Ashley Judd, famous American actress and global goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), embarked on a visit to Türkiye's earthquake-impacted provinces on July 12 to personally observe the situation on the ground.
Saying that she first visited Hatay and then came to Kahramanmaraş, Judd wrote on Instagram: "I am with @UNFPA at informal tent settlements where Turkish folks and Syrian refugees live, displaced by the apocalyptic earthquakes of spring 2023. They hit 145,000 square miles and directly affected 9 million people...The families I have met are lit from within by a clear connection and belonging with each other despite profound trauma and loss."
"We met with our partners and humanitarian aid workers, who have been working with great devotion in the region since the first day, and the women and girls we support came together,” UNFPA said in a statement on Twitter.
Expressing satisfaction with the trust instilled in UNFPA, Judd said that people welcome them in the best possible way despite the impossibilities.
"I am humbled and ever in wonder at the grace of sitting in circles with girls and women.”
She also met with women working with UNFPA to help support post-earthquake healing.
"We continue to be on the ground,” the UNFPA added.
On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa.
Over 50,000 people were killed in the two powerful earthquakes.
