ANKARA
A week after the two deadly earthquakes that jolted Türkiye and Syria on Feb. 6, around $385 million have been raised in Gulf donations for the quake victims in the two countries.
The powerful quakes killed at least 31,974 people in Türkiye and injured more than 81,000 others, according to the country’s disaster agency AFAD.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces in Türkiye, and also affected several countries in the region.
In Syria, at least 3,688 people were killed and over 14,749 injured in the earthquake disaster.
Saudi Arabia
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center launched a donation campaign on Feb. 8 for the earthquake victims in Türkye and Syria.
The campaign saw the participation of more than 1,545,000 people, according to data released by the Saudi government’s Sahem Platform, which is responsible for the popular campaign for the relief of the quake victims in the two countries.
A total of 344.8 million riyals ($89.2 million) have been collected for the quake victims as part of the popular donation campaign.
Qatar
Qatar saw the launch of “Oun w Sanad” (Support and Help) campaign on Feb. 10 by the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities and the Qatar Media Corporation for the quake victims in Türkiye and Syria.
The campaign collected around 168 million Qatari riyals ($46 million) on its first day, including 50 million riyals ($14 million) from Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The Qatar Red Crescent also allocated $1 million from the Disaster Response Fund for urgent relief to those affected by the earthquakes in the two countries.
The Qatar Red Crescent also launched a humanitarian campaign to collect donations worth $10 million to expand the scope of relief intervention for the quake victims in Türkiye and Syria.
Qatar Charity also said it will deliver 6 million riyals ($1.6 million) in the first phase of aid for the quake victims in both countries, according to the state news agency QNA.
The charity also said it is preparing a plan worth 21.9 million riyals ($5.77 million), which includes an urgent response worth 7.3 million riyals ($2 million), and early recovery and reconstruction projects worth 14.6 million riyals ($4 million).
UAE
Immediately after the devastating earthquakes, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ordered the provision of $100 million for relief to those affected by the quake disaster in Türkiye and Syria.
UAE Vice-President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also directed urgent humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, at a value of 50 million dirhams ($13.6 million).
On Feb. 9, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, ordered the provision of 50 million dirhams ($13.6 million) to support the “Bridges of Good” campaign for quake victims in Türkiye and Syria.
The campaign was officially launched on Feb. 11 and is planned to last for two weeks to collect donations for those affected by the quakes.
On Feb. 10, Al Ansari Exchange, a leading foreign exchange company, announced its donation of 3.67 million dirhams ($1 million) in support of relief efforts for those affected by the disaster.
On Feb. 11, Mubadala Investment Company announced its donation of the proceeds from the tickets for the final and semi-finals of the “Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open” tennis tournament for women, to the “Bridges of Good” campaign.
Kuwait
On Feb. 9, the Kuwaiti cabinet announced the donation of $30 million to alleviate the human suffering of those affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
And on Feb. 11, several ministries in the Gulf country, including the Ministry of Social Affairs, launched a one-day donation campaign for the relief of those affected by the disaster.
The campaign collected more than 20.7 million dinars ($67.7 million), with the participation of more than 129,000 donors.
Bahrain
Bahrain announced the launch of a national donation campaign on Feb. 9 to support the earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria.
A day earlier, Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs, issued an invitation for donations as part of the campaign.
No details were yet available about the results of the campaign.
Oman
On Feb. 7, the Omani Authority for Charitable Activities launched initiatives to collect donations and aid for the quake victims in Türkiye and Syria.
On the same day, the Omani Dar Al Atta’a Association started a campaign to collect donations to help the earthquake victims.
According to the local Al Shabiba newspaper, the campaign by the Dar Al Atta’a Charity Association collected around $650,000 in the first two days of its launch.
Since the earthquake disaster, 16 Arab countries officially announced the launch of air bridges and the provision of urgent relief and medical aid to support Türkiye, according to official statements.
The countries are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Jordan, Bahrain, Libya, Tunisia, Palestine, Iraq, Mauritania, Sudan, and Oman.
