cymru External Relations Manager, Siân Stephen added: “We are already seeing a flurry of events being organised, and collections being made right across Wales in support of the appeal and we want to give a massive thank you to all the organisers.

“We know it’s a difficult economic time, and despite that the response from the Welsh public to our appeal has been incredible.  We truly appreciate every contribution that is made, no matter how small.”

Events

Fundraising events in support of the appeal are being organised across Wales. Some examples include:

• Charity gig at Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda on February 18th
• Bucket collection at the Carmarthen Town AFC derby today
• Musical evening in Clydach
• Collection at a gig in Hermon
• Collection by Llandyrnog Community Group
• Collection at Eisteddfod Powys
• Swansea Council lit up Guildhall in Red and White
• Twinmade Cardiff Raffle
• Concert at St Margaret’s Church Cardiff, on the 18^th of February

A number of chapels and churches across Wales are also giving their weekly collection to the appeal.

Stay up to date with developments in Turkey and Syria, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts with the DEC Cymru on Twitter or on Facebook.