Of the over 195,000 evacuees from the earthquake-affected areas in Türkiye, thousands have made their way to Istanbul where the Turkish branch office of Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (BTCF) is located. To assist people made homeless by the earthquake, BTCF Türkiye has prepared a first batch of gift cards that can be used by recipients to buy food and non-food items according to their own needs. In the coming days, BTCF will hold six distributions, benefiting around 1,000 families. While volunteers in Istanbul are preparing and executing relief distributions, another team is departing to perform disaster assessment in the affected areas. The team is currently planning to visit five affected provinces: Hatay, Osmaniye, Adana, Kilis, and Gaziantep.

To assist survivors in freezing winter conditions, an initial shipment of 8,148 extra-thick eco-blankets made from 100% recycled PET bottles has already arrived in Türkiye from BTCF global headquarters, in addition to a first batch of 10,000 blankets purchased from a local manufacturer. BTCF is also partnering with Türkiye Trade Office in Taipei to collect in-kind donations of new and unused necessities including winter clothing, tents, sleeping pads, blankets, thermos bottles, and hygiene articles. The effort mobilized over one thousand volunteers daily to sort and pack the relief materials. Between February 10 and 13, volunteers packed 11,405 boxes which were brought to the airport by private logistics and freight companies as well as military trucks for further transport to Türkiye.

February 10-13, volunteers at BTCF’s Neihu Center pack 11,405 boxes with collected relief materials. Photo © Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation.

The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is a global non-profit humanitarian organization founded in 1966 by Buddhist nun Dharma Master Cheng Yen. Its missions of medicine, charity, education, and humanistic culture have brought relief to 128 countries. The heart of Tzu Chi is embedded in its name: in Chinese, “Tzu” means compassion and “Chi” relief, to relieve the suffering of those in need while creating a better world for all through compassion, love, and hope. For more information, visit tzuchi.us.

February 10-13, volunteers at BTCF’s Neihu Center pack 11,405 boxes with collected relief materials. Photo © Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation.

For additional information and media inquiries, please write to Johan Alwall, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, johan.alwall@us.tzuchi.org.

*Source: https://reliefweb.int/node/3934186