It has been 3 months since the 6 February earthquakes that give Türkiye a deep shock. With the coordination of public institutions and the cooperation of its partners, UNFPA has been supporting women, girls and groups with special needs, the groups most affected by the earthquake, with protection and health services since the first day.
Three months have passed since the devastating earthquakes on February 6th. Approximately 9.1 million people in 11 provinces were directly affected by the earthquakes. Almost half of them are women and girls. In coordination with public institutions, with the support of the donors and in cooperation with its partners, The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Türkiye, is on the ground for women, girls and vulnerable groups affected by the earthquake on the ground since the first day.
UNFPA's actions involve increasing access to information services on the ground of health and protection, particularly sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence, and delivering dignity and maternity kits to women and girls affected by the earthquake. Since the first day of the earthquake, 26 tons of reproductive health kits were deliverd to 11 affected cities in order to meet the needs of a population of approximately 1 million people in the region, including 250 thousand women of reproductive age.
KAMER Vakfı, which operates to increase the access of basic needs for women and girls, health and protection services in earthquake-affected areas since day one, strengthened its capacity with the support of UNFPA. President of KAMER Vakfı, Nebahar Akkoç explains that they can now make private conversations with women to understand their needs thanks to the mobile service tools provided by UNFPA, and underlines the importance of the dignity kits provided by UNFPA: “The two supports UNFPA has provided us are that we will be able to close the doors and have private conversations with women in need. There will definitely be dignity kits provided by UNFPA in our vehicle, because it saves lives.”
One of the UNFPA partners, the Association for Solidarity With Asylum Seekers and Migrants (SGDD-ASAM), is on the ground with its mobile teams for those affected by the earthquake. Ayşe Güçlü, who is working in Antakya, explains that they responded to the hygiene materials and clean underwear, which are among the most requested needs from women and girls in the field. Underlining that it is very difficult for pregnant and new mothers in the field to access the basic materials they need for themselves and their babies, Ayşe emphasizes the importance of the UNFPA maternity kits they distribute; “It is difficult for mothers who recently gave birth to babies to access clothes, hygiene materials, especially diapers. When we provide these, we witness happy faces every day.” she says.
Young Approaches to Health Association (SGYD), on the other hand, has been working with its mobile teams of psychologists, social workers, nurses and translators in the field, in cooperation with UNFPA, since the first day of the earthquakes. Project manager Muhammet Bahri Telli says that after the earthquake, they identified the urgent needs of women, girls and youth with a rapid needs analysis study and mobile teams were directed to the regions according to these needs; “Our overall effort, with the support of UNFPA, is to help vulnerable groups access health and protection services and to overcome the problems they face in accessing these services together,” he says.
Gazal Aydoğdu, a UNFPA partner in Şanlıurfa Municipality, has been working on the ground for women and girls affected by the earthquake since the first day of the earthquake. Gazal mentions that from the very first moment, all facilities are used toward the needs of the beneficiaries: “Food, hygiene kits, diapers for babies, we provide all for them. We try to do whatever we can for them all the time”
The earthquake directly affected millions of people, but vulnerable groups are among those most affected by all humanitarian crises. One of the UNFPA partners, Positive Living Association, continues to support the needs of key refugee groups in the field. Hicran Akdeniz, says that the migration to Adana and Mersin, where they operate has significantly increased after the earthquake and new needs of the vulnerable groups have emerged. “With the support of UNFPA, our psychosocial support, protection and legal consultancy services continue. At the same time, we are working to respond to sexual and reproductive health needs.”
UNFPA continues to work on the ground since day one to ensure that women, girls and groups with special needs affected by the earthquake have access to services on gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health services and information, in coordination with public institutions and with partners.
