The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Türkiye Goodwill Ambassadors, successful artists Hazal Kaya and Edis visited the earthquake region as part of 8th March, International Women’s Day. They met with women, young people and girls in Kahramanmaras and Hatay, the provinces most affected by the earthquakes; they listened to their expectations.
HATAY, KAHRAMANMARAS - On February 6, 2023, devastating earthquakes hit Türkiye and directly affected approximately 9.1 million people in 11 provinces, leaving more than 3.6 million people homeless. One year later, around 760.000 people in the most affected areas are still living in tents or containers. According to UNFPA calculations, the needs of nearly 1.2 million women and girls of reproductive age (15-49), including 64.000 pregnant women, continue. UNFPA Türkiye Goodwill Ambassadors, successful actress Hazal Kaya and famous singer Edis, visited the earthquake zone on March 4-5 as part of International Women’s Day to observe the needs firsthand and draw attention to the necessary support.
The first stop of UNFPA Türkiye Goodwill Ambassadors Hazal Kaya and Edis was the Women and Girls Safe Spaces, funded by New Zealand Embassy and implemented by the KAMER Foundation and UNFPA in the epicenter of the devastating earthquakes in Kahramanmaras. Hazal Kaya and Edis met with women affected by the earthquake who received support from the center and listened to their ongoing needs firsthand, including the difficulties of living in containers, access to health and protection services, hygiene, employment, education, and economic struggles.They also heard about the increasing risks of violence against women and early and forced marriages among children due to all these reasons.
Hazal Kaya and Edis were informed also by the field staff, who have been providing humanitarian aid and recovery efforts since day one of the earthquake, how the center empowers women and girls affected by the earthquake with health and protection services, including awareness-raising sessions and psychosocial support on women’s reproductive health and violence against women.
UNFPA Türkiye Goodwill Ambassadors Hazal Kaya and Edis also visited a house where five refugee families affected by the earthquake live together in Kahramanmaras, and the village of Ordekdede, one of the most damaged areas in rural Kahramanmaras. They got informed about the issues experienced in accessing education, health and protection services. They listened to how UNFPA provides support through its mobile teams in determining needs, providing urgent and basic needs of the mothers who have recently given birth and their babies and referring women to health and protection services.
On the second day of the visit, UNFPA Türkiye Goodwill Ambassador Hazal Kaya visited the city of Hatay, which was most affected by the earthquake. In Samandag, Hatay, she visited the Youth Center, which has been implemented in cooperation with UNFPA and the Young Approaches to Health Association (SGYD) with the financial support of the US Government and New Zealand Embassy to provide information and counseling on health and protection issues to young people affected by the earthquake and supporting them in accessing services.
Hazal Kaya also visited the informal tent areas where refugee communities live. There, she was informed about women’s health, maternal and child health, pregnancy follow-ups, prenatal and postnatal care, and family planning services provided by mobile service units run by UNFPA in cooperation with the Association of Public Health Experts (HASUDER) and the Doctors of the World (MDM/DDD) with the financial support of the US Government. She also met with women and girls living in these areas and listened to their problems they face, especially in terms of transportation, lighting, hygiene, and nutrition.
UNFPA Türkiye Goodwill Ambassador and successful actress Hazal Kaya, who spoke about the needs and desires of the people she met during her visits to Kahramanmaras and Hatay, emphasized that the needs in the region continued after a year, and access to health, protection services, and education was limited. She stated that due to lighting and related safety issues in container cities, especially women and girls cannot go outside before sunrise and after sunset, affecting their lives. She emphasized the need to increase psychosocial support opportunities, especially for young people. Kaya said, “It may take at least 5 years for these places to recover, but first we need to get the people back on their feet. We have to bring them joy again, we owe them that.” She also made a call for support. “Please don't take your eyes off here. Do not hesitate to offer your help and stay tuned with us. Let's do our best for them.”
UNFPA Türkiye Goodwill Ambassador Edis, who shared his impressions after the visit, emphasized the need to improve the infrastructure for health and protection services, and said that there was a great need for sexual and reproductive health services, as well as psychosocial support. He drew attention to the increased risk of violence against women and child marriage and the ongoing issues with poor hygiene and nutrition. Edis reminded that as UNFPA, they have been in the field since day one to support these needs and said, “We work for women, children, and young people. We need everyone’s support to remember, not to forget, and to reach many more people.”
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