Turkey Earthquake: Family Emergency Assistance
Donation protected
This fundraiser is an emergency effort to support the Cakmak family in Turkey, who suffered during the February 2023 earthquakes there, and need assistance to help them get back on their feet. They’re currently homeless and jobless. For the full story, read on below.
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My dear friend, Cem Cakmak, is currently living here in Iowa, but his entire family was affected by the earthquakes, and they’re in desperate need of help from anyone who is willing and able to pitch in. On his behalf, I (EJ Philby Burton, an Iowan/American), am organizing this Go Fund Me, so that we can help even though we’re halfway around the world.
The Cakmak family’s home and their family-owned businesses were only 12 miles from the epicenter of the terrible earthquake that hit Turkey, in the city of Kahramanmaras.
There were two earthquakes: the first hit at 4:17 am, when everyone was asleep. It was rated at 7.8 and lasted for two minutes. The second came later in the afternoon. After the first earthquake, when Cem’s family woke up to horror and destruction, they were lucky, because their house was still standing. But when they got outside to the street, they found that their house was the only house remaining. All of their neighbors and families on their street either died immediately in their sleep, or were buried alive under the rubble of their homes.
When the second earthquake hit later that day, Cem’s family’s house collapsed as well.
It took a full day for Cem to hear from every family member, but they all survived and have made their way up to Afyonkarahisar, to stay with an aunt. Photos of the affected family members are at the end of this description.
The Cakmak family can’t simply go back to work to earn money to recover from this — they have few possessions left to their names, and their workplaces were family-owned businesses and apartments. Every single one of those buildings that earned them an income also collapsed during the earthquakes. The apartment buildings that they owned had many friends living in them, and the majority of these close friends did not survive.
They have no home. They have no workplace. They have no income. They have almost no possessions left. Everywhere they look, they are seeing the names of coworkers, relatives, childhood classmates, and dearly loved friends on the list of the missing or deceased. The single silver lining here is that, yes, everyone in Cem’s immediate family did survive. That’s an incredible blessing, but it doesn’t make this situation less difficult. They’re alive, but now they need help in order to survive the rest of this.
This is where the Cakmak family-owned business used to be located. Nothing is salvageable, not just because of the rubble left from the earthquake, but also due to the severe winter weather that the same area of Turkey is now experiencing. Nature is not holding its punches.
If you, like me, are an American, then you can help even more than you may realize. Turkey uses the Turkish Lira as their currency, and one US Dollar converts to 19 Lira. In addition to that, prices in the Turkish economy equate to lower amounts (in general) than in the American economy. For example, the average cost of a loaf of fresh white bread is the equivalent of US$0.11. Yes, 11 cents.
What does that whole paragraph mean? That means that your US Dollar will go farther in Turkey. The goal we’ve set to raise for Cem’s family is US$5500, which will allow for the Cakmak family to receive the equivalent of US$100,000, and also cover fees of transferring the money to them. While this isn’t enough to buy a new home outright, nor to go back to the same lifestyle they previously had, it is enough to help them get on their feet and get through this emergency.
I’ll finish this Go Fund Me story by sharing a message that Cem sent me, right after we talked about the disaster: “Hi guys. I truly and deeply appreciate y’all for checking on and being aware of the devastating situation in my country. My family is okay and they’re safe, but they struggled a lot. My whole city is leveled with the ground, a lot of people are still under the collapsed buildings and still haven’t been helped yet. I lost many of my friends, relatives and neighbors. I am in hopes of hearing good news from my country. I love you, and thank you ❤️❤️❤️”
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Here are some photos of the affected Cakmak family members who will be directly receiving all donated funds. All of these family members were in Kahramanmaras and lost everything.
Cem’s father, mother, and 4-month-old niece.
Cem’s sister and brother-in-law. These are the parents of the baby girl.
Cem’s brother, sister, and brother-in-law.
Cem’s 4-month-old niece, the daughter of the sister and brother-in-law above, and granddaughter of the father and mother in the first family photo.
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My dear friend, Cem Cakmak, is currently living here in Iowa, but his entire family was affected by the earthquakes, and they’re in desperate need of help from anyone who is willing and able to pitch in. On his behalf, I (EJ Philby Burton, an Iowan/American), am organizing this Go Fund Me, so that we can help even though we’re halfway around the world.
The Cakmak family’s home and their family-owned businesses were only 12 miles from the epicenter of the terrible earthquake that hit Turkey, in the city of Kahramanmaras.
There were two earthquakes: the first hit at 4:17 am, when everyone was asleep. It was rated at 7.8 and lasted for two minutes. The second came later in the afternoon. After the first earthquake, when Cem’s family woke up to horror and destruction, they were lucky, because their house was still standing. But when they got outside to the street, they found that their house was the only house remaining. All of their neighbors and families on their street either died immediately in their sleep, or were buried alive under the rubble of their homes.
When the second earthquake hit later that day, Cem’s family’s house collapsed as well.
It took a full day for Cem to hear from every family member, but they all survived and have made their way up to Afyonkarahisar, to stay with an aunt. Photos of the affected family members are at the end of this description.
The Cakmak family can’t simply go back to work to earn money to recover from this — they have few possessions left to their names, and their workplaces were family-owned businesses and apartments. Every single one of those buildings that earned them an income also collapsed during the earthquakes. The apartment buildings that they owned had many friends living in them, and the majority of these close friends did not survive.
They have no home. They have no workplace. They have no income. They have almost no possessions left. Everywhere they look, they are seeing the names of coworkers, relatives, childhood classmates, and dearly loved friends on the list of the missing or deceased. The single silver lining here is that, yes, everyone in Cem’s immediate family did survive. That’s an incredible blessing, but it doesn’t make this situation less difficult. They’re alive, but now they need help in order to survive the rest of this.
This is where the Cakmak family-owned business used to be located. Nothing is salvageable, not just because of the rubble left from the earthquake, but also due to the severe winter weather that the same area of Turkey is now experiencing. Nature is not holding its punches.
If you, like me, are an American, then you can help even more than you may realize. Turkey uses the Turkish Lira as their currency, and one US Dollar converts to 19 Lira. In addition to that, prices in the Turkish economy equate to lower amounts (in general) than in the American economy. For example, the average cost of a loaf of fresh white bread is the equivalent of US$0.11. Yes, 11 cents.
What does that whole paragraph mean? That means that your US Dollar will go farther in Turkey. The goal we’ve set to raise for Cem’s family is US$5500, which will allow for the Cakmak family to receive the equivalent of US$100,000, and also cover fees of transferring the money to them. While this isn’t enough to buy a new home outright, nor to go back to the same lifestyle they previously had, it is enough to help them get on their feet and get through this emergency.
I’ll finish this Go Fund Me story by sharing a message that Cem sent me, right after we talked about the disaster: “Hi guys. I truly and deeply appreciate y’all for checking on and being aware of the devastating situation in my country. My family is okay and they’re safe, but they struggled a lot. My whole city is leveled with the ground, a lot of people are still under the collapsed buildings and still haven’t been helped yet. I lost many of my friends, relatives and neighbors. I am in hopes of hearing good news from my country. I love you, and thank you ❤️❤️❤️”
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Here are some photos of the affected Cakmak family members who will be directly receiving all donated funds. All of these family members were in Kahramanmaras and lost everything.
Cem’s father, mother, and 4-month-old niece.
Cem’s sister and brother-in-law. These are the parents of the baby girl.
Cem’s brother, sister, and brother-in-law.
Cem’s 4-month-old niece, the daughter of the sister and brother-in-law above, and granddaughter of the father and mother in the first family photo.
Organizer and beneficiary
EJ Philby
Organizer
Des Moines, IA
Mehmet Cakmak
Beneficiary