CUNY Medicine Earthquake Fund for SAMS and TRC

TLDR: We are raising money for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC). These two trustworthy nonprofits are doing critical work supporting healthcare in Syria and Türkiye after a devastating earthquake killed, injured, and displaced tens of thousands of people, compounded by an existing humanitarian crisis in Syria, limited resources and personnel, and widespread destruction of hospitals in Türkiye. Funds will be split evenly (50-50) between these two organizations.

We at the CUNY School of Medicine Sophie Davis Student Government (SDSG) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) are deeply heartbroken by the news of the devastating earthquakes that have impacted southern Türkiye, northern Syria, and parts of Lebanon on Monday, February 6th, which have killed, injured, and displaced thousands of people. The initial 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the midst of a harsh winter, with its epicenter in southern Türkiye near Gaziantep 50 miles north of the Syrian border. Two thousand aftershocks followed as rescue teams attempted to provide aid, with the strongest aftershock reaching a magnitude of 7.5 several hours after the initial quake. Over 33,000 deaths have been confirmed, with numbers continuing to rise as 180,000 people remain trapped beneath the rubble. In total, the earthquake has impacted an estimated 23 million people, with the magnitude of destruction impacting an area equivalent to the distance from Washington, DC to NYC.

Türkiye has witnessed a bulk of the destruction in its southern regions, including the destruction of 3,500 buildings, with over 80,000 still evacuated from their homes as assessments of building safety continue. Hospitals were also destroyed, leaving emergency responders and medical teams with limited resources to provide care to thousands of patients. In Syria, the earthquake’s effects have exacerbated the existing crisis, displacing already displaced Syrians, rendering five million homeless, depleting humanitarian stores, and severely restricting the capacity to replenish them due to the presence of only one entry point for humanitarian aid. Syrians have already endured over a decade of war, neglect, aid obstruction, economic collapse, and disease outbreak within an already overburdened healthcare system. Local NGOs, particularly in North-West Syria, lack the capacity, energy, and resources to manage this crisis on their own. 

As medical students, we wish to raise awareness to the severity of the crisis and provide support, however we can. We stand with our Turkish and Syrian colleagues who are providing essential healthcare in the midst of chaos and with the most limited resources. We stress the need to put all politics aside in the wake of this disaster to focus on saving as many people as possible. Just as importantly, we must ensure that survivors have opportunities to rebuild and receive long-term care, including mental healthcare. We also stress the importance of transparency from NGOs in allocating donations for aid, collaboration between NGOs doing similar work, and ensuring that aid and support are received both in Syria and Türkiye.

Time is of the essence to act as search and rescue efforts continue, with the survival rate decreasing as more time passes with people trapped under the rubble. Temperatures are reaching near-freezing as thousands remain without housing. We humbly ask for your support. We are raising money for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and Turkish Red Crescent (TRC), two trustworthy nonprofits doing critical work supporting healthcare in Syria and Türkiye. Funds will be split evenly (50-50) between these two organizations, with the provision of receipts of these donations in a post on GoFundMe.

We thank you in advance for your generosity and for being part of this effort to help the affected people of Türkiye and Syria.