ActionAid Association working with its partners to aid people in quake-hit Syria and Turkey

New Delhi : ActionAid Association expresses its deep sympathy with the people affected by the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023.

The situation is particularly devastating as it affects Syrian refugees who have already fled their homes due to conflict and settled in Turkey, as well as displaced people inside Syria. Many of these people have been displaced multiple times and now this earthquake has destroyed their lives and livelihoods yet again.The harsh winter conditions and heavy storm battering the region are making the recovery mission all the more challenging. People affected by the crisis will be suffering in extreme conditions without anywhere to go, with many out on the streets overnight tonight.

Commenting on the earthquake, Racha Nasreddine, Regional Director of ActionAid Arab Region said: “It’s tragic to see the numbers of casualties rising as efforts continue to try to recover and safe people from the wreckage.

“ActionAid is working with its partner in the region to urgently assess needs and what support is required. In the first instance we will be working to provide shelter, food and warm clothes. We know women, girls and marginalised communities are always disproportionately impacted by disasters and we will be working to support these vulnerable groups in the aftermath of this earthquake.”

Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director, ActionAid Association said: “The earthquake has devastated lives of many people, already suffering many precarities. We support the humanitarian efforts to provide relief and efforts to build resilience in an increasingly fragile world beset with many risks.”

About Action Aid

ActionAid India’s work with these communities is strongly focused on women and children. It was established with a vision to create a world without poverty, patriarchy and injustice in which every person enjoys the right to life with dignity. In 2006, ActionAid Association was registered as an Indian organisation, governed by an independent General Assembly and a Governing Board. Together with supporters, communities, institutions and governments, they strive for equality, fraternity and liberty for all. It works in 24 states and two union territories, with several partners and allied organisations. ActionAid Association is part of a global federation and a full affiliate of ActionAid International, that has presence in over 40 countries worldwide.

About Sandeep Chachra

Sandeep Chachra is currently the Executive Director of ActionAid Association, the Co-Chair of the World Urban Campaign coordinated by UN-Habitat and the Editor, Agrarian South – Journal of Political Economy.A social anthropologist by training, Sandeep brings with himself a rich and versatile experience of having worked for more than two decades across different continents, in several capacities not just with ActionAid Association (India), with ActionAid International, as well as other development organizations, answering his primary vocation of working with the most marginalized communities. Sandeep is an active part of several networks, groups and movements on the ground, and at the same time works at the macro level to design policies and programmatic interventions.Sandeep is active at several international fora, connecting with people’s movements and knowledge-building efforts across the world. He is an active part of a collective for developing the global platform on Economic Literacy and Budget Accountability for Governance (ELBAG), and the South-South People’s Solidarity Forum. He has been involved with the work of peasant movements in Asia and Africa, and has been a keen supporter of developing social movement platforms. He is an active member of International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs) and the World Forum of Alternatives Council, and has initiated and supported several transcontinental networks, campaigns and initiatives. In October 2016, Sandeep was elected as co-Chair of the World Urban Campaign, a global advocacy and partnership platform to raise awareness about positive urban change coordinated by UN-Habitat and driven by 180 partners and networks from around the world.