The Samar Zora Foundation for Hatay Relief

On February 6th, a massive earthquake hit Turkey and Syria. A few days later, Saad and Muthana flew into Turkey to search for Samar Zora, their sister.

While searching for Samar, we spent hours downtown in the parking lot that held her building. It was always dusty, always loud, and oddly suspended in time. Everyone was waiting.

We were lucky to have people to share this time with. The sense of community is what gave everyone strength. Those who sat around the fire together were also missing people - some had been found, but most were still out there somewhere. Together, we flagged down teams to help search, shared tea and food, and instilled little bits of hope into one another.

Most of these people won't be leaving to go back to families in safe, warm homes. They're from Antakya or surrounding areas. They'll continue to live in the midst of what is still going on. These people supported us as we searched, and now we're trying to reciprocate.

This fundraiser is to give back to those in Antakya and affected areas of Hatay. Funds will be directed through local contacts and a local NGO.