Important Message from the ICF Toronto Chapter about Turkey & Syria

To all our ICF Toronto Chapter Members and Guests,

We have all been following the tragic news on the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Our hearts go out to all those affected and their families and loved ones. As a global organization, ICF believes it is important that we all come together to support communities in need in times of crisis.

The ICF Turkey Chapter has requested that we share the letter below with our fellow members around the world. The ICF Global Board of Directors will be making a donation on behalf of the whole ICF community, and they appreciate any support from those who wish to contribute to the rescue and relief efforts. Resources, updates and options for donations have been posted on the ICF website.

You can also find more information on the Canadian Red cross website - Canadian Red Cross - support for Turkey and Syria. The Canadian government will be matching up to $10 million in donations made by individuals to the Canadian Red Cross between February 6 and 22, 2023.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Turkey and Syria during this very difficult time.

Letter from the ICF Turkey Board of Directors to ICF chapters worldwide:

Dear Chapter Leaders,

We are deeply saddened by the earthquakes reaching magnitudes of 7.7 and the losses that followed.

Today, more than 3.549 casualties have been reported but the number is expected to increase much more. 7 days of mourning has been declared in our country and schools were suspended for a week.

This is the biggest disaster that Turkey has experienced since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. More than 6.000 buildings and houses have been destroyed in 10 cities during those earthquakes and aftershocks. Meanwhile search and rescue teams are still looking for people under the ruin.

Due to the impact of this disaster, Turkey has declared a fourth level alert state which means an international call for help. Now, it is time for unity and it is crucial to bind up our wounds and give hand to the earthquake zone.

In this context, we are calling all ICF Chapters to help Turkey via donations. Any other co-operation suggestion will be more than welcome.

We would like to share the most important trustworthy organisations that you can donate as below;

1. AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency): AFAD is Turkey’s official disaster and emergency management authority. They accept donations in EUR and USD.

2. AKUT (Search and Rescue Association): AKUT is a voluntary, non-governmental organization involved in searching and rescuing the victims of those affected by the earthquake. They are fully transparent about how they spend donations they receive.

3. AHBAP: With 200 philanthropists and 30.000 volunteers on board, AHBAP is an other local voluntary network that is currently active in the affected regions. They accept donations with the swift code “ISBKTRIS”

We wish a speedy recovery to the injured, and also we wish the effects of the earthquake to disappear as soon as possible.

Warm Regards,

ICF Turkey Board of Directors