It's a will and a hope that spurs us into action!

At the end of May, a delegation from Caritas Luxembourg visited the areas of Turkey most affected by the earthquakes in February to see how aid is being provided to the victims and to identify new needs. More than 50,000 people died and 100,000 were injured in the earthquakes. Many residential buildings were completely or partially destroyed.

Caritas Luxembourg has been helping survivors since the first hours after the earthquake by supporting its local partner in the emergency response to survivors: Support for medical care, distribution of tents, food, clothing and personal hygiene items, psycho-social support and help for the most vulnerable people are just a few examples of the activities carried out by Caritas Luxembourg and its local partner.

Unfortunately, four months after the disaster, the needs are still immense. People continue to live in fear of aftershocks, in anguish and pain at the loss of their loved ones. Public services have not yet been restored. 4 million people are still living in emergency structures, tents, containers or in their cars, unable or unwilling to return to buildings that have become completely unstable. Some of them, including refugees and migrants from neighbouring countries who had found refuge in the region in recent years, have left the affected areas for safer zones, in the hope of returning one day. Many others, on the other hand, are staying where they have always lived, with the determination to rebuild everything and the hope of being able to continue their lives as normal.

It is this will and hope that the survivors are holding on to, as shown by the graffiti in the photo taken in one of the worst-affected areas of Antioch. It is this will and this hope that the Caritas Luxembourg delegation was able to feel during the discussions it had with the families it met during its mission. A will and a hope that inspire action!

Caritas Luxembourg's aid would not have been possible without the precious and generous support of all our private and institutional donors! Thank you to all of you who make these actions possible!