February 6 Earthquakes (7.7 & 7.6) in Southeastern Turkey & Syria

[Ondath]

Friends, some of you may know I'm from Turkey, and 10 cities in Turkey as well as Northern Syria were struck by two massive earthquakes on February 6. In a rare disaster, we had one earthquake that struck at 4 AM, getting many people in the sleep, and a second one at noon that further demolished the region. Just one of these earthquakes would already be devastating, but both of them happening back to back has created a situation that is no less than apocalyptic. Entire cities and towns have been razed to the ground, and death toll in Turkey is currently at 9000 — and rising.

I am one of the lucky ones who had no friends or family endangered by the event, but I know people in my university whose parents lost their home. Worse, the government response has been incredibly lacking. I won't go into details since I don't think discussing politics will be particularly helpful. But cities like Antioch and Maraş have been abandoned by government agencies for the first two days, with people digging their friends and family with bare hands. What's worse, the government just started blocking Twitter to censor criticism of the situation, when people were using Twitter to coordinate search & rescue operations. It's really, really bad.

The reason I wanted to start a thread here is to ask for your help. Critical Role Foundation already pledged 25 Million USD through CARE, and there has been massive outpouring of international aid, both monetarily and by sending personnel. When I first heard of Critical Role's help, I was really touched.

If you have any money you could spare, consider donating to AHBAP. They're an NGO that has been really trustworthy in past natural disasters, and frankly I trust them to better manage any relief funds than our government agencies. They received considerable donations from big corporations and public personalities in Turkey, and US streamer Hasan Piker (@hasanabi) raised more than 700 Million USD. AHBAP accepts donations in US Dollars, Euros and even cryptocurrencies the last time I checked.

For donating via bank transfer, you can use the following link:

https://ahbap.org/disasters-turkey

Haluk Levent, AHBAP's founder, also opened several cryptocurrency wallets to accept donations there.



Lastly, you can also use the following link to donate:

Donation | Ahbap Derneği | Fonzip

We need your supportTurkey has recently been struck by a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8. The impact has been widespread and many communities have been severely affected. In this difficult time, we are reaching out to ask for your support. Any donation, no matter how small, will...

bagis.ahbap.org

You can also find Critical Role Foundation's announcement here:


They seem to have donated through CARE, but I don't know to whom CARE will direct their funds. Frankly, I would discourage you from donating to CARE if they will deliver the funds directly to government agencies.

Thanks for taking your time. I hope we can get to discuss sillies matters like linear fighters/quadratic wizards and the OGL soon.

 

[CleverNickName]

Regarding Critical Role's decision to donate through CARE.org:

They seem to have donated through CARE, but I don't know to whom CARE will direct their funds. Frankly, I would discourage you from donating to CARE if they will deliver the funds directly to government agencies.

It looks like CARE works through Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. From the Wikipedia entry for CARE.org:

CARE is a signatory to the following standards of humanitarian intervention: the Code of Conduct for The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief, the Sphere standards, and the Core Humanitarian Standard. As well, CARE is a member of a number of networks aiming to improve the quality and coordination of humanitarian aid: The Emergency Capacity Building Project, The Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies, the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action, the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response, the International Council for Voluntary Agencies, and the INGO Accountability Charter. CARE also regularly engages in joint advocacy campaigns with other major NGOs.​

 

[Ondath]

Regarding Critical Role's decision to donate through CARE.org:

It looks like CARE works through Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. From the Wikipedia entry for CARE.org:

CARE is a signatory to the following standards of humanitarian intervention: the Code of Conduct for The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief, the Sphere standards, and the Core Humanitarian Standard. As well, CARE is a member of a number of networks aiming to improve the quality and coordination of humanitarian aid: The Emergency Capacity Building Project, The Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies, the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action, the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response, the International Council for Voluntary Agencies, and the INGO Accountability Charter. CARE also regularly engages in joint advocacy campaigns with other major NGOs.​

If that's the case, they'll probably give the funds to our Red Cross equivalent, the Red Crescent. They also have some shady dealings ever since the president appointed a lackey to their head, but any aid is appreciated.

 

[Aeson]

With the invasion of Ukraine, people were looking for charities to donate to. My first suggestion is always Doctors Without Borders. Red Cross and more likely Red Crescent in Turkey are also good options. I posted this link in the Ukraine thread.
Charity Navigator Charity Ratings and Donor Resources | Charity Navigator
They provide information and ratings for charitable organizations all over the world.

Good luck to you and yours. Stay safe.

 

[Art Waring]

@Ondath I heard the news, it is truly, truly tragic, but I am glad to hear that you are ok. Keep your head up my friend and stay safe.