Syriac and Christian organizations hold fundraiser in Germany for victims of 2023 Turkey earthquake

HATAY, Turkey / Northern Syria— In a solidarity initiative with victims of the February 6, 2023, earthquake which hit Turkey and parts of northern Syria, Syriac and Christian organizations announced a fundraising campaign titled “Together for Hatay and Northern Syria.” The event will take place Sunday, May 11, in the hall of the Syriac Orthodox St Ephrem and St Theodore Church in Giessen, central Germany. 

The campaign is co-organized by the European Syriac Union (ESU), Syriac Union of Germany, Christian East Reconstruction Association, Zentralrat Orientalischer Christen in Deutschland, Greek Orthodox Church of Hatay, St. John the Baptist Church in Stuttgart, and the St George Greek Orthodox Church in Berlin. 

The initiative seeks to assist Christian families who lost their homes in the earthquake that, especially, devastated Hatay, where more than 80 Christian families still live in unstable and harsh conditions. Twenty of these families are classified as being in urgent need, with many still residing in tents or temporary shelters. Due to previous donations, 8 families have already been provided with new homes. 

The organizers are now working to secure funding for the remaining 12 families to ensure they also receive safe and permanent housing.  

All proceeds from the fundraising event will go directly to supporting the affected families in Hatay and northern Syria.