Since the earthquake that occurred on Monday February 6, in Turkey and Syria, solidarity has been organized everywhere in Isère to come to the aid of the victims, and in particular within the association of Turkish workers in Grenoble.
“We called for donations from all our members and our entire community“, explains Maksut Kolbasi, the treasurer of the association of Turkish workers in Grenoble. A call for financial donations made just after the earthquake which occurred on Monday February 6, in Turkey and Syria.
To set them up, the organization guides its members to secure sites. “Instead, they are directed to the AFAD website, which is the organization managing crises and disasters in Turkey.“, he specifies. Some donors “come here either with their RIB or their bank card, then we help them make donations. There, they organize themselves to buy basic necessities“. According to the latter, the donations are also used for the relocation of the victims.
Since this Wednesday evening, physical donations have also been received. In direct contact with the Turkish state, the association waited to receive an exhaustive list of needs. She collects warm clothes, tents, stoves or hygiene products.
The harvest will continue until Saturday, February 11. The association’s office is open between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Afterwards, “a sorting will be done to put them in trucks which will be transferred to Lyon“, describes Furkan Tanriverdi, volunteer of the association. In Lyon, this material will be transported in a cargo plane in the direction of Istanbul. It will then be distributed in the affected areas.
Originally from Adana, a city hit by the disaster, two women came with a trunk loaded with childcare equipment. “As soon as we received the news of the earthquake, our hands were tied, we couldn’t do anything, except help with goods”testifies Durdan Yavuz. “There are many children who have lost their parents […] so if we can help them at least, for us, it’s important“, adds Elvan Oral.
“At the moment, people are asking us a lot. There is a real mobilization in Grenoble“, underline Maksut Kolbasi, the treasurer of the association. He estimates the donations already collected by their platform at 25,000 euros.
