Swiss Solidarity finances 11 projects in earthquake regions

A man walks on debris in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on March 24 Keystone / Erdem Sahin

Two months after the devastating earthquake in the border region between Turkey and Syria, Swiss Solidarity has financed 11 projects of Swiss partner organisations providing humanitarian aid on the ground.

So far, more than CHF32 million ($35 million) in donations has been collected by the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, SWI swissinfo.ch’s parent company. The aid is mainly focused on access to health care, emergency shelters, food, water and other essentials, Swiss SolidarityExternal link said on Tuesday.

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Projects financed include those of Helvetas, the Swiss Red Cross, the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church Relief Agency (Heks), Médecins Sans Frontières, Medair, Save the Children Switzerland, Solidar Suisse and the Terre des hommes Foundation.

Projects are supported in both countries. According to Swiss Solidarity, access to the people affected is a challenge. In Syria in particular, humanitarian aid is confronted with political, administrative and security-related challenges. The country has already been weakened by 12 years of war.

Larger projects soon

So far, emergency aid has been the main focus. In the coming months, Swiss Solidarity also plans to finance larger humanitarian projects such as the reconstruction of important infrastructure like hospitals, schools and sewage treatment plants.

More than 56,000 people were killed by the earthquake and subsequent tremors on February 6, with 50,000 of those in Turkey and the remainder in Syria.

In Turkey alone, more than 173,000 buildings were destroyed in 11 provinces. According to World Bank estimates, the pure property damage in the country amounts to at least $34.2 billion (CHF31.2 billion).

Swiss Solidarity is calling for further donationsExternal link.