The earthquake disaster in Türkiye and its aftermath

It has now been over six weeks since the devastating earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş hit the Southeast of Türkiye and Northern Syria and deeply shocked the nation and the world. While the destruction paralyzed the whole region, and after initial search and rescue efforts were completed, the earthquake zone still continues to be hit by aftershocks, making recovery efforts particularly difficult. The tragic death toll of this overwhelming disaster is now over 50,000. Adıyaman and Şanlıurfa, two of the cities heavily impacted by the quakes, were also hit by floods last week, leaving 18 people dead and the areas in more despair. 

The disaster has brought the whole country together and efforts to bring stability back have gathered pace. The government announced that they will start a building programme to replace houses destroyed in the earthquake. Currently, tents and temporary shelters are being allocated for earthquake victims, but distribution has not reached all areas affected. There are many things to consider in the recovery process such as, food, heating, construction and waste management. The priority of food and heating is being managed by local authorities and NGOs. This disaster also has hugely impacted people psychologically. To address this heavy and collective trauma, various institutions and organisations, with the support of the Government are providing free counselling to the people within the region.  

In this challenging period, Rolls-Royce has been making great efforts to provide support to this disaster.  So far, we have donated close to $150,000 (USD) to both AFAD and AHBAP and are currently planning to support Sabancı University’s Earthquake Scholarship Fund. On International Women’s Day (March 8th), our Istanbul team donated 150 relief boxes for women and children in the affected region. Additionally, the RRPS team donated their overtime pay in a sincere commitment to assist with the recovery efforts. We are currently in close contact with NGOs and stakeholders to work on further measures and provide our full support to their aid efforts.  

Unfortunately, there were many schools destroyed in the earthquake and affected children have not been able to continue their education. The Young Guru Academy (YGA) - who RR have a long-standing partnership with for our STEM education kits - is continuing the STEM projects this year, especially with children in the earthquake zone. We are currently in contact with the team to plan our 2023 activities and support. YGA had also launched the ‘WeWALK’ project for visually impaired children prior to the earthquake and has now started to collect donations to provide smart canes to children in the affected region. Each and every donation we make through YGA will assist making children's lives easier. I believe that the trauma can be helpfully addressed with the psychological and material support we can provide in support of the recovery actions. 

We will continue to support the region with your contributions through AFAD, Community Volunteers Foundation and the Needs Map, which helps us monitor the needs within the region and provide the necessary support. We are ready to do whatever is needed to support communities who are suffering due to this tragedy. Please feel free to get in touch with me if you would like to assist or if you have any further ideas for support.