On 6 February 2023, two powerful earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria in the space of 12 hours. Over 50,000 people lost their lives in Türkiye and millions were left homeless. In the worst affected provinces, vital infrastructure, including hospitals and UNFPA-supported health facilities and women and girls’ safe spaces, were reduced to rubble.
Six months on, women and girls, including an estimated 130,000 pregnant women, are still struggling to access services that are vital to their health, well-being and survival. Hundreds of thousands live in temporary settlements, where improving living conditions, particularly access to water, sanitation and protection assistance, remains an urgent priority. Sexual and reproductive health service delivery is still below its pre-quake capacity, and risks of gender-based violence, exploitation and abuse and child, early and forced marriage remain high.
Since day one, UNFPA has been coordinating with national and local authorities and partners to get reproductive health and protection services up and running again, increasing mobile teams and outreach to take maternal health and gender-based violence prevention and response services to women and girls in need, wherever they are.
UNFPA has reached tens of thousands of women, girls and other vulnerable groups with lifesaving reproductive health and protection services since February 2023.
UNFPA is appealing for $42 million to continue its life-saving assistance and support longer-term recovery efforts in Türkiye. These resources are urgently required to reach all women and girls with the health and protection support they need.