September 2020 update:

Updates from our Elazig Earthquake Relief Fund Grantees have been disseminated via our website blog and social media channels.

Ihtiyac Haritasi (Needs Map) interview here .

Basic Needs Association (Temel Ihtiyaç Dernegi) interview here.

July 2020 update:

Update on the Elazig Earthquake Relief Fund Grantees Selected - July 2020

Turkey Mozaik Foundation created The Elazig Earthquake Emergency Fund to support civil society organizations (CSOs) and their activities following the earthquake on 24 January 2020 affecting Elazig, Malatya and surrounding districts. Upon starting our Elazig Earthquake Relief Fund, we received valuable donations totalling more than GBP 21,000 from over 200 supporters.

The Fund aims to support the operational expenses of CSOs working in the field and the activities they implemented to meet the urgent and long-term needs of the people affected by the earthquake. Due to the urgent nature of the needs in the region after the earthquake, the funds were distributed in two grant cycles. In the first cycle of the Fund, Turkey Mozaik Foundation allocated a total grant of 60,000 TL to support interventions that addressed the urgent needs of those affected by the earthquake. In the second cycle, Turkey Mozaik Foundation provided 140,000 TL to support the activities of CSOs that will have medium- and long-term contributions in the field. A total of 25 CSOs from 13 different cities applied between 3-6 February 2020. The selected grantees are: Support to Life Association (Hayata Destek Dernegi), Needs Map (Ihtiyaç Haritas) and Basic Needs Association (Temel Ihtiyaç Dernegi). (Please see the News section of our website for detailed information)

21 February update:

The applications for the first stage of our Elazig Earthquake Fund opened on 2 February and closed on 6 February 2020, 8pm GMT. We received 25 applications form 17 associations, 5 foundations and 2 federations and 1 cooperative. The average grant amount requested by the organisations were TRY 52,792 totalling TRY 1,319,819 from all 25 applications. The average duration of the requested grants were 3 months.

We evaluated the applications on 7 February, and agreed to grant the first stage funding of TRY 60,000 to Hayata Destek Dernegi / Support to Life Association. Following the completion of our Due Diligence process in partnership with Support Foundation for Civil Society, an agreement is now in place.

Support to Life Association (Hayata Destek Dernei) is an independent humanitarian organisation founded with the principle aim of helping disaster affected communities meet their basic needs and rights. Since 2005, Support to Life conducts its activities with principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence and accountability.

Support to Life will use Elazig Earthquake Relief Funds grant to conduct activities in the field that will enable them to correctly identify the short and medium term needs of those affected by the earthquake and to meet these needs. With an aim to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the voluntary work taking place in the region, Support to Life will implement an accelerated training program on disaster response that will strengthen the capacity of students of the Firat University Social Services Department in Elazig. Under the supervision of Support to Life, this volunteer team will organize household and tent visits to identify needs and will inform the relevant institutions to meet them. Needs analysis and monitoring reports will also be prepared by Support to Life in order to determine the current situation in the field and to monitor the distributed aid.

Many of the applicants for the first stage had proposed projects with a longer term vision, focusing on psycho-social rehabilitation and improved livelihood of the survivors. Through this process, we have also identified a small number of charities that we are communicating with for second stage funding. We expect to complete the second stage project development and agree on funding in March. Please continue to follow us here and thank you again for your support.

1 February update:

We would like to express once again our gratitude for your valuable support. This past week, along with our partner organisation Support Foundation for Civil Society, we have been busy in talks with the leaders of the local NGOs and the Civil Society Disaster Coordination Platform .

We would like to share our findings as follows:

- Civil society organisations are operating at unprecedentedly high levels of co-operation and co-ordination on the ground for emergency relief support. Please find latest report from Hayata Destek Dernegi here for further information.

- Most immediate needs (food, clothes, shelter, sanitary needs etc.) seem to have been already organised and largely met by the help mobilised by emergency relief efforts. NGOs in the field are actively working to collect, assort and distribute the relief packages to those affected by the earthquake in Elazig and Malatya.

- Needs of the affected population for medium to long term recovery and rehabilitation will be identified following the completion/near-completion stages of emergency relief work.

- At the same time, local NGOs are working to assess and prioritise the needs of the affected population to develop projects that will have a positive impact on their livelihood. The scope and approach of medium to longer term interventions such as psychosocial support, rehabilitation programs for women and children, rebuilding of schools will be determined in 4-6 weeks following the completion of the emergency relief work, development of the longer term action and coordination plan and the acquisition of permissions required to work in the field.

Given above findings, we believe our fund will be most effectively used to create sustainable change in two phases. In the first phase, TRY 60,000 will be allocated towards NGOs operating on the ground and participants of the Civil Society Disaster Platform for relatively shorter term, pressing needs. We are starting a call and application process on Monday for local NGOs to apply for funds to address these. In light of the circumstances, we have devised a simplified process to ensure smoother and more efficient delivery of funds for this first phase. In the second phase, the remaining funds will be allocated for medium to longer term projects once the status will be clearer in terms of the requirements and the permitted organisations.

We will continue to provide updates on our research and findings on this page and also through our social media accounts.

26 January update:

We are humbled by the overwhelming response to our Elazig Earthquake Relief Fund. Within 24 hours, we have received valuable donations totalling more than GBP 10,000 from over 150 supporters. Currently, immediate relief efforts are underway and many organisations are on the ground assisting the rescue operations and evaluating urgent needs. Please see a short report here. Many of you have rightfully asked how and to whom the funds will be allocated. We will be working with our local grantee partners and their networks on the field who will assess the needs of the affected population following the initial response, including but not limited to psycho-social support and access to health and education services. We will co-ordinate the allocation of funds to organisations that will provide locally acceptable and sustainable options to improve the survivors' livelihood and recovery. We will keep all our donors posted as soon as we finalise the best approach to mobilise the funds for maximum impact.

25 January campaign call:

We are truly saddened to hear that a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 rocked Elazig in eastern Turkey at 8:55pm (1755 GMT) on 24 January 2020. The region was shaken further by over 275 aftershocks with the highest being of magnitude 5.4. At least 21 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured. We extend our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to all who have lost loved ones or have been affected by the disastrous events.

Many organisations are currently mobilised to provide immediate relief to survivors in the form of food, shelter, water, and medicine. However, the temperatures remain below zero, making it extremely difficult for rescue operations and for those who are left without homes. There will be many difficulties and challenges ahead beyond these initial relief efforts as people in the affected regions look to rebuild lives and livelihoods.

We established the Elazig Earthquake Relief Fund to help address these challenges. We will work with representatives and support networks of Turkey Mozaik Foundation grantee partners to ensure that funds are directed to appropriate organisations on the ground for maximum impact. We hope you will contribute generously for this humanitarian aid.