How kind Sun readers’ £1million donations are making a difference to earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria

HIS house is now a rough-and-ready campsite on freezing waste floor in a southern Turkish metropolis.

However at the very least four-year-old Murat Bulut is alive – and 1000’s of survivors like him are being helped by support YOU paid for.

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His residence in Gaziantep was destroyed as earthquakes devastated Turkey and Syria three weeks in the past.

Greater than 47,000 individuals died and 5 million had been left homeless as ten cities had been hit by the worst catastrophe in 100 years.

The Solar instantly launched our Earthquake Enchantment, with all the cash donated to the Purple Cross.

We had been backed by 1000’s of readers and a few of Britain’s greatest corporations and £1million was raised in lower than every week.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak mentioned: “Solar readers have responded by doing what the British individuals do greatest – reaching out to assist these in want.

“The Solar’s marketing campaign will make an enormous distinction to individuals who’ve misplaced the whole lot.”

Purple Cross workers and volunteers have been offering scorching meals, water and shelter to survivors in temperatures as little as –7C.

Up to now week, the Turkish Purple Crescent arrange kitchens and served 80million meals and distributed 30,000 blankets and greater than 2,000 tents.

The Syrian Arab Purple Crescent has handed out 5,000 mattresses and 9,000 blankets in addition to receiving 60 tonnes of meals and medical provides from the Iraqi Purple Crescent Society.

Our attraction whole now stands at £1.4million however extra money is required to proceed supporting important humanitarian work.

At present we are saying “thanks” in your beneficiant help – and present how your cash is making an enormous distinction.

‘JUST HAPPY WE’RE SAFE’

By Oliver Harvey, Chief Characteristic Author

Footage by Peter Jordan in Pazarcik, Turkey

IN a bleak tented village at Turkey’s earthquake epicentre, little Cinar Nacar gladly gulps down a well-needed drink from Purple Crescent volunteer Anastasia Ozdemir.

Later, the three-year-old is comfortable to bounce on the charity employee’s knee as she wipes away quake mud from his cherubic options.

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Toddler Cinar — and 60,000 hungry and destitute others right here within the distant city of Pazarcik — are being fed due to the kindness of others, together with donations from The Solar’s £1.4million Earthquake Enchantment.

Native governor Vesel Taz tells me: “The Purple Crescent is doing an amazing job and thanks to The Solar for its Earthquake Enchantment.

“Your readers who’ve donated even the smallest quantity ought to know the way useful it’s for us right here.”

Cinar — and his mother and father and 4 siblings Gunes, 11, Ceylon, seven, five-year-old Berat and one-year-old Yusuf — reside beneath canvas within the city’s soccer stadium.

The catastrophe claimed the lives of a few of the kids’s academics, and mum Berna, 29, says: “I do not know when the youngsters will probably be again in school.

“We’d like to go residence, but it surely has big cracks and isn’t secure.

“In the meanwhile I’m simply comfortable we’re all secure and collectively.

“I’m grateful to the Purple Crescent for doing all they will.”

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Volunteer Anastasia, 40, says: “It breaks my coronary heart to see these poor kids dwelling like this.

“We’re ensuring they get some treats in addition to good cooked meals 3 times a day.”

Her husband Fikret, a star chef in Turkey, who has additionally volunteered with the Purple Crescent, provides: “There aren’t any retailers open in Pazarcik after the earthquake.

“So the Purple Crescent is feeding individuals within the hospitals, individuals in tents and folks on the street.”

Fikret, 52, is making ready huge vats of chickpea soup which is served with rice, crusty bread and kiwi fruit at feeding stations dotted across the city.

Native Purple Crescent supervisor Onur Beyazyesil, 35, says the charity is feeding 60,000 individuals a day within the wider space.

He provides: “We’re going out into distant villages ensuring individuals have meals and hygiene kits.”

And in response to Solar readers’ donations, he says: “We’re very grateful, it permits us to do that important work.”

No person wants The Solar’s £1.4million donation greater than Pazarcik’s 30,000 inhabitants.

The large collection of quakes — starting with a 7.8 tremor on February 6 which was felt as distant as Greenland — broken or destroyed a lot of the properties right here.

Strewn rubble from smashed properties blocks streets, and lots of flats have collapsed.

Survivors sleep in household vehicles or beneath canvas by the roadside — or, just like the Nacars, on the city’s soccer stadium.

Queuing for his lunch at a Purple Crescent meals station within the city’s prefecture constructing, governor Vesel, 67, continues: “Pazarcik is worse than a struggle zone.

“Round 80 per cent of the buildings within the city are destroyed or broken.”

Purple Crescent volunteer Eren Erturk, whose regular job is at a close-by Ford automotive manufacturing unit, is handing out lunch trays on the administrative constructing which is riven with giant cracks.

Eren, 23, says: “I’m comfortable to assist out — it provides us volunteers a heat feeling,”

Ayfer Uygul, 52, weeps as ten-year-old daughter Tuba receives meals support from Purple Crescent volunteers.

Instructed about Solar readers’ donations, she says: “Thanks,” as tears stream down her face.

Her elder daughter Fidan, 24, a trainee instructor, has been a Purple ­Crescent volunteer for 3 years.

She says: “4 of our neighbours died.

“We are able to’t return to the home.

“We do not know what we’ll do.”

Beside a busy street connecting Pazarcik and regional hub Kahramanmarasş a bedraggled queue of the hungry and homeless stretches for at the very least 500 metres.

Kahramanmarasş has additionally housed its quake homeless in its soccer stadium, the place Zeynab Karakus is making ready a night meal of bread and lentil soup for her three kids at her makeshift new residence provided by the Purple Crescent.

Her kids Ilyda, ten, Ibrahim, eight and Reyyan, two, emerge with large smiles from the tent pitched on a working observe within the stadium.

Zeynab, 33, tells me: “We ran from our residence with nothing.

“The youngsters had been frightened however really feel secure right here within the stadium.

“However we will’t return to our residence as a result of it’s unsafe.”

And displaying extraordinary resilience and gratitude, she provides: “Thanks to everybody who has donated.

“On daily basis for the reason that ­earthquake struck is getting higher.”

Ocado donated £25,000.

Celebs’ £95,000

MUSIC mogul Simon Cowell helped us hit £1million in donations by gifting £50,000.

Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter gave £20,000. He mentioned: “The Solar has performed an amazing job of bringing this residence to everybody.”

Ex-Dragons’ Den tycoon Theo Paphitis donated £5,000. He mentioned: “You’ll be able to’t assist however be shocked by the scenes in Turkey, and we’re happy to have the ability to contribute.”

Apprentice star Lord Sugar gave £10,000 whereas Stranger Issues actor Millie Bobby Brown additionally donated.

Dragons’ Den tycoon Touker Suleyman donated £10,000. He mentioned: “Turkey may be very near my coronary heart, being of Turkish origin. We’re going flat out to assist on this catastrophe.”

Centrica donated £150,000.

‘WE GAVE OUR POCKET MONEY’

By Emma Pietras, Clare O’Reilly and Heather Principal

THE SUN has been overwhelmed by the ­generosity of readers who dug deep of their pockets to assist these affected by the catastrophe.

Amongst them are big-hearted ­siblings James and Charlotte Meaney, who every gave up their £5 pocket cash.

Six-year-old James was impressed to donate after his college held a non- uniform day to assist increase funds, with three-year-old Charlotte ­following swimsuit.

He says: “I’d be very unhappy if I needed to transfer home and misplaced my toys.

“I hope my pocket cash helps purchase the girls and boys some new issues.

“If our home fell down we would wish individuals to assist, and it’s good to assist individuals when they’re unhappy.”

The youngsters dwell with mother and father Nathan and Katy Meaney, each 37, in Wolverhampton.

Proud mum, Katy, a author, says she advised James his college’s non-uniform day would increase cash “to assist households in different nations as there had been an earthquake”.

She mentioned: “I gently defined how some individuals had been going to should construct their properties once more and had been left with no meals, garments or furnishings.

“He’s very sort and thoughtful and was keen to assist.

“He’s saving for Tremendous Mario Lego units and he understands that by freely giving his financial savings it would take longer to purchase and he nonetheless needs to assist.

‘Desperately wanted’

“I’m extremely happy with James for being so sort and beneficiant.

“Charlotte is way too younger to grasp the disaster, however she at all times appears as much as her huge brother and likes to repeat his sort actions.

“Seeing the images in The Solar of infants being pulled from the rubble, we needed to do one thing to assist those that have survived.”

Katy, who runs kids’s theatre web site Behind The Magic Curtain, praised The Solar for our attraction to assist the British Purple Cross give support the place it’s desperately wanted.

She says: “The attraction has highlighted how straightforward it’s to assist.

“The individuals engaged on the bottom are true superheroes.”

Twelve-year-old Brae Taylor, determined to donate his £200 win­nings from a sporting competitors.

Brae, from Holmfirth, West Yorks, competed within the Fujairah Mountain Taking pictures Championship in Dubai final month.

Mum Katie, 30, a canine sonographer, says: “He knew concerning the earthquakes as he adopted footballer Christian Atsu on TikTok, who was killed in the course of the quakes.

“So when Brae realised he’d gained a money prize for coming tenth, he requested immediately if he may give it to the individuals in Turkey.

Brae says: “I used to be actually shocked and upset after I heard Christian had died. He was solely 31.

“I’m very fortunate to have what I would like and I felt it will be higher for the cash to go to the people who find themselves struggling and who’ve misplaced the whole lot.”

Lochlan MacFarlane, 11, from Arbroath, Angus, donated his £5 pocket cash to the Solar attraction.

He says: “My mum at all times says we must always assist others if we will.

“After I noticed what happ­ened, it seemed terrible and so scary.

“There are kids on the market like me who had been in school and performed with their pals and now all of that’s gone.

“It have to be actually terrible to lose your private home and your loved ones.”

Alex Quinn, 22, of Yardley, Birmingham, was moved to donate a fiver after studying our protection.

He says: “The British Purple Cross is an excellent charity.

“They’re at all times on the bottom the place they’re wanted and make such a distinction to those that have been left with nothing.”

He provides: “The Solar’s marketing campaign is nice. It’s a strategy to get the donation message out to an enormous viewers.”

Six-year-old Jess Jordan, lives in Battersea, South London, with mum Esther Shaw, 43, a author, dad Rob, 42, who works in finance and funding, and brother Josh, three.

The household have donated £50 to the attraction after Jess’s college did their very own fundraising marketing campaign.

Jess says: “I wish to assist increase cash for issues like medical provides, meals and clear water.

“I talked to Mummy and Daddy, and collectively we determined to donate to the British Purple Cross.

“Some kids at my college are from Turkey, so I do know it’s actually necessary to be sort to them.

“My college is doing a lot of fund­elevating. Mummy and I are additionally attempting to consider fundraising concepts, resembling perhaps baking truffles and promoting them to household and pals.”

Occasion organiser Abby Knight, 60, from Ramsden Bellhouse, Essex, chipped in with a £75 reward.

She says: “It breaks my coronary heart to see so many individuals in misery, particularly when you understand that many didn’t have an enormous quantity to begin with, just like the poor individuals in Syria who’re already struggling due to the civil struggle.”

IT and advertising and marketing director Heema Naik, 30, from Walmley, Birmingham, additionally donated to the attraction.

She says: “If everybody provides just a little, that quantities to quite a bit.

“Not everyone seems to be lucky sufficient to dwell as safely and comfortably as we do on this nation, and when issues like this occur, if we’ve got the means to assist, we must always.

“Seeing The Solar launch the marketing campaign so quick was sensible.

“Galvan­ising The Solar’s tens of millions of readers is a unbelievable manner to assist the devastated households, individuals and communities in Turkey and Syria.”

KEEP ON FUNDING OUR VITAL WORK

By Mike Adamson, CEO, British Purple Cross

THE generosity of Solar readers at a time once we are experiencing a cost-of-living disaster has completely amazed us.

Regardless of hardships at residence, you’re nonetheless serving to ease the struggling of our neighbours world wide.

Your donations have enabled us to offer help to these on the bottom in Syria and Turkey to these of their time of biggest want.

Practically 26million individuals have been affected by the earthquake.

They’ve misplaced the whole lot – their properties, family members and treasured possessions.

Every little thing they depend on has been swept away.

The £1.4million raised by Solar readers as a part of the Earthquake Enchantment has enabled us to offer meals and clear water, non permanent shelter, blood provides, help for search and rescue and a lot else.

It has made an enormous distinction at such a devastating time.

Your donations have gone in the direction of offering 80million meals in Turkey by means of our companions the Purple Crescent for the reason that preliminary quake.

Begin to rebuild

Your generosity has additionally enabled tens of 1000’s of tents and different non permanent shelters to be supplied throughout Turkey and Syria.

We’ve been capable of present the whole lot you would wish if your home was destroyed and the whole lot was taken from you.

However our work shouldn’t be performed.

It should take years for individuals to get again on their toes.

The Turkish and Syrian Purple Crescent Societies will proceed to work in each nations for years to come back, serving to issues transfer again to regular – and meaning we nonetheless want donations.

The cash given will probably be used to assist with reconstruction, present important secure water and sanitation amenities in addition to for money grants for individuals who want it.

Handing cash to victims of those disasters empowers them to determine what they most want. It might be medical provides, meals, shelter and even shopping for toys for his or her youngsters.

It additionally permits cash to movement again into the native retailers and markets, which helps the realm begin to rebuild.

Your donations go additional than simply sorting the instant points. It provides individuals again a way of dignity and self.

Subsequent week I will probably be in Turkey to see first-hand how your donations have helped.

I can not thanks sufficient for the generosity that you’ve proven. You might be merely unbelievable.