UPDATE ON THE ORDER OF MALTA AND MALTESER INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE TO THE TURKEY AND SYRIAN EARTHQUAKE CRISIS
Cologne/Gaziantep. Humanitarian aid for the people affected by the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria continues at full speed. Today, the first trucks that were dispatched from Germany on Thursday are expected to arrive in Türkiye. A total of 10 tons of relief supplies including beds, blankets, tents and mattresses, will be handed over to the Turkish Red Crescent for distribution upon arrival. “The international support is immense, and we are very grateful for that. Logistics remain a major challenge. Our colleagues in Türkiye and MI headquarters in Cologne are working nonstop to procure further relief supplies, and to bring those over to Türkiye” says Dr. Thomas Weiss, Head of MI’s Middle East Department. He remains in close contact with the MI Team in Türkiye from Cologne. “Yesterday, we sent off two more trucks with 600 generators each”, Weiss states.
“Our partner organizations in Syria are also supporting the affected people with relief supplies, such as tents and blankets”, explains Weiss. The materials were procured locally in Syria. At the same time, medical support by our partners in northwestern Syria continues in the hospitals. “We gave it our all in these first few days to save as many lives as possible”, explains Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khatib as he reflects on the situation at Armanaz Hospital. “Today we started the second phase: on one hand we treat people’s fractures, on the other we want to support their mental health.” Hundreds of people were hospitalized with severe bleeding, bruising, and massive injuries to their limbs, chest, head, and spine after the earthquake.
MI supports the relief efforts of the local team from the border town of Kilis. From there, the Malteser are organizing emergency aid for the people in Türkiye and Syria.
Malteser International (MI) works as an international humanitarian aid organization. It is an aid organization of the Catholic Order of Malta and particularly fulfills the order’s mission of “helping those in need”. The mission is to improve the health and living conditions of suffering and displaced people worldwide. The organization provides aid to people in need in over 140 projects in 35 countries, regardless of religion, political persuasion, origin or gender. Christian values and the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence form the basis of its work. Further information: www.malteser-international.org
