“We had to leave our house,” said Hana, a Syrian mother of four. “It was significantly damaged by the earthquake, and we were scared that it might collapse at any moment.”
Hana (not her real name) is head of her household in Aleppo, Syria. Her family is among the tens of thousands who lost their homes in the February 2023 earthquakes that hit Syria and Turkey, leveling entire communities.
“It was so hard for us to leave because my son has a physical disability, and he is not able to move,” Hana said. “We had no place to go, so we headed to the nearest shelter. When IOCC and DERD visited the shelter, I went and talked to the team, and they registered me to receive rent assistance.”
In response to the quakes’ devastation, IOCC and Church partner GOPA-DERD* have provided access to shelter and additional support for displaced people—over 300 families. This emergency response, made possible by a grant from IOCC partner UMCOR, ensures that these families have a safe place to stay for at least five months. Additional assistance under the program includes hygiene supplies, food, and mental health and psychosocial support—especially for children. All IOCC’s earthquake response programs have so far helped almost 12,000 people.
“Now I live in a house,” Hana continued. “I am deeply grateful. Your assistance meant a lot to us, especially my son with a disability. There was no privacy in the shelter, and he needed special care, which was not available. I was always afraid that he might fall off his chair or get annoyed by all the people around.”
Hana’s words are a testament to the impact of this work: “Now I feel safe. I was afraid that I might never live with my family in a house again.”
*Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development.
