Earthquake response
The first moments post the earthquake, and Molham Team’s response
An earthquake struck Northern Syria! Since the very first moments, Molham Volunteering Team members, whowere there working on their project to move families from camps to houses, immediately changed their plan due to the terrifying earthquake.
How did Molham Team respond to the Earthquake, and what did they provide?
A video from Northern Syria the day after the earthquake
An interview with Al-Arabi TV about Molham Team’s response to the earthquake
First, how does Molham Volunteering Team respond to urgent campaigns?
Molham Volunteering Team regularly works on urgent response to families in the camps of Northern Syria and countries of asylum.
Beside the seasonal and annual campaigns, there were always campaigns launched in response to affected areas, like:
Campaigns responding to displacement waves
Campaigns in response to the wintertime challenges in the camps
A campaign in response to the fire that broke out in Alminyah Camp
A campaign in response to the flooding in Sudan
A campaign in response to the explosion at the seaport of Beirut.
Although the harshness of each crisis varies, all the response campaigns share the same goal; easing the families' sufferings and meeting their urgent needs. After responding to several crises, volunteers gained valuable experience in urgent response campaigns.
Report Content
Introduction about the earthquake
A brief about Molham Volunteering Team’s urgent response campaigns
Molham Volunteering Team begins responding to thecrisis
Details of raising funds for the response
A brief about the conditions in Northern Syria
Molham Team’s response in Northern Syria
Response types, budget, and number of beneficiaries
An overview of Southern Turkey's status following the earthquake
Molham Volunteering Team’s response in SouthernTurkey
Molham Volunteering Team’s response to the earthquake
Work areas
“We Can" Campaign to rebuild the damage caused by the earthquake
Housing projects of the “We Can" Campaign
Conclusion
Contact channels
What were the earthquake's horrors like, and how did the response begin?
A stressful day began in Southern Turkey and NorthernSyria with a shock to families that were safe in their homes, and a shock to the entire world by the tragic images and the vast areas of devastation. Suddenly, security became impossible for those who witnessed thecatastrophe.
Monday 06/02/2023 at 4:20 A.M., an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale hit Southern Turkey and Northern Syria. The number of victims began to come in dozens, increased to hundreds, and reached thousands. According to the “Assistance Coordination Unit” (ACU) it reached a total of 4,537 victims and 8,789 injuries.
First, Molham Volunteering Team got to recover from the shock and move to the required stage, responding to the earthquake victims. It was not clear at the beginning, as itis the first disaster of its kind to occur in this area.
Molham Volunteering Team’s work started as response in the first week of the earthquake with an amount estimated at $1,166,428.
This amount was spent on search and rescue operations in cooperation with the Syrian Civil Defense, medical and humanitarian response, evacuation and securing shelter, and other types of responses that will be mentioned indetail in this report.
How were the response donations collected?
Molham volunteering Team launched three campaigns that received donations from all over the world. The Campaigns were launched on Molham Volunteering Team’s website, Facebook Page, and on Instagram.
More details about incoming donations:
Number of donations received: 220,674 donations
Number of small amount donations (less than $50): 187,130 donations, total donations: $ 368,2104, with an84.8% rate of the total donations
Northern Syria before and after the earthquake:
Northern Syria has been designated as area of disaster. Buildings there had already been destroyed by bombardment, as an oppressor has been destroying buildings and displacing people from their homes for years. The earthquake made the situation more tragic. According to the "ACU" report on the destroyed homes as a result of the earthquake, there were 1,789 completely destroyed homes and 8,649 partially damaged homes, with more than 11,000 families affected by the crisis.
Molham Volunteering Team’s response in Northern Syria
Search and rescue: $130,992
In Northern Syria, the priority on the days following the disaster was to rescue those trapped under the rubble. Efforts were concentrated on search and rescue campaigns, which aimed to provide the Syrian Civil Defense with fuel and drilling equipment, in addition tofield contributions to rescue the trapped families.
Providing meals for rescue teams: $11,475
Long hours of exhausting work and rescue attempts with primary equipment started to show on the faces of the volunteers of the rescue teams. Molham Volunteering Team took a part in providing meals for the rescue team members to support them to keep their hard work.
Evacuation and Shelter, include:
Preparing shelters for more than 1,718 families, with an amount of $169,291
Transportation of the injuries in coordination with hospitals and shelters on the hotline with an amount of $13,929
Thousands of families who left their homes, lost all their possessions, and now they share one new concern, where will their new shelter be?
Molham Volunteering Team Provided shelter for many families in:
1- Idlib: Several places have been prepared with basicliving needs and food.
2- Lattakia countryside: A place was prepared with the basic living needs.
3- Daret Azza: Food was provided to one of the sheltersin the city.
Clothing and other necessities were also provided to the shelters in Idlib and Maarat Misrin.
As another quick response, hotlines were secured in the affected areas in Northern Syria, through which hundreds of requests were received requesting transportation of the affected families and the injured individuals to hospitals and shelters.
Medical aids, included:
Ambulance and Urgent Surgeries: $20,591
In Northern Syria, the volunteers of Molham Team split into two groups. The first group transported the surviving and the injured individuals that were evicted from the destroyed buildings. While the second group went to the hospitals that were overwhelmed with victims. Molham Volunteering Team contributed in covering the costs of dozens of surgeries, the majority of which were orthopedic procedures and fracture repairs.
A video of the response to the medical surgeries
Providing fuel for operating medical centers and hospitals: $16,038
Hospitals and medical centres that received wounded and injured individuals ran out of fuel that powers their medical equipment. Given the rising number of injured people with each passing hour, Molham Volunteering Team provided fuel to ensure the continuing of their operations.
Fuel was provided to:
Alquds Hospital, in Aldana.
Sham Surgical Hospital, and Sham Children Hospital, in Sarmada
Alshifa’a Hospital, National Hospital, County Hospital, in Idlib
Aqrabat Hospital, in Aqrabat
Alamal Hospital, in Salqeen
Harem hospital, in Harem
Alrahma Hospital, in Darkosh
Alshifa’a Hospital, in Efrin
A video of the response
Materials for anesthesia, surgical supplies, and medication: $33,439.
Molham Volunteering Team delivered surgical supplies and medications to directly cover the shortage while surgeries were being performed around-the-clock.
Surgical supplies and medications were delivered to:
Alquds Hospital, in Aldana.
Sham Surgical Hospital, and Sham Children Hospital, in Sarmada
Alshifa’a Hospital, National Hospital, County Hospital, in Idlib
Aqrabat Hospital, in Aqrabat
Alamal Hospital, in Salqeen
Harem hospital, in Harem
Alrahma Hospital, in Darkosh
Alshifa’a Hospital, in Efrin
Consumables and medical supplies for orthopedic surgeries: $53,651
Unfortunately, due to the destruction of dwellings, walls, and ceilings on their occupants, orthopedic surgeries were the most frequently performed surgical procedures. Idlib Health Directorate received the funds designated for these cases to be distributed to orthopedic clinics as per the demands.
Portable Medical Units: $11,300
Molham Volunteering Team established portable medical units in: Harem, Salqin, Jenderes, Bisnia, and Azmarin. These villages were the most severely affected by the earthquake, in which hundreds of victims died under the rubble of their homes. A 24-hour hotline has been set up to receive requests for medical assistance.The work of the clinics was also assisted by doctors who came from other countries to assist in treating children and injured people. These medical units received and treated 2,200 patients.
Images from portable medical unites
Molham Volunteering Team also contributed in providing other medical supplements like:
Consumables for eye operations: $11,089
Medical devices and equipment: $93,655
Wheelchairs and ambulance stretchers: $6,000
Contribution to the water treatment plant for the dialysis hospital: $5,000
Meals for patients’ companions: $16,801
Images from the medical team response
Video from the medical team response
Molham Volunteering Team established a medical unit in Jenderes on the days following the earthquake. It included 20 male and female nurses and two internal physicians, who treated medical cases including: bronchitis, cases of scabies, diarrhea, and headache, cases of epilepsy, chronic diseases, and changing bandages. Molham Team also contributed to transporting the injured to hospitals for follow up and by covering hospital fees.
The medical point worked for 24 hours and received80-100 patients a day.
Images of the response in Jenderes
Video 2: Part of the response in Jenderes
Video of the medical point in Jenderes
Humanitarian aids included:
Most of the families that lost their homes needed to get humanitarian aid to lessen their suffering and to cover some of their needs. Molham Volunteering Team provided urgent support to the families as:
• Providing emergency kits to 16,835 families: $218,859
• Providing cash assistance to 241 families: $48,328
• Providing heating fuel for affected families: $15,947
• Unfortunately, providing coffins for the victims: $3,777
Video of the response in Albab
Video of the team’s humanitarian response in affected areas
Southern Turkey following the earthquake:
The earthquake claimed the lives of 4,267 Syrian refugees in Turkey, according to the Turkish Minister of the Interior. Turkey is among the major countries that host large numbers of the Syrian refugees, especially in the states adjacent to the Syrian border.
Molham Volunteering Team’s response in Turkey
The team’s response varied between evacuating, providing shelter, and humanitarian aid.
Evacuation and sheltering include
The transportation of distressed people and patients in coordination with the hospitals and shelters via the hotline for over 3,000 people: $68,093.
The Molham Volunteering Team allocated hotlines for communicating in the states of Marash and Antakya to respond to transportation requests. Hundreds of families were evacuated by means of transportation to the relatively safe states.
Providing shelters: $5,108
The team provided shelters fully equipped and serviced in the state of Mersin for hundreds of families that fled the damaged areas.
A video from southern Turkey following the disastrous earthquake
A video documenting Molham Team’s response to the earthquake:
How did the Molham Volunteering Team
programs respond to the disaster?
When the disaster struck, a lot of details disappeared from the scene conveyed to the world as there were families that lost their children, cancer patients lost the chance to receive chemotherapy because they couldn’t make it to hospitals in Turkey, and thousands of surviving families. Those families were exhausted, as they lost all their property and started facing a harsh reality full of displacement and grief.
The Molham Volunteering Team responded to those families by:
- Launching the “1000 Affected Families” Campaign to reach over 1,000 families and provide them with their necessities.
- “Doctors to support the Medical Sector in NW Syria”Campaign to provide the necessities of the medical sector in NW Syria in cooperation with several doctors and the Directorate of Health in NW Syria.
• “Orphaned due to the Earthquake” Campaign to sponsor 250 orphaned children who lost their fathers or families due to the earthquake in NW Syria.
• “Responding to the Injured People due the Earthquake” Campaign. The numbers of the injured people doubled; hence this campaign is to provide for their medical necessities and surgeries.
• “Survivors” Campaign that targeted the families that were displaced again and lost their property. The team launched the campaign to provide for the families’ necessities.
• “Sponsor an Affected Family” Campaign to monthly sponsor the damaged families. Through the campaign, the team managed to provide monthly sum of money to help alleviate the burdens and suffering of the families.
• “A Dose of Hope” Campaign to help the cancer patients affected by the earthquake. The aim of the campaign was to facilitate treating cancer patients in NW Syria who lost hope of receiving necessary treatment due to closing the border with Turkey.
The locations of activities were in
Northern Syria: Idlib, Afrin, Harem, al-Dana, Aqrabat, Jenderis, Sarmada, Darkush,and Salqin.
Southern Turkey: Mersin, Antakya, and Gaziantep
A New Reality that should be dealt with: "We Can" Campaign
On February 14,2023, the Molham Volunteering Team launched a live stream between the destroyed houses to raise funds for the “We Can” Campaign. Work continued despite fatigue, that only psychological exhaustion can express beyond pain and physical exhaustion.
During the stream, the body of a little girl was found in the building just next to the tent where the stream was launched. The girl was earlier sponsored by the OrphansDepartment. The loss was successive, anyway, the stream went on and managed to raise over $12,000,000. Many influencers and celebrities participated in the stream where humanity was the upper slogan.
The campaign started on the very first day. The team selected a piece of land where the residential compounds would be built within the first stage. The team adopted two residential compounds in Harem and Armanaz, as well as the city of Idlib.
Details of Harem Project:
The size of the project is 39,000 m2 as it would include 25 three-floor and four-floor buildings. The project willinclude 352 apartments. It will also include greeneries, parks, a mosque, a school, markets, and entertainment facilities. The project is expected to be done in 240 days i.e. 8 months.
Details of Armanaz Project:
Planning the project has been fully done. It would be built in the Armanaz area in the countryside of Idlib. The size of the project is 31,640m2. It will include 28 three-floor and four-floor buildings, 368 apartments in total. It willalso include greeneries, parks, a mosque, a school, markets, and entertainment facilities. The project is expected to be done in 240 days i.e 8 months.
As for the third project, the land was chosen in the city of Idlib, with an area of 15,000m²
As for the second phase, the study is underway and is being worked on to determine the number of housing projects and building areas.
Thanks for all exerted efforts
The disaster is always bigger and beyond words. Its details are full of pain. In NW Syria, distress calls were released to help settle the large disaster, but as usual, those calls fell on deaf ears. The people of NW Syria were let down again, but thanks to Allah, the local efforts were sufficient and managed to alleviate a significant part of the disaster. Such sincere solidarity demonstrated by the people of the area was the best example.
We extend our deep thanks to the efforts exerted by the Syrian Civil Defense and other humanitarian organizations in the area. Hand in hand, we will always relieve the distressed people and change their miserable reality for the better.
Molham Volunteering Team