To all my dear friends and colleagues,

I am a British-Syrian Doctor based in the UK. I am raising funds for the UK’s DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) to support those who have been affected by this devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria (where i was born and brought up).

Over the next 7 days i will be fasting from sunrise to dawn in solidarity with those brothers and sisters who have been affected by this disaster both survivors and also who have sadly lost their lives, please support my cause by donating to DEC on my Justgiving page, so they can continue their work on the ground.

All raised funds will go directly to DEC.

Thank you so much!

Tarek

You can contact me on: tshalati@gmail.com

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A series of devastating earthquakes have hit southern Türkiye and north-west Syria killing 51,000 people and more than 26 million people have been directly affected across both countries. The first, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, struck in the early hours of 6th February, followed hours later by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The earthquakes are estimated to have directly impacted 23 million people.As rescue teams continue to search the rubble of the many buildings that have been destroyed, the death toll is sadly still rising.

People have been left without shelter in freezing winter conditions, with humanitarian needs expected to grow in the coming days. Access to clean water will likely be a challenge, bringing the risk of cholera and other diseases. 

DEC charities and their local partners are among the first responders, working with locally-led relief efforts in Turkey (now known as Türkiye) and Syria. Immediate priorities are search and rescue, medical treatment for the injured, shelter for those who have lost their homes, heaters for spaces and winter kits with blankets, and warm clothes, and ensuring people have food and clean water. 

Even before this devastating earthquake, there were over four million people in need of aid in Northwest Syria. 

Nearly 3 million people have been displaced by the long conflict in Syria, 80% of whom are women and children.  Now extreme weather events and the spiraling costs of food and fuel prices due to ongoing conflicts are making the situation even worse.  People are facing a crisis on crisis.  

UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which unites 15 member charities who are experts in humanitarian aid and specialists in different areas of disaster response.They only launch appeals at times of monumental suffering , which is clearly the case in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria right now. They're very effective at helping promote awareness and raising vital funds.

Please donate today and help them reach families and communities who have lost everything.