UNICEF Director-General Catherine Russell wrapped up her two-day visit to Türkiye on Tuesday, during which she met with children and families affected by the severe earthquakes that hit the southeastern region of the country and northern Syria earlier this month.
During her visit, Russell stressed the importance of basic services, including water and sanitation, and psychosocial support for children affected by the earthquake.
In Gaziantep, she visited the children-friendly space supported by UNICEF, which provides psychosocial support and guidance services to help children and parents recover.
Russell also met with families, including Syrians, during her visit to Kahramanmaraş and inspected the temporary shelter where 17,000 people, about a third of whom are children, are currently settled.
"The earthquakes were an absolutely terrifying event for children living in the area," said Russell.
Russell, who chatted with a 28-year-old mother of four, said: "At first, she heard screams and shouts, and then everything went dark. Her whole family is grateful to be alive, but she believes that it will take a long time for her children's emotional wounds to heal completely. This is exactly why it is so important to provide psychosocial support to children affected by the earthquake. "
Some 2.5 million children in earthquake-affected areas of Türkiye are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, according to UNICEF.
To date, UNICEF has provided emergency humanitarian supplies such as hygiene kits, winter clothing, electric heaters and blankets to approximately 277,000 people, including 163,000 children. Through its partners, it reached more than 198,000 people in the earthquake-affected areas and other cities with psychological first aid and activities to alleviate the effects after the quakes.
Working in close cooperation with Ankara, especially the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and the Directorate of Migration Management (GIB), UNICEF is committed to providing psychosocial support to children and families affected by the earthquake, creating child-friendly and temporary learning spaces.
The earthquakes and the thousands of aftershocks that followed upended the lives of millions of children, leaving many scared, confused and in need of psychosocial support.
Russell participated in a painting activity, meeting with children in a child-friendly space sponsored by UNICEF.
“The physical destruction this earthquake wreaked is obvious, and the emotional damage it caused to children, although it may seem less, is as deep as the destruction. That's why psychosocial support plays a critical role in helping children recover and recuperate and families rebuild their lives. "By providing a safe space for them to express their emotions, connect with others and rebuild their sense of security, we can help children heal and build a brighter future," she underscored.
UNICEF also works to ensure that children can return to their education as soon as possible. In this context, it supports the identification of needs and emergency repair activities in schools and continues its preparations for the establishment of temporary learning spaces.
The organization has pledged donations worth $196 million for its work to provide humanitarian supplies, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition, child protection and education services, and cash support for the 3 million people affected by the earthquake in Türkiye, including 1.5 million children.
