For a bed to rest on - TURKEY EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

The earthquake that struck Turkey on February 6 caused insurmountable devastation. In some major cities, more than 50% of the building stock turned to rubble, causing the death of tens of thousands. In a region home to 13.5 million, hundreds of thousands are now unhoused and dispossessed. We are asking for your support in helping us provide 3000 people in Kahramanmaraş (the epicenter of the quake) with mattresses to be used in their temporary shelters.

The earthquake that struck southeast Turkey on Monday, February 6, 2023, caused insurmountable devastation to the region and its people. It took the life of tens of thousands with the death toll still rising. The affected area, 42.5 square miles, is inhabited by 13.5 million people across 9 major cities. In some cities, especially Hatay and Kahramanmaraş (the latter the epicenter of the earthquake) more than 50% of the building stock turned to rubble and ashes. Hundreds of thousands of people became unhoused and dispossessed overnight. One of the biggest challenges faced is the provision of earthquake victims with temporary shelter as rescue missions on the ground continue.

Humanitarian aid campaigns across the world have and continue to provide support for Turkey’s earthquake relief. Large and centralized aid organizations are pivotal for the structured response to immediate needs such as water, clothing, medicine, and basic amenities. Yet, the unfathomable scale of this disaster also begs for local, on-the-ground, and targeted recovery missions.

We are asking the international community for its support in helping us provide 3000 people and families in Kahramanmaraş with mattresses to be used in their place of temporary shelter. This is an urgent task as temperatures fall to subzero degrees at night.

We are working with local responders who have transformed the Kipaş Schools in Kahramanmaraş into a post-earthquake shelter for 4000 people. So far, 1000 of the temporarily housed have been provided with mattresses. Clothing and food are also being successfully provisioned to both the sheltered and the larger community. Yet, for the remaining 3000 people and families, a bed to rest their heads on continues to be a primary and much urgent need.

A single foam mattress costs 210 TRY ($11.16 / 10.42€)—the price of two cups of coffee for many. We set our initial funding goal to 630,000.00 TRY ($33.500,00 / 31.300,00€).

A more durable mattress option also exists, at 650 TRY ($34.53 / 32.27€). This mattress, while more expensive, has longevity and can be used for years, becoming the first necessity fulfilled to start a new life. We are therefore setting our secondary funding goal to 1.950.000,00 TRY ($103.590 / 96.799€).

The donations will be transparently transferred to our friend and local partner, MERVE KORKMAZ who will oversee the acquisition, transfer, and delivery of the mattresses. Donation updates will be regularly shared on the campaign page.

We sincerely appreciate your help and support during these extraordinary times.

In solidarity,

Emine Seda Kayim (Ph.D. Candidate, University of Michigan)

Hakan Karagül (Ph.D., Applied Science Manager at Amazon)

The first 1000 mattresses in transit.