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In Gaziantep, Turkey, hundreds of buildings collapsed after the earthquake. The European Union’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) is closely working with EU member states, participating states and the Turkish authorities to rapidly mobilize assistance. (Photo: Lisa Hastert. Image via EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid/Flickr/Creative Commons)
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Disasters like this call us to dig deep
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The earthquake that hit southeastern Turkey earlier this week has killed more than 23,000 people in Turkey and Syria, according to current estimates, and more deaths will likely be confirmed.
Thousands of buildings in Turkey collapsed in the two large quakes and ensuing aftershocks, Al Jazeera reports, and some blame lax building standards for adding to the damage.
The disaster only deepens the sorrow in a region reeling from years of civil war. More than 3.5 million registered Syrian refugees live in Turkey, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and many internally displaced people in Syria are among those affected.
The extraordinary loss of life and scale of destruction is difficult to fathom, but some faith groups are turning their grief into action by assisting with the colossal aid effort.
These include teams from the Muslim charity Islamic Relief Canada, which has sent Greater Toronto Area staff to the region, as well as Christian groups that are part of the global ecumenical coalition ACT Alliance. Donors to The United Church of Canada’s Mission & Service may be familiar with ACT, a United Church partner whose members work on issues like displacement and migration, climate and gender justice and humanitarian aid.
Several ACT members are on the ground in Turkey and Syria. A Greek Orthodox church based in Syria, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is sending engineering teams to assess the safety of buildings and distributing winterization kits, food and medical supplies, according to ACT. The organization is also preparing to provide psychosocial care.
“People are staying out of their homes,” Samer Laham from the Middle East Council of Churches told ACT. “They are afraid of aftershocks destroying the buildings that are still standing.”
The 12 member agencies of another United Church partner, the Humanitarian Coalition, which includes Islamic Relief Canada, “are working with their in-country staff and local partners to deliver the most needed emergency assistance as quickly as possible,” senior communications and marketing manager Marg Buchanan tells Broadview. She says they’re distributing items like food, water, emergency shelters and sanitation supplies, as well as providing mental health support.
How can you help? You can give money to organizations like Islamic Relief Canada or ACT Alliance members like Swiss Church Aid, as well as other charities like the International Rescue Committee. The United Church is also encouraging donations through its website, as is the Humanitarian Coalition.
Disasters like this can be hard to process, especially when there is no one specifically to blame — although ongoing conflict and negligence have exacerbated the earthquake’s effects. I’m reminded of this prayer from Sojourners, that may or may not resonate with you, depending on your faith.
Thanks, as always, for reading Broadview, and have a safe and good weekend. You can always email me to let me know what you think of this newsletter at e.prestwich@broadview.org.
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Instead of moving to the big city, these artists built a drag scene in their hometowns
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The denomination offers something that other youth-led movements do not, but it has to be able to state its case
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By Rev. Melody Duncanson Hales
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Does God want us to live with denial and deprivation for the sake of Instagram perfection?
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From a pioneering Black minister to a doctor who attended to Abraham Lincoln after he was shot, these Canadians have amazing stories
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In last week’s newsletter, we asked you which solution to the climate crisis gives you the most hope.
Here is a letter we received. The second letter is in response to our newsletter from two weeks ago about Canada’s new low-risk alcohol consumption guidelines.
Note: Responses are lightly edited and condensed for clarity and length.
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From John:
Guess what? The climate has been heating up since the last Ice Age,
simply because the sun is just too hot to keep us at a constant
temperature. This is a good thing because if the sun did not overheat
the earth we in Saskatchewan would be under two metres or more of ice,
and there would not be any life, animal or vegetation here for us to
survive. Granted, we are not doing enough to avoid litter and other
garbage and continue to destroy our planet, including our atmosphere,
with all of the launches that eventually self destruct and litter our
outer space.
Going to electric cars does nothing to prevent pollution, it just moves
it to another location where the electricity is generated. Our electric
grid cannot transmit the amount of power needed to charge up all of the
cars and/or tractors needed.
Maybe read and follow Jonah and the Whale, and God will create a mini
Ice Age to save us.
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From Allan Hux:
I think that moderation in the consumption of beverages with alcohol content is very important. But I am curious to know how much higher the cancer rates are for the people living in France, Italy and Belgium who consume significant amounts of wine and beer as part of their cultural practices?
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