AMURT & AMURTEL has relief teams in Turkey responding to the recent earthquakes.
The teams in Turkey are providing psychological first aid courses, restocking medical clinics and delivering pinpointed non-food supplies like tents, blankets, clothes, hygiene items, and toys. Apart from goods received from abroad, the teams are able to procure most items locally at favourable prices, so donating funds is the best way to support the teams.
AMURT & AMURTEL doing a joint assessment in Kahramanmaraş with local officials. In Kahramanmaras stadium there were 5,000 of the most vulnerable earthquake victims temporarily staying in tents. There are no bathrooms on site the first month – they must walk to a mosque nearby. There was no running water in the city as the waterpipes were damaged in the quake, so water is bubbling up from the asphalt, but not running in the houses. The government is managing the whole relief operation, covering most of the basic needs, but we are doing assessments to discover where the gaps are.
Large steel frame tents locally manufactured were distributeed and set up on-site in remote villages.
Based on precise requests from the authorities of the tent city within the Kahramamaras stadium, AMURT & AMURTEL delivers hygiene items and clothing for the earthquake survivors sheltered there, such as liquid hand soap, shampoo, undergarments, socks, diapers and sanitary pads.
Turkish clinics in Kahramanmaraş receive equipment and medicine they have run out of. This doctor jumped up in excitement when presented with a breathing assistance device which he was very much in need of.
The last mile: from volunteer networks pinpointed and much-needed tents and bedding are distributed by AMURT & AMURTEL volunteers in isolated villages.
AMURTEL psychologist is connecting with a group of children after one of them told how she cannot sleep because she is scared of another earthquake. She gave them her warm attention, providing factual information, but also validating their feelings, and then teaching them how to replace the stressful thoughts and feelings with good ones, with some very simple visualisations and games.
A child confided to the psychologist that she is scared at night and cannot sleep, wondering if another earthquake will happen again. As the psychologist counseled the girl, a group of children gathered to also listen. Then Melinda asked the AMURTEL education specialist to lead them through some yoga games to release stress and feel better. Here we are breathing like balloons.
AMURT volunteer plays with children after a distribution of toys in camp for Internally Displaced People in Kahramanmaraş Turkiye
AMURTEL trained 32 psychologists in Adana in Emergency Psychology and Psychological First Aid. After the training, several offered to volunteer in the emergency and put their psychological skills to use.
Teachers in Turkiye attend a training by AMURT & AMURTEL to preapre them and their students to set up a routine and restart learning.