Oxfam, together with local partner organisations, needs your support to reach people affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria. This is an urgent appeal for help.

Photo: Islam Mardini/Oxfam

HOW YOU CAN HELP

EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER: In both Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria, were working with partners to support people left out in the cold with supplies like food, clean water and shelter.

COMMUNITY LED RECOVERY: Our local teams have the knowledge, experience and relationships to work with communities. Immediate survival is a priority, but well start now to jointly plan the long, hard journey of rebuilding because people cant be left without protection when the next crisis comes.

Its hard for many of us to imagine the devastation from these earthquakes. Even harder in places impacted by ongoing conflict. But earthquake survivors are facing this as well as freezing weather and the cost of living crisis with rising fuel and food prices. A fragile situation has been made even worse.

This calls on us, and those in power, to urgently stand with people fighting for the basics. People need food, water, shelter, and medical care without delay.

In Türkiye, Oxfam KEDV are leading our response. They have worked with both refugee and Turkish communities for years and will be reaching those worst-affected by this disaster. The Oxfam team in Syria are working with partners like Syrian Society for Social Development. In Aleppo, theyre working with partners in readiness to respond to peoples needs now, and in the coming weeks and months.

Any donation, big or small, matters right now.

What your money could buy:

£30 could provide blankets for six people to keep them warm.

£50 could provide emergency food for two families for 10 days.

£100 could provide emergency shelter for four families.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN TÜRKIYE (TURKEY) AND SYRIA

In the early hours of 6 February, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria, followed by another earthquake soon afterwards. Many thousands of people have been killed. Survivors who have been forced to flee their homes are now facing freezing temperatures.

These are the worst earthquakes to strike Türkiye (Turkey) in nearly 100 years. They have devastated a region where large refugee communities were living in tough conditions. The severe and continuous shocks from the earthquakes have reached cities in Syria like Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Idlib where the humanitarian need is at its highest since brutal conflict began 12 years ago.

Infrastructure is heavily damaged, and we know that means people will struggle to find safe shelter, water and food especially in places impacted by ongoing conflict. Theres been huge loss of life, thousands injured, and many more still buried in the debris. The harsh weather and damaged roads make rescue efforts challenging. And in Syria, a cholera outbreak that began last year could quickly get further out of control. Theres no time to waste.

INEQUALITY IN A CRISIS

Social inequalities show up starkly in disasters, with the most marginalised worst hit. The earthquakes will have deepened risks already facing women, children, older people, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities and people with refugee status those often unseen, unheard, and most excluded from society.

And its the voices of communities affected which are too often ignored when dealing with a crisis. They know best about whats needed from survival to recovery, to speaking out against underlying causes that makes them so vulnerable when disaster strikes.

Oxfam KEDV and Oxfam in Syria have been working on gender inequality for years. With KEDV rooted in womens movements, and the team in Syria having a strong gender justice team, this experience and focus is a vital part of our response.

See the latest updates on Oxfam's website .

Photo: Rescue teams try to reach trapped residents inside collapsed buildings at Galleria Apartment in Diyarbakir, southeast Turkey. Image: Ahmet Yukus/Depo Photos via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

HOW WE SPEND YOUR MONEY

For every £1 you donate to this emergency appeal, we will allocate 9p of your donation to cover general support and running costs. There is a small chance that we will raise more money than is needed for this appeal. If this happens, we'll spend any additional funds on other Oxfam projects wherever the need is greatest.

Oxfam is a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

What is the DEC?

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is made up of 15 member charities, including Oxfam. When disaster strikes in a place that doesn't have the capacity to respond, the DEC brings together 15 UK charities to raise funds together fast.

All DEC member charities are experts in humanitarian aid. Each member specialises in different areas of disaster response. Together, united with one voice, the call for help can reach as many people like you as possible.

More about the DEC.