Turkey Syrian Earthquakes: Syria by Numbers

Syria in Numbers

4.1 million people in northwest Syria relied on humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs before the quakes struck. The search for food, shelter, and fuel is a daily struggle. Fuel shortages meant people didn’t have electricity for more than a few hours a day, so they had to burn what they could find to heat their homes or to cook.

6.9 million people have been internally displaced by the war. They’ve had to move from one place to another, keeping one step ahead of bombs or sniper fire to survive. Each move has meant starting over from scratch, hoping, this time, stability will last.

5.3 million people in Syria have been made homeless by last week’s earthquakes. They sleep in hospitals, mosques, unsafe buildings, stadiums, or gardens. By day, they dig through the remnants of their destroyed homes with their bare hands. By night, they search for their loved ones by cell phone light. 

More than 5,800 people have been killed by the quakes in Syria. This number is an undercount, as bodies are tallied only when they have been identified. 

These numbers tell us many things, but they don’t tell us the impact our help has for those in Syria. Food boxes and blankets are more than life-saving essentials. They are the embodiment of listening. They are a way of saying we see you. We admire your courage and resilience. And, we belong to each other.

Standing with Survivors on the Ground in Aleppo

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the tireless efforts of our partners on the ground, we were able to bring food boxes to displaced families in a local shelter. This is just the beginning of our food relief programming, and you can be a part of it. For only $40, you can help a family of five have enough to eat for almost three weeks. For only $40, you can give a family one less thing to worry about.

Buildings continue to collapse in the Aleppo region. Having lost their homes and belongings, families seek safety in gardens despite the bitter cold or in shelters if they are lucky enough to find space in one. Over the weekend, our team acquired as many blankets as possible to help people in the frigid cold. We distributed 95 blankets to 95 families, our way of putting our arms around them.

According to the Aleppo governorate, more than 350 shelters have been opened, but the number of people who need a warm place to stay is over 217,000. There is so much more that needs to be done. Just $39 will keep a family close together and warm.

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The Challenges of Bringing Aid into Northern Syria Continue

People in Syria are hungry, freezing, injured, and surrounded by rubble. Survivors need care. To speed up the flow of aid into Syria, the UN Security Council has opened two more border crossings from Turkey. 

We, too, are listening to our friends in Syria. We are bringing food, blankets, and care. We choose to see the possibility of life, knowing miracles do happen. We see our Syrian friends’ resilience and courage and are inspired to respond in kind. This is the time to love anyway, love first, and love always.