Istanbul - Türkiye’s geographic, climatic, and socioeconomic conditions make it highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and other environmental hazards. Country is prone to natural disasters, especially the earthquakes, leading to the death of thousands of people in 1999 Izmit and 2011 Van earthquakes. The decease and loss of many people brought into the question of how to respond climate related disasters once again.

In response to this situation, Save the Children Türkiye Country Office and Turkish Red Crescent kicked off a project in February 2022 focusing on raising awareness among children and training them against natural disasters.

Along with Turkish Red Crescent’s long-standing experience on psyschosocial support, child protection, social cohesion, youth empowerment and between 4-18 age group since 2013, the project also aims to minimize the cohesion problems of migrated children, support them in healing their traumas, develop their ability to live in multicultural environments and facilitate their access to education.

A disaster ready generation

Within the framework of a cooperation initiated in February 2022,  noting emergency preparedness plays amajor role in identifying the environmental risks to decrease potential life and item losses timely, project provided trainings to children between 6-18 at schools.  

Trainings include modules on earthquake, flood, fire/forest fires and avalanche related disasters commonly seen in Türkiye. Children participating the trainings learn what to do before, during and after an earthquake through role playing, story telling and drawing methods.

Until today over 3,000 children participated in trainings in Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Gaziantep, Hatay, İstanbul, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kilis, Kocaeli, Konya, Mardin, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa provinces. The project aims to reach out over 4,000 children.

MEDIA CONTACT:

AYLİN ALPAGUT

Advocacy and Communications Coordinator

aylin.alpagut@savethechildren.org