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Rebuilding in Türkiye
Aleu's story
"We had no help."
32-year-old Aleu lives with her husband and two children, one-year-old Beste and four-year-old Boris, in Azurs district, Türkiye. Aleu is a housewife and stays at home to take care of the children.
Before the earthquake, Aleu’s home was a source of security and comfort; a place where the family could come together and look after one another. After the earthquake, they are too afraid to sleep in their own home, instead choosing to sleep in a small camping tent outside the house, barely fitting the four of them.
“There are cracks to the walls, damage to the furniture, cracks to the foundation. We are waiting for our house to be assessed for the severity of the damage, so we still do not know how secure the house is. Until we know, we are afraid to be inside.”
How ShelterBox Responded
Since the earthquakes struck Türkiye in February, ShelterBox has been working hard to support those who have been impacted by this massive disaster.
As well as supporting families whose homes were completely destroyed by the earthquakes, ShelterBox is also supporting those who are too frightened to sleep in their homes, due to the fear of further aftershocks. Many families are using their home space for cooking, washing, bathing, but are too afraid to sleep inside. Families tend to spend as much time outside of the house as possible.
Aid packages included a family-sized tent, blankets, mattress, solar lights, a family hygiene kit, and a stove.
Currently, we have a team in country working in partnership with Rotary colleagues, aiming to support people in Hatay, Gaziantep, and Andiyaman regions of Türkiye.
The Road to Recovery
Aleu received a new tent, hygiene kit, a mattress and blanket from ShelterBox, in partnership with Rotary.
“For now, we have been sleeping in a small camping tent outside the house. We then use our home to cook, do laundry, and everything else. We are thankful to have received a new tent so that we can sleep comfortably at night.”
Although Aleu does not know what the future holds, she shared her hopes: “I want my city to return to normal and I hope that my children’s schools recover from the earthquake and that they can receive a good education. I hope to move back into my home eventually.”
Thank you to our global supporters for making all of this possible!
Learn More
Türkiye Earthquakes
Following the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye, ShelterBox is working to support families with emergency shelter.
Our aid
Discover the aid items that you provide to help families rebuild their lives