“We were too scared. We left our houses immediately and couldn’t take anything for the birth – not a single baby cloth. There was no one to communicate with and no place to stay. We felt helpless.”
Dear friend, can you imagine being 8- or 9-months pregnant, being so close to bringing home your baby... But then the unthinkable happens: A natural disaster brings incredible loss and destruction, and you now have to face giving birth in a humanitarian disaster?
“We were too scared. We left our houses immediately and couldn’t take anything for the birth – not a single baby cloth. There was no one to communicate with and no place to stay. We felt helpless.”
Dear friend, can you imagine being 8- or 9-months pregnant, being so close to bringing home your baby... But then the unthinkable happens: A natural disaster brings incredible loss and destruction, and you now have to face giving birth in a humanitarian disaster?
Buseyna spoke to us in Türkiye last week after the birth of her daughter, baby Meha. She traveled more than 50 miles to a UNFPA safe space, where she accessed safe delivery care and postpartum counseling. “You [UNFPA] reached us, helped with the birth, and gave me a bag with everything we needed,” Buseyna shared.
Thanks to supporters like you, friend, we have scaled up our relief efforts since the moment the earthquake struck, assessing need and delivering care to women and girls, including to 24,000 pregnant women like Buseyna who are expected to give birth in the next month. We were on the ground before this crisis and we will continue to be there until every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every woman and girl can reach her fullest potential, no matter what.
Thanks to our generous emergency donors, so far we have:
Provided mama kits to pregnant women. These kits contain items like diapers, baby blankets, postpartum pads, and more to support new moms in caring for themselves and their newborns after birth.
Distributed more than 40,000 dignity kits to women and girls across Syria and Türkiye, and we’re expecting to deliver more than 70,000 additional kits in the coming days. These kits contain essential personal care items like soap, toothbrushes, flashlights, and menstrual pads, so women and girls can manage their period and live with dignity.
Supplied 4,500 blankets to families who have lost their homes and are at risk of freezing in the cold.
Deployed more than 20 mobile health teams in the worst-hit areas, so women and girls continue to have access to the prenatal appointments and family planning services they need.
Supported more 24 safe spaces, so women and girls can access violence prevention and protection services. In times of crisis, violence towards women and girls tends to increase.
Anu Surendran
Chief Executive Officer
USA for UNFPA
P.S. If you’ve already made a gift, thank you! Our records may take a bit to update, especially during emergencies, so we appreciate your patience. If you feel moved to support more women and girls like Buseyna with a lifesaving gift, you can do so here.
Your gift will deliver lifesaving sexual and reproductive health care to women and girls in more than 150 countries around the world. Thank you for being there for every woman and girl.
