Supporting Syria and Turkey

Image source: Republic of Turkiye Ministry of National Defence via Twitter @tcsavunma

The Community Foundation has put together a list of resources for how you can support Syria and Turkey/Turkiye* as they deal with the immediate and longer-term effects of the recent earthquake.

In looking through these options, you might might notice different responses by the same nonprofits in Syria and Turkey. These appear to be based on the individual needs within each country, but also on the fact that NGOs’ access to different regions differs based on the political factors in each country.

Turkey & Syria Earthquake Disaster Relief:

• Actionaid USA
• American Red Cross
• CAF America
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy
• Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)
• Direct Relief - search and rescue, medical supplies, health needs
• Doctors without Borders - providing supplies and supplemental staff to hospitals in the affected areas.
• GlobalGiving - supporting immediate food and shelter needs; later, the focus will be on long-term efforts in collaboration with local partners.
• International Medical Corps
• Islamic Relief USA
• Mercy Corps
• Oxfam America - In Syria, Oxfam is helping engineers assess building damage and helping people meet basic needs. In Turkey, Oxfam is assessing needs for humanitarian aid, including by working in collaboration with an existing partner network of Women’s Rights groups active in the region.
• Project Hope
• Save the Children Foundation - In Turkey, Save the Children is distributing tents and other essential items, and has also deployed their health care team. In Syria, they are distributing tents and winterization kits, and providing fuel to health centers.
• Syrian American Medical Society Foundation - SAMS provides crisis relief in Syria, now including earthquake relief. They have existing medical facilities in Syria, and a regional office near the epicenter of the first earthquake.
• UNICEF USA - In Turkey, UNICEF is supporting search and rescue, hygiene, and clothing. In Syria, their focus is on water, sanitation, hygiene, child protection, nutrition, and education. In both, they work on protection of unaccompanied children and reuniting them with families.
• World Central Kitchen

As always, we recommend that you visit our Crisis and Disaster Giving Recommendations page to reference as the need arises. For support with making a grant through your donor advised fund or to learn more about our philanthropic advising services, reach out to the Philanthropy team at [email protected] or 802 388-3355 opt. 5. 

*In June 2022, the Turkish government requested that the UN and other international organizations change to calling the country by its Turkish name: Turkiye.