EARTHQUAKES AFFECT TURKEY AND SYRIA – WHAT COMES NEXT?

On February 6th, two earthquakes hit Southern Turkey. They had magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.8 on the Richter Scale (a scale measuring the size of an earthquake, ranging from 0–10). Across Southern Turkey, eleven provinces were affected, with 115 thousand injured, and up to 47 thousand having sadly lost their lives this number carries on rising due to issues because of the initial earthquake. The effects of the earthquake were also felt in Northern Syria, with 15 thousand being injured and 7 thousand dead, also a number that sadly continues to rise.

Earthquakes of this magnitude present lots of secondary effects due to the disaster, these include damage to roads and transport, the needfor shelter for those whose homes were damaged, as well as foreign aid, as many countries don’t have the wealth to repair all the damages caused and even with the support, it can take decades to return to where they once were. Some of the worst affected areas include Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, and Hatay. The secondhand effects of this earthquake mean that survivors are left with no home, and a need for water and food as governments struggle to deliver aid due to destroyed roads and a lack of resources. The Turkish government has predicted that the damages of this disaster will cost over $84 billion to repair, a task that can take several years. In a bid to speed this recovery up, over 100 countries have provided support to both Turkey and Syria, something that can speed recovery up massively as it supports the financial stability of the recovering nations. On February 10th, Chigwell School organised a charity non-uniform day to help raise money for The British Red Cross, a charity raising money to help the current events going on in Turkey, by doing so the school managed to raise over £2,000, a donation greatly welcomed by the charity.influence.difference.

Dilan Patel, Removes, Penn’s

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO WE CELEBRATE?

What is it?

The month of March is Women’s history month, an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women throughout history and to encourage the development of equality for all. Within this month, March 8th there is the celebration of International Women’s Day, a global honouring of the economic, political, and social achievements of women. Today, International Women’s Day is a global event focusing on women’s rights and gender equality, it originated as part of the labour and voting rights movements. In 1910, a German socialist and women’s right’s activist named Clara Zetkin proposedthe idea of an international day at a conference in Copenhagen, with 100 women from 17 different countries in attendance agreeing with her idea, yet it wasn’t until 1977 that the UN (United Nations) marked March 8th as an international holiday.

Why do we celebrate?

Women’s History Month is a great opportunity for schools and organisations to provide a celebration for the roles and achievements that women have played in history, but also an education for the gender equality that they now strive for. By allocating a month for this, it allows people to gain a range of new information of this matter. With March

8th being International Women’s Day, it allows a further concentrated influx of information and teaching to be provided; education is key to understanding, and this provides an opportunity for organisations to help teach future and shape generations, as learning from mistakes of the past, can help build a better world for everyone. This day also provides an occasion to donate to respective organisations and charities that aim to improve gender equality and women’s rights.

The 2023 International Women’s Day theme is ‘Embrace Equity,’ which calls to attention the idea that different opportunities and resources must be provided to different people to achieve the same fair and equal outcome. The goal of equity is to change systemic and structural barriers in place of people’s ability to thrive and allow them the provision of choice. At Chigwell School, we have displayed support for this cause through various assemblies, presentations, and class discussions to raise awareness and embrace change.