Six months after earthquakes in Turkey and Syria left thousands dead, both countries are still struggling to provide basic services to people affected by the disaster.
“Although half a year has passed since the devastating earthquakes, recovery is not yet complete,” said Chiara Saccardi, Action Against Hunger’s Regional Director for the Middle East. “Action Against Hunger continues to work in both countries to provide humanitarian assistance, early recovery, and long-term rehabilitation programs.”
After the magnitude 7+ earthquakes devastated the region, Action Against Hunger mobilized to respond immediately. Months later, our teams are still working to prioritize health, hygiene, food, and shelter support.
The earthquakes left 50,000 dead in Turkey across 11 provinces. More than 100,000 people were injured and nearly 300,000 buildings were destroyed. Many who survived the disaster saw their homes destroyed and were forced to relocate. Three million fled and 1.5 million are still living in settlements today. Children are especially at risk, and more than four million are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
The destruction and displacement prevented families from accessing necessities like clean water and nutritious food. Others lost their livelihoods following the earthquakes and still have no stable sources of income.
In Syria earthquakes left 6,000 people dead and 12,000 injured. Around 8.8 million Syrians were affected by the destruction, more than 38% of the country’s total population. Infrastructure in several residential areas suffered huge damages, and in some cases, was completely destroyed. Today, many families are still homeless and have nowhere to live permanently.
The disaster hit at a time when Syria was already struggling with a twelve-year conflict, fuel shortages, an economic recession, prolonged drought, and health crises such as a cholera outbreak. The earthquakes exacerbated these challenges and put even more pressure on public systems. Healthcare, housing, livelihood, and water and sanitation services are all threatened. More than 15 million Syrians urgently need humanitarian assistance.
As the disaster in Turkey and Syria continues to threaten lives, our teams are on the ground providing lifesaving services, supporting refugees, and helping to rebuild livelihoods.
Both Syria and Turkey continue to face severe recovery challenges. Most of the population does not have access to basic supplies and are suffering from severe hunger. Families cannot access food, medical treatment, or clean water—let alone mental health support. The disaster has triggered anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Since earthquakes first struck, Action Against Hunger has reached more than 265,000 people in both countries with food security, livelihoods, water, sanitation, hygiene, health, and nutrition support.
“After a disaster, parents often can no longer feed their children properly because of the stress,” said Kenda Al Nsour, Action Against Hunger’s Nutrition Coordinator in Turkey. “Children need to have adequate nutrition because it can affect them later in life. In our ‘baby-friendly’ space, any mother can come in and access a variety of necessary services and support.”
Action Against Hunger has focused on supporting the health system in the Syrian city of Aleppo. Our teams supply essential medicines to hospitals, hand out hot meals, distribute shelter and hygiene materials, provide psychological care, and improve sanitation conditions in collective shelters. We have also trained engineers in the Aleppo Engineers Syndicate, who have assessed structural damage in more than 100,000 buildings.
Action Against Hunger will continue to operate on the ground to address emergency needs and implement lifesaving programs. Our teams plan to train engineers and rehabilitate key infrastructure in Lattakia, Aleppo, and Hama. To support the health system, Action Against Hunger is assisting with repairs, training, and access to medicines and equipment for health workers in both Hama and Lattakia. We are also helping to improve food security in rural communities.
Action Against Hunger has been working in Syria since 2008, and our teams reached over 1.2 million people last year alone.
Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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