One year ago today, on Feb. 6, 2023, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Türkiye and Syria borders. It was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in a century. More than 50,000 people lost their lives, with thousands more injured and millions displaced.
Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, our teams in the region were able to mobilize quickly in the wake of this disaster and provide lifesaving aid to children and families. Together, we delivered emergency shelter, food, hygiene kits, medical services and other critical resources to nearly 1 million people across Türkiye and Syria. We also set up child-friendly spaces where children could receive long-term psychosocial care to support their recovery.
Your support continues to make a life-changing difference for children like nine-year-old Fidan,* who lost her home and all her belongings in this disaster. With your help, we provided her family with fundamental resources like emergency shelter as well as supplies to get them through the cold winter, like warm blankets, a heater, a kettle and an electric oven – which Fidan was especially excited about, as she craved pastries and her family had no way to cook. Because of you, Fidan now has basic necessities that she didn’t have a year ago.
When any emergency strikes, our teams are among the first to respond and the last to leave, working to help children, families and communities recover and rebuild. Years later, when the newscasters are gone and children are still in need of support, we are there. Because of continued support from champions for children like you, our teams remain active in Türkiye, Syria and around the world working to ensure children like Fidan grow up healthy, educated and safe no matter what devastating challenges they’re facing.
!['If I [had] a magic wand, I would build a home.' -Fidan*. You can make a life-changing difference for children like Fidan.](https://als-totem.s3.amazonaws.com/emailimages/33221/STCML-240-V3.a.png)
