More than 850,000 Syrian, Turkish children displaced by deadly quakes

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 06 (APP):A month after the two catastrophic earthquakes that struck Turkiye and Syria, more than 850,000 children remain displaced after being forced from their damaged or destroyed homes amid millions in dire need of aid, UN agencies said.

Families forced from their homes by the earthquakes had spent the past four weeks focused on survival, their lives on hold while aftershocks continue to rumble, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan, said in a statement.

She said it was now critical to do all we could to help families begin to rebuild their lives, providing children with psychosocial support, getting them back into learning as soon as possible, and providing some stability amid the chaos.

At the same time, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reported on Monday that the situation for the 356,000 pregnant women in earthquake-affected areas remained critical, especially the estimated 38,800 who were expected to deliver in the coming weeks.

Hundreds of hospitals and clinics were either damaged or destroyed, and thousands of women and girls were living in over-crowded, makeshift camps exposed to freezing temperatures, UNFPA said, adding that urgent funding was key to keeping thousands healthy during their pregnancy.

UNICEF said the impact of the earthquakes on the region’s children and families had been catastrophic, leaving hundreds of thousands living in desperate conditions.

The combined death toll from the earthquakes and aftershocks has reached more than 50,000 people in both countries, with thousands of others injured and massive destruction to buildings and other essential infrastructure.

The number of children killed and injured during the quakes and their aftermath had not yet been confirmed, but was likely to be in the many thousands, UNICEF said. Across Syria, more than 3.7 million children have been affected by the quakes.

Even before these catastrophic earthquakes, humanitarian needs among children of Syria were higher than they had ever been, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, said.

“As we approach 12 long years of conflict, millions of families are living on the brink of disaster, feeling as if the world had forgotten them. We must support these families for the long term, helping them pick up the pieces of their lives”, Adele said.

In Syria, more than 500,000 people are believed to have been forced from their homes by the earthquakes. Many families’ homes have been destroyed and many children are afraid to return to damaged homes as aftershocks continue.

Even before the earthquakes, Syria had the largest number of internally displaced people in the world, with 6.8 million people displaced, including nearly three million children.

In Turkiye, over 1.9 million people are staying in temporary accommodation shelters, and 2.5 million children in the country require urgent humanitarian assistance.

Children had seen their whole world crumble before their eyes, but “we know how to help them rebuild”, Khan said. Providing children with the tools – psychosocial support, play and learning, and the stability brought by knowing that their basic needs were met were immeasurably important in ensuring their long-term well-being.

UNICEF has reached almost 500,000 people with lifesaving water, sanitation and hygiene services and supplies across Syria. More than 130,000 affected children under five have been supported with nutrition services.

Threats come thick and fast for families left vulnerable by the earthquake, Khodr said. A comprehensive, integrated response to support children and families was critical in preventing those threats from overwhelming an already catastrophic situation. UNICEF teams were there with children and families affected, but the needs were huge and continued support was vital.

In Turkiye, UNICEF has distributed winter clothes, heaters, and blankets to nearly 277,000 people, including more than 163,000 children. Working closely with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF is procuring life-saving vaccines and cold chain storage equipment.

With UNICEF support, Turkiye Ministry of Education had set up 87 tents, which were being used as temporary learning centers. Catch-up classes were running in two shifts, benefiting nearly 3,600 children every day, UNICEF reported.

The UN Children’s Fund is requesting $196 million to reach 3 million people, including 1.5 million children, in Turkiye and $172.7 million to deliver immediate life-saving support for 5.4 million quake-affected people, including 2.6 million children, in Syria.

The World Food Programme (WFP) continues to reach those in need, facilitating life-saving aid deliveries and expanding efforts to reach more quake-affected communities.

Amid cities laying in rubble and buckled roads, WFP staff said colleagues in both countries often worked seven days a week.
“Most of us are on autopilot right now”, said Omer Celik, a WFP programme assistant working with two dozen other staff from a hotel in the relatively unscathed, southern Turkish port city of Mersin.

But, his team is turning the stress into something positive, he said. “We are helping over 1.5 million people in northwestern Syria, and it is motivating us a lot.”