Disaster Support in Turkey

Dear supporter,

Support to Life's supported communities who were affected by wildfires in the south and by floods in the north in Turkey through a community-based disaster risk management project. The project aimed at supporting communities by enabling them acknowledge their capacities and strength to both assess their needs and develop solutions to meet those needs. Within this scope, the community initiatives were encouraged to develop micro-scaled projects and apply for a micro-grant provided by STL. As a result, 72 community initiatives were supported.

One distinguished output of the project has been women-led project and project which were developed and managed by individuals with disabilities. Women, who are among the most and first affected groups in the face of crises, headed two projects in northern Turkey. One project prioritized psychosocial well-being and support mechanisms which was projectified as creationg of a social gathering area for women and children, whose participation to public spaces are limited due to strict gender roles. Another project led by women discovered that power cuts and lack of a gathering area for disasters was a factor increasing the level of vulnerability. This led them to shape a project that targets creating a disaster gathering space where they can find electricity through a power generator and a cooking furnace made of stone that can work and meet their food needs (which is direly needed during disasters) when power is not available. In both projects, the needs and solutions were either developed or guided by women, which highlights how survivor and community-led responses contributes empowerment and increased participation of women.

Individuals with disabilities also had a chance to develop a project. A disaster awareness training program was designed by individuals with disabilities. These individuals reached out to specialists who can understand disaster-related special needs of individuals with disabilities. During the training, the participants were not only explained how they should act and protect themselves in case of a disaster, but the instructions were reinforced through a drill. This way, disaster-preparedness of disabled individuals were increased by the help of microgrants.

Thank you for your support.

Best,

Links:

• https://www.supporttolife.org/