By March, QFFD’s earthquake aid to Turkiye and Syria surpassed QAR 200 million.
Qatar completed the delivery of 10,000 mobile homes to Turkiye on Saturday, as part of a wider humanitarian response initiative launched to respond to the tragic twin earthquakes which hit the country and neighbouring Syria.
“As part of the State of Qatar’s response to the devastating earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria in February 2023, Qatar Fund for Development delivered the final batch of the mobile homes used to shelter the affected communities,” the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) announced.
Two powerful earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.5 magnitudes struck Turkiye and Syria in February, killing at least 50,000 people and displacing 2.94 million others in the affected areas, per recent figures by Turkish emergency response entity, AFAD.
The quakes have been declared as the worst to ever hit the region this century.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani promptly responded to the disaster by ordering the launch of an air bridge that carried much-needed medical and food supplies, in addition to deploying more than 120 personnel of the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Force – Lekhwiya.
The response plan included the delivery of fully-furnished mobile homes, which have been distributed over the course of three months to more than 15 cities and towns across Southeast Turkiye.
The mobile homes were previously used to house visitors during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“Qatar Fund continues to improve the livelihood of vulnerable communities worldwide by providing the necessary aid to save lives, give hope, and promote peace and justice through sustainable and inclusive development,” QFFD added.
A week after the earthquakes, Qatar’s amir became the first foreign leader to visit Turkiye and met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul – seen widely as yet another display of solidarity between the two allies.
The amir also donated QAR 50 million ($14 million) to earthquake victims on live television during the Oun and Sanad campaign in the same month. The campaign successfully gathered QAR 168,015,836 (around $19 million) at the time.
By March, QFFD’s earthquake aid to Turkiye and Syria surpassed QAR 200 million.
Then in April, QFFD and AFAD, announced plans to establish a city in northern Syria that is set to house 70,000 people, many of which are displaced Syrians who were forced out of their homes by the Bashar Al Assad regime.
According to the United Nations, 1.7 million Syrian refugees are among the 15 million affected in Turkiye by the earthquakes. At least 5.3 million Syrians had already required shelter even before the earthquakes due to the war in Syria.
The Assad regime caused the world’s biggest refugee crisis since plunging the country into war in 2011. According to the UN, Syrian refugees make up 6.5 million out of the global figure of 35.3 million.
Qatar has long called for a political resolution in Syria and has consistently voiced its refusal to normalise with the Assad regime, noting such a move would be a betrayal of the Syrian people.