Fridges and Fans

Ever since the enormous earthquake in February of this year, Turkey and Syria have been struggling to move forward. The degree of devastation is intense and has pushed tens of thousands of people into an ongoing state of desperation and need.

We have continued our work with our partner on the ground in order to provide aid for those without proper living conditions. According to recent reports, there were over one million individuals living in tents in the Hatay area a few months ago. Only an estimated 85,000 of these people have been moved to container houses, which are nothing more than empty, portable containers set up as temporary forms of shelter. These structures lack a bathroom or kitchen and have hardly any electricity, which was extremely trying in the summer months as temperatures were reaching highs of 35 degrees. Some individuals were able to scrape together enough money to buy a mattress or sofa, or had one donated to them by an NGO, but the numbers are few.

One of our partners relayed a story of a family living in one of these container houses: 

“Last week, contacts in Istanbul informed us of a family living in Hatay who were in need of help, so some members of our team visited them. It was a family with small babies. Their house had collapsed. All their neighbours had been killed by the earthquake. All except them. They now live with two other families in a single container house. Three families crammed into one container. They have nothing, they have lost everything. One of the big needs we identified was an air conditioner, a fridge and a washing machine”.

In an effort to alleviate some of people’s discomfort, GAiN and our partner organization sought to provide fans and refrigerators to people living in these container houses. Within days, our teams were able to identify several dozen families living in these difficult conditions and in need of aid.

During one distribution, our partners on the ground, accompanied by a governor of the city, encountered an elderly couple in their sixties in the village of Hatay. It was a blisteringly hot 44º day and as the team handed them the fridge, the couple graciously offered the team members a seat and some bottled water. 

The elderly man pointed to a pile of rubble, the remains of their house where a lifetime of memories and experiences are now buried. In spite of everything, they were happy and grateful for the house they have now, which they have been gradually building with their own hands after the earthquake.

Our partner said, “The heat was extreme and this is a big problem for families like the one we have visited. Not only is it very difficult to withstand the temperatures in a home that is not conditioned for it, but the food does not last long before rotting.” 

Giving the elderly couple a refrigerator has not only boosted their spirits, but it has improved their health by allowing them to keep food without fearing it will spoil and make them sick.

“Meeting this couple makes us think about how interesting it is to see the different responses to the tragedy that each family has: some turn to help others, others focus on improving their situation, and others remain paralyzed without knowing what to do,” our partner shared.

A fridge may not seem like much, but to these survivors, it has symbolized love and reminded them that there are people out there who care for their wellbeing. To date, our partners on the ground have distributed 75 fans and 75 refrigerators, as well as 8,600 litres of bottled water, 860 food boxes and 1,506 health care kits. They have also built 20 tiny houses for people without homes and have distributed two large transports of GIK, including essentials such as toilet paper, clothes, blankets and mattresses.

The disaster relief we have brought to Turkey and Syria can feel like a small droplet of help in a sea of devastation and need. Yet knowing the hope that can seep out of our lives into those we touch spurs us to keep going. In Jeremiah 29:11, God declares, “‘For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’”

We speak this promise over the nations of Turkey and Syria, for He who promised is faithful.