IWPR Responding in Syria

On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck parts of Turkey and Syria, killing tens of thousands of people and devastating a region already suffering from more than a decade of war.

IWPR and its partners in northern Syria are responding, assessing the immediate needs of communities in some of the worst affected areas.

“The whole building was shaking violently, and I heard terrible sounds of rock crashing like continuous thunder coming from underground.”

However, limited access to those areas has severely hindered aid efforts so far, with many communities attempting rescue efforts in rapidly deteriorating weather conditions and with few emergency resources available.

"It was a cold and quiet winter night in which the snow fell gently when I went to sleep, but suddenly I was awakened by a violent shaking at exactly 4:17 am,” said Hashem Sammou, IWPR's Syria programme coordinator, who was in Gaziantep in southern Turkey at the time of the quake. “The whole building was shaking violently, and I heard terrible sounds of rock crashing like continuous thunder coming from underground.”

Sammou managed to escape from the building, only to emerge into a horrific scene of destruction.

“I felt that it was the end… the voices of children and crying were filling the air, and after a few moments the second tremor came, which was close to the first in intensity.”

“I remember there was a person next to me saying, ‘I thought this was doomsday,’” he continued. “When dawn broke and the darkness cleared, the picture was terrifying, as destruction was everywhere, and the smell of death came from all sides. The look on people's faces was terrifying, as if they had risen from the grave.”

IWPR has worked in Syria since 2007 supporting civil society organisations, activists and journalists to provide critical services to isolated and at-risk communities.

Over the coming days, weeks and months, IWPR will support its Syrian partners to provide life-saving assistance such as food, clothing, and transportation, as well as psychological and emotional support for adults and children. IWPR will also work in the information space, ensuring that Syrians navigating the aftermath of this catastrophe have access to timely and accurate information.

“Our Syrian partners are a lifeline for untold numbers of people in the communities where they are present, and IWPR’s continued commitment to them is an absolute priority,” said Seth Meixner, IWPR’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“We are doing our best to help but our effort is not enough, especially with very little access to resources,” a resident in the area of Jindires, in northwest Syria, told IWPR. “We urge the international community to do something to help us. Northern Syria is a disaster and needs any kind of support.”