Charity partners of the Postcode Lotteries are working to deliver vital aid, including medical assistance, psychological first aid and healthcare services and supplies to those most impacted by the devastating earthquake.

“While the victims and survivors try to get through this time, grieve for loved ones and search for the missing, the need for shelter, medical care and treatment, and essentials such as water, food and blankets is enormous.

“As the true impact of the earthquake becomes clear, so too does the scale of the international collective effort that is needed to support the children, families and communities affected. Our commitment and belief in the power of unrestricted funding and, importantly, our trust in our charity partners means charities can get on with what is needed, and act quickly to support and provide services for the huge numbers of people in need,” says Sigrid van Aken, CEO, Novamedia/Postcode Lottery Group.

Essential support when it is needed most

Many of our charity partners were already working in the affected regions, with local organisations, and are able to assess, respond to and deliver vital emergency support and aid immediately.

Charity partners supported by players of the Postcode Lotteries and responding to the crisis include: ActionAid, CARE, Doctors of the World, Humanity & Inclusion, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Oxfam, Peace Direct, the Red Cross, Save the Children, UNHCR, UNICEF, War Child, Women for Women International, World Food Programme.

MSF teams have been working to provide psychological first aid to help survivors get through the early days of the disaster, and are supporting hospitals with emergency kits, trauma packs and medical supplies to better treat the thousands of people who have been injured.

Search and rescue work is still being carried out by the Red Cross and partner organisations, including the Syrian Red Crescent, and responding to the people in the buildings that collapsed. They’re also providing first aid and care, and giving out food, water through mobile kitchens and catering vehicles and distributing tents and blankets.

Thousands of people are still without safe drinking water, toilets, and sanitation facilities. This increases the risk of waterborne diseases which can be particularly deadly for children. Save the Children and local partners are working round the clock to support children and families and ensure access to clean water.

Funding with freedom

It is in these times, that the charity partners of the Postcode Lotteries remind us of the importance of the way we fund.

Our way of funding – unrestricted, flexible, long-term, and built on trust – gives charity partners the freedom to use funds where they are needed most, when they are most needed.

This type of funding is invaluable to charitable organisations any time, but even more so during times of humanitarian crisis. It provides them with the resilience and power to respond in full, with lifesaving support when a disaster like the Turkey-Syria earthquake strikes.

Copyright: MSF