Rotary continues to support Turkey as it rebuilds from earthquake

More than US$4 million funds water, education, agriculture supplies, and equipment for affected communities

By Etelka Lehoczky

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The relief efforts and funding Rotary provided after last year’s devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria show that Rotary members create hope where it is needed, said RI President R. Gordon R. McInally during a visit to the country.

“Having met the Rotary members in Hatay province, Turkey, I know that they will [continue to] be there to help rebuild their community,” McInally said while visiting affected areas in April. Among many stops, he toured a kindergarten and a vocational school that Rotary members resupplied and a mobile kitchen and bakery they outfitted. “I thank Rotary members for helping Create Hope in the World for those so badly affected by the disaster,” McInally added, referencing his presidential theme.

Since the earthquake and aftershocks in February 2023, which killed more than 55,000 people, Rotary has distributed over US$4 million to support affected communities. Aid efforts were confined to Turkey since Rotary has no clubs in Syria. Members have assembled container cities for housing, built water treatment plants, provided seedlings and cows to farmers, given equipment to hospitals, donated computers for students, and opened a veterinary clinic.

Immediately after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, Rotary established a dedicated disaster response fund that received more than US$2.7 million in contributions. (The fund is now closed to donations.) Additional aid efforts used global grants totaling about US$1.4 million.

“Once Rotary members witnessed what had happened, they came and provided help,” says Sezgin Acioğlu, a member of the Rotary Club of İskenderun, Turkey. “It was agile. It was very quick, very fast. It … encouraged everybody [else] to help.”

Aid for immediate and long-term needs

The immediate aid included a search-and-rescue van, hospital supplies, tents, sleeping bags, and air conditioners.

Rotary districts in Turkey helped the government set up three communities with housing made of shipping containers. It was challenging to find high-quality, affordable containers, says governor-nominee Lütfi Can Çığırgan of District 2430, because so many companies began manufacturing them right after the earthquake. Fortunately, a Rotary member in Adana, one of the major cities affected, was able to recommend a reputable company there, Çığırgan says.

“We were able to avoid buying the containers at a huge price — something we are always keen on as Rotarians,” he says.

Rotary members also built water treatment plants for two of the container cities. “Our systems collect water in tanks of 400 tons each and send it to the container cities with the help of pumps,” says Mehmet Altay, the governor of District 2420. “The water passing through our treatment facilities has the same quality as bottled water and is good enough to drink, make tea, and cook.”

Other projects have included a mobile dental clinic, temporary classrooms, and school computers.

“Rotary can still make a significant difference in the lives of earthquake victims,” Altay says. “Everyone who drinks the water in the facility we established thanks and prays for Rotary. We make a difference in the lives of children when they prepare homework on the computers given to them by Rotary. And in our mobile education vehicle, which is equipped with a computer, students can do research on any subject they want.”

Agricultural supplies and equipment and farm animals were another significant category of donations. The districts provided machines that farmers could share to harvest potatoes and make silage (chopped grass or other fodder that can be preserved and used later as livestock feed). The districts also donated seeds, seedlings, saplings, and pregnant cows that will help quickly rebuild herds.

“We want to make life go on. Otherwise, people from that area will go to other sides of the country. They won’t go back if there is no life there, no economic movement,” Çığırgan says.

Altay’s district also supplied a hospital in Hatay’s Dörtyol district with a pediatric echocardiography device and replaced damaged operating room equipment at Adıyaman Education and Research Hospital.

“Spinal cord and brain surgeries, which could not be performed, started to be performed again,” Altay says.

Building a veterinary clinic to help lost pets

To help pets that were hurt or abandoned after the earthquake, District 2420 established a veterinary clinic in Adıyaman province and supplied equipment for treatment and surgery. Staffers at the clinic spay and neuter the animals, tend to their wounds, and vaccinate them to help prevent diseases like rabies, which can spread to humans. Rotary members also donated a vehicle to bring animals to the clinic.

“During our visits to the earthquake area, we saw many dogs and cats wandering among the ruins, having lost their families who looked after them,” Altay says. “Some were injured and needed urgent medical attention. … This clinic will save [or] improve the health of thousands of animals.”

The veterinary clinic was named for Proteo, a rescue dog donated by Mexico, who died while searching for earthquake survivors in the rubble.

“It will ensure that the name Proteo and the aid of the Mexican nation will be remembered forever,” Altay says.

Support Rotary’s disaster response initiatives.

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— July 2024