How to Help Turkey and Syria: Communities in Georgia and Beyond Launch Appeals for Earthquake Aid

UPDATED Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 4:26 p.m. — Death toll upped to 11,000, with more resources, organizations and fundraisers added to the bottom of the article.

With the death toll from Monday’s devastating earthquakes along the Turkey-Syria border topping 11,000, Turkey’s honorary consul in Georgia is among those launching appeals for aid to help families of victims, survivors and rescue workers still striving to pull people out of the rubble.

Mona Diamond Sunshine, a longtime volunteer diplomat representing Turkey in the state, has been reaching out to various organizations to garner donations of cash and in-kind support that she says will go immediately to the field through trusted Turkish intermediaries.

In a message circulated to members of the World Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta, she asked for donations through AHBAP Platformu, a Turkish-based nonprofit that provides disaster relief. See the donation page in English

She also offered the option for those concerned to donate via PayPal through her longstanding nonprofit, the American-Turkish Friendship Council, via this link.

In both cases, she pledged that 100 percent of donations would go toward supporting those affected on the ground.

“As honorary consul general for Turkey in Georgia, I send my deepest condolences to those in Turkey who are dealing with this great tragedy,” Ms. Diamond Sunshine wrote in the message to World Chamber members. “Many of you have asked how you can help. Be assured the Turkish community appreciates your concern and interest. I reach out to all of you and ask if you would consider contributing to AHBAP Platformu. No amount is too large or too small.”

For those who would like to contribute via wire transfers through official bank channels, the Turkish Embassy in Washington has published the following wire instructions, indicating that any money sent by this means will reach “official aid agencies in Türkiye.”

Wire transfer instructions provided by the Turkish Embassy in Washington

Turkish American National Steering Committee in New York has also set up a GoFundMe that has raised $16,000 of its $500,000 goal.

Time is running out

While the long road to recovery has yet to begin, time is running out for potential survivors as the rescue effort grinds into its third day and sub-freezing temperatures descend on Gaziantep, the closest major city to the epicenter of the 7.8-magnitude quake, which struck about 20 miles from the city early Monday morning. That was followed by a 7.5-magnitude tremor some 60 miles away along the same fault line, as well as many aftershocks. News video and satellite images showed buildings reduced to rubble and teams of volunteers working frantically to uncover survivors.

An Anatolian city of about 1.8 million people in the southeastern part of the country, far from the Mediterranean climes of Istanbul, Gaziantep is a historic crossroads that has become home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing their country’s civil war over the last decade.

A worker from CARE, the Atlanta-based nonprofit that works in more than 80 countries providing disaster and poverty-reduction programs, said the tragedy has suspended any differences related to culture, nationality or citizenship.

“No one is asking if you’re Turkish or Syrian,” said Rami Araban, a CARE Germany program officer working in the region, reportedly said while taking cover in a local school. “It doesn’t matter now. We are all in shock.”

Turkey has absorbed more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees since the start of the Syrian civil war, more by far than any other country that have taken in migrants from the country.

CARE leaders said they were working to ensure the safety of the organization’s teams while mobilizing resources.

“The news of the destruction and death caused by the earthquake in Gaziantep and northwest Syria is devastating,” said Michelle Nunn, CARE USA president and CEO. “CARE is urgently working to account for all our staff in both Syria and Turkey, while also assessing the immediate humanitarian needs.” CARE set up a donation page here.

The Turkish Consulate General in Miami, which covers Georgia, said on Facebook that supplies would be collected at Ahiska Turkish Community Center of Atlanta between Feb. 6-12, then packaged and shipped to those in need. Community members can volunteer for shifts helping package the goods.

Items needed include:

Warm clothing
Hats, gloves, scarves, socks
Winter boots
Coats
Blankets, pillows
Sleeping bags
Hand warmers
Female Hygiene kits
Diapers
Baby formula

Ms. Diamond Sunshine requested all of the above items, along with:

Baby food and diapers
Weatherproof tents
Pocket warmers
Thermal underwear and winter socks
Over-the-counter medicines

Items should be packaged in clear bags for ease of customs clearance.

These items can be dropped off at Stoneage Natural Rocks Inc. at 5201 Brook Hollow Parkway, Suite C, Norcross, Ga. 30071 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

For more information, contact Ms. Diamond Sunshine here:

Mona Diamond Sunshine,
Turkish Honorary Consul General for Georgia

Office: (404) 355-7565

Mobile: (404) 245-9110

E-mail: monadiamond@gmail.com

Or reach out to the Turkish Consulate General in Miami, which today changed its social media profile pictures to blank black voids in mourning, using the link below:

http://miami.bk.mfa.gov.tr/Mission

Update:

The foundation Ethaar USA in Atlanta, which helps refugees and other immigrants from Syria and elsewhere get settled in Atlanta, has compiled the below list of charitable organizations taking donations to help:

Hat tip to 285 South for the connection Ethaar, whose president, Emad Sabbah, is running a separate campaign to raise $20,000 for MedGlobal to provide relief supplies in memory of a beloved cousin.