On Monday, February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the border regions of Turkey and Syria, causing large-scale devastation with an estimated collapse of 6,000 buildings and a rising death toll of 45,000. This is the highest loss of life since the 2011 earthquake in Japan. This region has already been affected by war and many of those impacted by this tragedy are already refugees and internally displaced persons. A number of Turkish and international organizations have sprung into action and are facilitating urgent humanitarian aid and other assistance. The below list, compiled by RPA colleagues, may be helpful to those searching for organizations to which donate. 

• AFAD (Turkish government’s disaster management organization):
• Ahbap Organization
• AKUT
• AVSI
• Community Volunteers Foundation
• Direct Relief 
• Ihtiyac Haritasi Organization
• International Committee of the Red Cross
• International Medical Corps 
• International Rescue Committee 
• Islamic Relief Canada
• Kahramanmaras Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund (Turkey Mozaik Foundation)
• Kizilay (Turkish Red Cross) 
• Mercy Corps 
• People in Need
• Save the Children 
• Support for Life
• The Turkey and Syria Earthquake Relief Fund (Global Giving)
• Tider
• Turkish Philanthropy Funds
• Türkiye & Syria Earthquake Relief Fund (CAF America) 
• United States Fund for Unicef
• World Food Program USA 

RPA has not independently validated these organizations, so please do your own research before donating.

Critical Principles for Disaster Response

• Give donations with as few restrictions as possible. General operating support dollars are the single best way to equip everyone and every group affected right now.
• Allocate support for the immediate and longer term. The ripple effects of this disaster will be far-reaching and extensive. That means there will be plenty of short- and long-term opportunities for a donor to support what they care about.
• Fund organizations that are already active and experienced with current capacity in providing relief services and immediate aid.
• Prioritize funder collaboratives to get funding to nonprofits in larger amounts with a single grant vs. a multitude of donations to acknowledge and track. Big collaboratives can also scan the sector and allocate more efficiently.

For more information and guides on giving strategically after disaster, visit our Philanthropy Roadmap here.

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