Severe earthquake in Syria and Türkiye: Donate now!

12 Years of War – Syria’s children of war talk about their childhood

On the day of Ahmed’s birth, everything came down at once for the family of the twelve-year-old Ahmed: joy and grief, life and death, beginning and end.

That morning, Ahmed’s father and two uncles were walking down the road that leads to the orchard, which was their source of livelihood, when a sudden shelling ended their lives. The war in Syria began in March 2011 and continues to claim countless lives ever since. For children who grow up in a world without peace, the impacts of the last twelve years are especially severe.  

"The walls begann to fall" - three earthquake survivors from Syria tell their stories

Even weeks after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the border region of Türkiye and Syria, millions of people continue to live in a constant state of terror. The thousands of aftershocks that have followed since the event serve as a painful reminder of the harrowing night that claimed the lives of their loved ones. Earthquake survivors Ali, Amal and Muhammad from northwest Syria share their experience.  

Operations in complete darkness, without electricity, in extremely cold weather

As the ground began to shake in the early morning hours of February 6 in Türkiye and Syria, the doctors of Malteser International-supported hospitals in northwest Syria prepared for the worst.  “Our medical staff rushed to the hospital, where they encountered the harrowing horrors of this catastrophe. There was a seemingly endless line of civilian cars and ambulances transporting a vast number of dead and injured”, reports Dr. Moheeb Kaddour, medical director at Atmeh Charitable Hospital, which is run by “Hand in Hand for Aid in Development” (HIHFAD), a Syrian partner organization of Malteser International.

Earthquake: Arrival of First Relief Supplies From Germany Expected Today

Cologne/Gaziantep. Humanitarian aid for the people affected by the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria continues at full speed. Today, the first trucks that were dispatched from Germany on Thursday are expected to arrive in Türkiye. A total of 10 tons of relief supplies including beds, blankets, tents and mattresses, will be handed over to the Turkish Red Crescent for distribution upon arrival. “The international support is immense, and we are very grateful for that. Logistics remain a major challenge. Our colleagues in Türkiye and Malteser International headquarters in Cologne are working nonstop to procure further relief supplies, and to bring those over to Türkiye” says Dr. Thomas Weiss, Head of Malteser International’s Middle East Department.

Malteser International: Aid Distribution in Syria Underway – Need for Water Supply in Sanitation Facilities

Cologne/Gaziantep. One week after the devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, aid organization and local units continue to work around-the-clock to provide medical and relief supply to the millions of people affected. Through local partner organizations in Syria, the distribution of tents, beds, blankets and food to people in need is already in progress. While the first international rescue teams are starting to make their way home, humanitarian aid for the survivors - and oftentimes traumatized people - continues at high speed. 

Malteser International: Border to Syria is Open - Aid is on its Way

Cologne/Gaziantep. While international aid workers have arrived in Türkiye and are helping with rescue activities and the distribution of relief supplies, the situation in Syria remains highly precarious. "We are trying to provide for the people who survived and are now enduring in the cold. We haven't had electricity since Monday, it's only slowly coming back, everything is somehow scarce - it's extremely difficult," reports Hassan Alam, who works for Malteser International's Syrian partner organization Hand in Hand for Aid and Development in northwestern Syria.

Malteser International: One Hundred Operations Carried Out Since the Earthquake in Syria

Cologne/Gaziantep. Malteser International is currently supporting six hospitals, a maternity and children hospital as well as eight primary health care units in the regions of Idlib and North Aleppo in northwestern Syria. The aid projects in the Syrian border region are managed from Türkiye. Oliver Hochedez, Head of Emergency Relief of Malteser International, is in constant exchange with the partners in northwestern Syria who care for the people affected by the earthquake.

German Federal Foreign Office provides Malteser International with One Million Euro for Emergency Aid in Syria

Cologne/Gaziantep. Malteser International expands its emergency aid for the people affected by the earthquake in Syria and Türkiye. For this purpose, the German Federal Foreign Office has provided one million euro for Malteser International's emergency relief in Syria. The money will be used to procure urgently needed relief supplies such as blankets, mattresses, tents and food. The need is huge: according to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 23 million people in Syria and Türkiye have been affected by the consequences of the quakes. In the two countries, a combined total of more than 10,000 houses have been destroyed.

Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria: Malteser International provides 400,000 Euro emergency aid

Cologne/Gaziantep. After the severe earthquake in Türkiye and Syria early Monday morning, Malteser International provides 400,000 Euro emergency aid for the people in the affected areas. It is estimated that more than 4,000 people have died in the quake so far. Hundreds of buildings were completely destroyed and the infrastructure was massively damaged. Aid workers continue to search for survivors under the rubble and care for the injured. The international community supports the local units. Malteser International (MI) has also sent an emergency relief team to the affected region.

Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria: Malteser International sends emergency relief team

Cologne/Gaziantep. After the severe earthquake in Türkiye and Syria early Monday morning, the Turkish government has asked the international community for help. The quake had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale. According to reports so far, more than 600 people were killed in both countries. However, the numbers are rising rapidly and the damage to residential buildings and infrastructure is massive. Malteser International (MI) has sent an emergency relief team to the affected region.