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Earthquakes Turkey and Syria: frequently asked questions

How can I help?

Thank you for wanting to help! Please contribute via BE53-0000-0000-5353 with the mention 'Emergency Relief Fund'.

Your gift to the Red Cross Emergency Relief Fund allows Belgian Red Cross-Flanders to provide disaster relief where it is needed most, free from outside influence and seeking out the most vulnerable.

Why can't we have goods delivered through the Red Cross to the affected areas?

The great solidarity and spontaneous fundraisers in our country are heartwarming to see, but financial aid is still a more efficient way to help the people in Turkey and Syria at this stage. Goods are not only longer in transit than when purchased locally in the region, you can also use financial aid in a much more targeted way, tailored to the latest acute needs in each specific area. The victims need efficient, coordinated and targeted aid now.

I want to volunteer in Syria or Turkey - how can I apply?

In all disasters and emergencies, the local community is the first to respond - they know the context, the language, the people and the culture. The Syrian Red Crescent and Turkish Red Crescent are strongly entrenched and part of the communities affected by the earthquake. They have staff and volunteers who are trained and prepared for unfortunate events such as this. We deploy international resources to complement the needs of the local response. 

What are you doing from Flanders?

Belgian Red Cross-Flanders has already started a number of actions: 

  • An account was opened for people to deposit money for the victims.
  • We released €400,000 from our emergency relief fund for immediate humanitarian assistance.
  • People who have lost contact can contact the Restoring Family Links department at www.restoringfamilylinks.be or 015 44 35 22.

How do you specifically support relief efforts on the ground?

Red Cross is on the ground through its local sister associations: the Syrian Red Crescent and the Turkish Red Crescent, supported by the International Red Cross Movement. In terms of support, various areas of deployment include:

  • Search and rescue support
  • Medical care
  • Material support regarding shelter (shelter), hygiene kits, food,...

Specifically, as Belgian Red Cross-Flanders , we have our ERU (Emergency Response Unit), consisting of specialized and trained volunteers, ready to send out to the affected areas. We are still waiting to hear from the affected countries themselves. 

Do you support the Kurdish community in northeast Syria?

We support our local sister organizations in the affected area: both the Turkish Red Crescent in Turkey and the Syrian Red Crescent in Syria. All are part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and share the fundamental principles including neutrality, independence and impartiality.

As Belgian Red Cross-Flanders , we do not take sides but look at the needs and thus provide assistance to all victims in need, regardless of nationality or ethnicity. 

Do you also help migrants and refugees?

The areas hardest hit by the earthquake were already the (temporary) home of hundreds of thousands of displaced people who were already living in vulnerable conditions before the disaster. The Red Cross helps everyone, regardless of status, nationality or ethnicity. We have been supporting displaced people in these regions for years through our cash programs and our outreach activities, and we will continue to work to support them through this current disaster and throughout the months and years of recovery ahead. 

Do you have access to northeast Syria?

The natural disaster adds another layer to the humanitarian tragedy that has been ongoing for more than 12 years in Syria, ravaged by armed conflict and a severe economic crisis. Lack of electricity and fuel, weak infrastructure and political complexity make it challenging to deliver humanitarian aid in many areas, including northern Syria. 

Our sister association the Syrian Red Crescent is currently working around the clock in Hama, Aleppo, Tartous and Lattakia. Access to the Idlib area and hundreds of villages in between is still problematic. Volunteers with limited resources were and remain the first responders. 

Belgian Red Cross-Flanders calls on all parties to provide unhindered humanitarian access to reach all vulnerable communities. We welcome any humanitarian effort that can bring much-needed humanitarian support to all areas affected by the earthquake.

Where can people go if they are looking for their relatives?

Restoring Family Links of Belgian Red Cross-Flanders assists in locating missing persons in the context of conflict, migration or natural disaster. You can contact them at: