CONVOY REMAINS COMMITTED TO HELPING AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN.’

More than 200,000 buildings were destroyed, the equivalent of nearly five Manhattans.

Hundreds of thousands of survivors took shelter wherever they could: government shelters, hotels, shopping malls, stadiums, mosques, and community centers. Many had no place to go and spent the frigid nights outside gathered around fires.

“People were without access to their most basic needs — food, water, and shelter,” says Ryan Grabill, senior director of Convoy of Hope’s International Disaster Services team. “More than 1 million meals have been distributed.”

Convoy of Hope worked with partners and contacts throughout the impact zone to ship, procure, and distribute relief supplies. Clothing, tents, sleeping bags, diapers, and baby formula were distributed in communities across the region. In addition to shipping in resources from outside Turkey and Syria, Convoy procured resources locally — lentils, peas, beans, and bulgar (parboiled whole wheat) — to supply local partners and soup kitchens serving survivors.

Among the estimated 10,000 aftershocks in the following weeks, several were large enough to bring more fatalities. The repeated tremors only added to the daily fear and trauma of survivors. City parks and open spaces were filled with people sleeping in tents — too terrified to stay in a building.

The World Bank estimated that 1.25 million people were left homeless within three weeks of the first quake. By midMarch, the Turkish government had evacuated nearly 2 million people from the disaster area to other cities.

Aftershocks continued to rock the impact zone in March, causing more buildings to collapse and keeping tensions high. Many families congregated in makeshift camps under extremely difficult conditions.

Convoy worked to provide hygiene supplies and diapers. With the hygiene products Convoy distributes, people can keep their hands and bodies clean, brush their teeth, and take care of their hair. This lessens the possibility of disease spreading through already vulnerable communities.

Stacy Lamb, Convoy’s vice president of Disaster Services says, “Convoy remains committed to helping as many people as we can for as long as we can.”

Disaster Services

Ukrainian war refugees, African communities on the edge of famine, and U.S. hurricane survivors all have received critical help through Convoy of Hope’s Disaster Services team. Consistently among the first to respond to crises, Convoy’s highly trained staff and volunteers help hurting people get back on their feet. Convoy is committed to helping as much as possible for as long as possible in the most challenging environments.