'Feeling that every little bit helps keeps me going'
On February 6, 2023, two earthquakes struck southeastern Turkey at 4:17 a.m. (local time) and 1:24 p.m. (local time). Both earthquakes were of a magnitude greater than 7.5 and caused extensive damage in Turkey and Syria.
The words at the beginning of this article are from a staff member of the Turkish Red Crescent Society who was affected by these earthquakes, but who provided support immediately after the disaster as a member of the Turkish Red Crescent Society.

People living hard through repeated humanitarian crises

Turkey is the country that hosts the largest number of refugees in the world, with an estimated 3.7 million refugees in the country. Of these, the area that suffered the most damage from the 2023 earthquake was an area that had been receiving a particularly large number of refugees from Syria and other neighboring countries. It was a place where the Turkish Red Crescent Society had long been active together with the International Red Cross.
This created a harsh situation in which the company's staff, volunteers themselves, and their families were also affected by the disaster while continuing their relief activities.

Kubra of the Turkish Red Crescent Society is one such person who has been affected by such a situation. She lost her parents and her sister at the same time, but she continues to support the relief efforts.
I felt that healing the wounds of others would also heal my own wounds.

Remember to have hope in the midst of crisis

The earthquake also caused serious damage in Syria, Turkey's neighbor.
The earthquake struck at a time when Syria's social infrastructure was already fragile due to more than a decade of civil war and several humanitarian crises were occurring simultaneously, including an economic crisis, a new coronavirus infection, and a cholera pandemic, making this a unique situation.
In addition, the unstable local situation and shortages of fuel, electricity, materials, and equipment made it difficult for the Red Cross and many other international humanitarian aid organizations to even access the affected areas.
Despite these difficulties, the local Syrian Red Crescent Society was active, with 3,500 volunteers working hard to provide assistance. One of the volunteers, Roaa says says he still remembers one of his experiences: “During the earthquake relief efforts, I met a man named Sa'ad Sa'ad.
I will never forget a little girl named Sally that I met during the earthquake relief efforts. She lost her entire family in the earthquake. She had to face the most difficult post-disaster situation all by herself. When I think of Sally's situation, it inspires me to do the best I can as a volunteer to help those in need and those around me who need help.”

The Japanese Red Cross Society also dispatched Deputy Director Takahara of Himeji Red Cross Hospital to Syria as a healthcare coordinator.
Ms. Takahara described the situation in the area as follows.
We didn't know whether the damage was caused by the conflict or the earthquake, and we sometimes felt depressed when we imagined the repeated hardships.
However, there was a child who told me about his school with sparkling eyes when I talked to him. That child gave me a sense of hope.
In Syria, which is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, people are still struggling to survive.