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GAZIANTEP, TURKIYE February 09, 2023 — Baitulmaal, a Dallas-based international humanitarian nonprofit, recently delivered the first two of seventeen medical supply containers valued at $5.35M to earthquake-ravaged Turkiye and Syria earlier this week, in addition to food, water and other aid to victims of the quakes.
The initial shipment arrived in Kahramanmaraş, Turkiye and included 200 hospital beds that will be used to support doctors and nurses treating the critically injured in the wake of the disaster. According to Elizabeth Sohail, program manager at Baitulmaal, subsequent shipments will include essential items such as medical equipment, medical devices and triage supplies.
“The scale of this disaster is immense,” Sohail said. “But so is the compassion of donors who have rallied to support the victims of these devastating earthquakes.”
In the early hours of February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaraş. A 7.5 magnitude quake hit a few hours later, followed by numerous significant aftershocks. As of Thursday, more than 20,000 people were killed across southern Turkiye and northern Syria, with thousands more injured, missing or displaced.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 23 million people across Syria and Turkiye are likely to face the threat of a “secondary disaster” if aid does not reach them soon.
Baitulmaal has been on the ground in Turkiye and northern Syria mobilizing aid to affected areas. In addition to the $5.35M in medical supplies, Baitulmaal distributed 3,000 hot meals in Sanliurfa, Turkiye and another 5,000 hot meals in Jindires in northern Syria. It also distributed blankets to shield displaced families from the cold. The charity is preparing to provide winter relief kits, run ambulance services and operate medical tents, among other aid.
Baitulmaal regularly works in the region delivering humanitarian aid. In addition to food and winter relief, Baitulmaal also supports Uyghur and Syrian refugees in Turkiye, oversees hundreds of donor-sponsored orphans in both countries, and has reconstructed 4 schools, including a large vocational school in Ras Al-Ayn, Syria. To learn more about or contribute to these efforts, visit Baitulmaal.org.
Baitulmaal is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides life-saving, life-sustaining and life-enriching aid to people in need around the world. With headquarters in Texas, the charity has domestic offices in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and New Jersey as well as international offices in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.
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