Emergency teams and search & rescue crews at the site of a collapsed building in Diyarbakır, Turkey. 6 February 2023 - Credit: VOA / Wikimedia Commons - License: Public Domain

Monday, 13 February 2023 - 17:20

National fundraiser collected €24.7 million for Turkey and Syria

The proceeds from the Giro555 fundraiser for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria has climbed to almost 25 million euros, the organization said on Monday. The Dutch campaign is intended to raise money for emergency aid such as shelter, clothing, medical care and food for those affected.

A total of 24,731,078 euros has been donated for the victims in the affected areas. “Help is being offered by all organizations that are currently hard at work there, such as distributing clean drinking water, food, blankets and warm clothing,” said Michiel Servaes, who is running Giro555. “But much more is needed, because most people are still sleeping outside and therefore quickly need shelter, sanitary facilities, care and ultimately perspective again. Aid organizations are therefore preparing for a huge operation.”

The aid organizations working together on the project opened Giro555 last Tuesday, after areas in Turkey and Syria were hit by strong earthquakes a day earlier. By Saturday, the fundraiser had brought in over 16 million euros.

On Wednesday, national and regional media outlets will broadcast programming as part of a national fundraising day for the victims. The day will begin at 5:55 a.m. at Sound & Vision in Hilversum. There will be a call center panel well-known Dutch people running the phone lines. A live national television broadcast will be shown on NPO1 at 8:30 p.m.

The first earthquake in southeastern Turkey last week had a magnitude of 7.8. The epicenter was 26 kilometers northwest of Gaziantep, not far from the border with Syria. Later another major earthquake occurred, as well as hundreds of smaller earthquakes and aftershocks.

The death toll from the earthquakes has now risen to 36,000. According to the most recent figures, 31,643 fatalities occurred in Turkey.

Giro555 is an initiative of several well known aid organizations, including the Cordaid, Oxfam Novib, UNICEF Netherlands and the Dutch Red Cross, as well as the key foundation assisting refugees.