Some ways to help those affected by the Turkey and Syria earthquakes as a London student

On Monday, 6th February, a devastating earthquake followed by a powerful aftershock hit parts of Turkey and Syria, turning entire cities into rubbles and claiming thousands of victims.

As of this article, more than 33,000 people have died in both countries, and the number is still expected to rise.

Eda, president of the UCL Turkish Society, told The London Tab: “As a Turkish person, I don’t think I have ever woken up to a worse day than this. The whole nation is so desperate, and we feel so helpless that we can’t do anything about it. We need help. We need solidarity. I don’t think we’ll ever recover from this crisis. It’s just heartbreaking.”

The UK government sent 76 search and rescue specialists with four search dogs and rescue equipment to Turkey and is working with the UN to support Syria by February 8th. But London students are also launching individual initiatives to help relief efforts. Here are some that you can support:

Baking event and sale at the University of Westminster

Students of the Baking Society at the University of Westminster (UoW) are holding a “bake-along” event and sale for Turkey and Syria on Monday and Tuesday, 13th and 14th February.

They will first decorate shortbread biscuits and cupcakes before selling them to fundraise for relief efforts.

The first decoration portion will take place at the university’s Marylebone campus on Monday from 3:30pm to 5:30 pm. The fundraising sale will take place the following day from 11am to 5pm at the Cavendish campus, with henna artists joining in from 2pm onwards.

Time and location of “bake-along“: 3:30pm to 5:30 pm on Monday, 13th February, in Room M216 at the Marylebone campus

Time and location of charity stall: 11am to 5pm on Tuesday, 14th February, by the entrance of the Cavendish campus

Movie fundraiser at KCL

The Syrian Society at King’s is holding a movie night on Tuesday, 14th February, where all proceeds will go to The White Helmets organisation and Syrian civilians on the ground.

We don’t know about you, but this seems the perfect way to spend Valentine’s day.

Time and location: 6pm to 8:30 pm on Tuesday, 14th February at Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Hodgkin Building

Fundraising stall at Queen Mary

The Queen Mary Turkish Society will hold a fundraising stall at the university’s Mile End campus from Wednesday and Thursday, 15th and 16th February.

They will be accepting financial donations for their partner charity, the West London Turkish Volunteers.

Time and location: 10am to 4pm on Wednesday, 15th February and Thursday, 16th February at Library Square, Queen Mary’s Mile End campus

Charity event at the University of Westminster

The UoW Turkish Society is teaming up with the Lebanese Society, Pakistan Society, Games Society, History Society, and Hindu Society for a charity event on Thursday, 16th February.

Students will be raising money at the event through bake sales, henna, VR headset, raffles and many more activities.

Time and location: 3pm to 8pm on Thursday, 16th February, in Room C1.03 at the Cavendish campus

Appeal for aid items at the University of Westminster

The Turkish Society, Biomedical Science Society, Medical Society, Friends of Palestine Society, and Lebanese Society of UoW are collecting for aid items on both the Cavendish and Marylebone campuses.

Some donations they are looking for include winter clothes, emergency food, sleeping bags, and flashlights.

Time and location: ongoing at UoW’s Cavendish and Marylebone campuses

If you prefer to show your support remotely, students at UCL and Royal Holloway have started donation campaigns on online fundraising platforms. Some external fundraisers often shared include those through the Turkish Red Crescent, AFAD, Islamic Relief, UNICEF, and Doctors without Borders.

This article will be periodically updated, but you can also follow your university’s Students’ Union and relevant societies on social media for more information and ways to support. 

Feature image credit: UCL Turkish Society on Instagram

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Here are all the ways you can help the victims affected by the Turkey and Syria earthquakes

• Here are some student-led initiatives to support Ukraine in London

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