I never thought I’d be in a position where I couldn’t figure out a way to manage things myself. But I never thought I’d be faced with a situation so devastating and traumatic. As you know the earthquake has caused catastrophic destruction in southern Turkey and northern Syria. My family and I have been personally impacted. My family home, in Antakya, has been razed to the ground. We have many dead but still have hope because we have found family members alive. We do not know where they are, only that they’ve been taken to hospital. The communication network is broken so information is coming in bits and pieces.

I spent my childhood in Antakya / Hatay. The region of Antakya / Hatay with all the rich history has been decimated; completely destroyed.

Three months ago, I was there in my family home, my mom’s house. Three months ago, I was with my family and now all is gone. We’ve lost family members. We’ve lost our home. We’ve lost our memories. Those of us left are in shock and trying to organise rescue efforts for those who may still be alive, buried below the house. This requires huge coordination and money. It also requires me to ask for help. I can’t sort this alone. The time for rebuilding will come, but right now we are still focussed on saving those that we can.

If you can help, we would all be grateful. Your good thoughts and positive belief that we will survive this as a family would be most welcome too.

Thank you in advance.