Türkiye-Syria Earthquake Emergency

On February 6th 2023, Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria were shaken to the core by two massive 7.8 and 7.7 magnitude earthquakes. Children were left frightened and helpless as their homes and lives collapsed around them.

UNICEF was quick to respond in the hours and days following this disaster, and we continue to remain on the ground supporting children and families 100 days on. We're not going anywhere while children still need us.

Thanks to donor support, we provided shelter, clean water and hygiene supplies to families in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes. And as our response turned to recovery, we're continuing to provide children with temporary education, mental health support and ongoing access to safe drinking water.

UNICEF responds to 300 emergencies every year, and was on the ground long before the earthquake struck. With your help we can continue to be there for children in Türkiye and Syria when they need it most.

What has UNICEF's response been?

We've been working around the clock to meet immediate and ongoing needs of families. Our focus has been on providing lifesaving assistance, such as safe water, nutritional support and hygiene kits, as well as psychosocial support, temporary learning centres and emergency cash assistance for those families worst affected by the earthquakes.

Despite our efforts, the needs are enormous and the challenges are many. We continue to work tirelessly across Türkiye and Syria to reach every child and family who needs us.

In Syria,

• We've been providing safe drinking water, warm winter clothes, medical and nutritional supplies to children and families.

• We're trucking lifesaving water to 60,000 people in affected communities and distributing water purification tabs.

• We're supporting 17 mobile health and nutrition teams to provide primary healthcare and nutrition screening, including enough nutrition supplements for 113,000 kids.

• We've delivered enough health and medical supplies for 250,000 people. Including midwifery kits, trauma kits and surgical kits.

• Our child protection teams reached 12,231 children with mental health support.

Members of a UNICEF-supported mobile health team stand in front of the rubble of a collapsed building in Alsalheen neighbourhood. They're reaching impacted children in Aleppo city with much-needed nutrition services during the aftermath of the earthquake.

In Türkiye,

• We've provided 3,000 winter clothing packs for babies, 7,013 winter clothing packs for kids, 13,000 family hygiene kits and 11,000 family travel hygiene kits.

• We also distributing 1,000 sleeping bags, 1,000 power banks, 1,000 sleeping chairs and 1,070 electric heaters and 3,000 jerry cans for people across the 10 affected provinces.

• We've also been assisting in the evacuation of displaced children and families to safe temporary accommodation centres.

• UNICEF staff are providing child protection services to kids - including psychosocial support and child-friendly spaces.

It's not too late, your donation can make a huge difference. Please help now!

Children and families fill jerrycans with clean water at a UNICEF distribution point in Almyassar neighbourhood, Aleppo city, northern Syria.

Kids in Syria face a tough challenge

Children in Syria continue to face one of the most complex humanitarian situations in the world. A worsening economic crisis, continued localised hostilities after more than a decade of grinding conflict, mass displacement and devastated public infrastructure have left two-thirds of the population in need of assistance. Food insecurity, reliance on unreliable and alternative water sources, and protection concerns are acute. Now, the impact of such a devastating earthquake makes the situation even more desperate for kids in Syria.

UNICEF Syria Representative and Kiwi, Angela Kearney, chats to displaced children at a school-turned-collective-shelter in the neighbourhood of Salah Eddin in Aleppo city, northern Syria.

Appeal information updated 15th May 2023.

Your life-saving monthly donations will support our Türkiye-Syria Earthquake Emergency for 6 months. After that they will go into our Global Parent fund to save and protect children worldwide.