From the early hours of the earthquakes that struck Syria and Turkey on Monday 6th February 2023, youth volunteers rushed down to the earthquake sites, along with the staff of the Syrian Family Planning Association (SFPA) to help survivors and those affected by the earthquakes.
For about 12 hours per day, the volunteers organized themselves in teams and worked like a beehive to unify their voluntary efforts in helping people to mitigate the effects of earthquakes.
Through their efforts, we were able to aid the following:
- Blood donation at medical points, helping survivors to reach safe and provision of primary psychological support services for children and youth.
- Helping women and girls to access medical and health services provided by the SFPA Association, especially those related to sexual and reproductive health issues.
- Holding sessions to raise awareness of protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse and gender-based violence (GBV) during disasters and crises.
- Organisation of digital support and awareness campaigns on the association’s social media platforms.
- Supporting relief teams and voluntary associations on the ground by distributing and sorting food aid and clothing to the affected.
The young people on the ground conveyed to us that the large scale of the catastrophic earthquakes had a multiplying effect on Syria, a country that has suffered from war for 12 years, in addition to the economic sanctions imposed on Syria, coinciding with the harsh winter, which makes the response and provision of assistance more difficult and dangerous. This therefore requires more concerted local and international efforts and more support to mitigate the severity and effects of this disaster.
We therefore would like to applaud the young people in Syria for taking lead when it came to providing immediate response following this catastrophe. Their commendable job is another reminder that young people have the capacity to drive change within their societies, and that we should therefore support them to realize their full potential.
Dr. Ammar Al-Salama
Global Youth Connect Think Tank Member
Board member Head of youth committee at Syrian Family Planning Association (SFPA).
