In the wake of the devastating earthquakes that killed more than 47,000 people in February 2023, including 1,500 refugees, the urgent need for mental health and trauma relief support has become paramount. For about 12 years, Türkiye has hosted the largest refugee population in the world - over 4 million people.
As of the knowledge cutoff in September 2021, Kilis, Türkiye was home to around 140,000 Syrian refugees, making it one of the highest refugee-populated areas in Turkey. Given the trauma experienced by the affected population, including both Turkish citizens and refugees, there is a critical need for mental health services and trauma relief support to help individuals recover and rebuild their lives.
Click To Read The Full Country Report on ART OF HOPE's Türkiye - Syria Earthquake Response
We work closely with our local partners to provide support through multiple pathways.
At ART OF HOPE, we strive to use our voice and global network to advocate for the emotional and psychological well-being of refugees as we believe that the invisible wounds of war, displacement and loss should not be forgotten.
At ART OF HOPE, we work closely with our local partners in the field to develop the most effective programming for those who serve. We spend weeks, sometimes months studying the crisis at hand.
At ART OF HOPE we strive to create programming that's complimentary and sensitive to the socio-cultural nuances of the communities served while also empowering for our local partners and caregivers.
In the aftermath of the deadly 2023 earthquake that shook Southern Türkiye and Northern Syria, and claimed the lives of more than 50,000 innocent individuals, ART OF HOPE worked tirelessly to design a strategy best fit to support the trauma-relief and mental health needs of the vulnerable Syrian refugee communities in Southern Turkey who are now enduring a second trauma in addition to all that they've endured while fleeing the war in Syria.
Together, and in collaboration with our Lebanese partner NGO RESCUE ME and our local Syrian NGO partner KAREEMAT in Kilis near the Turkish-Syria borders we have:
During our second field visit and additional groundwork in July - August 2023, and in partnership with another local NGO partner VIOLET, AOH conducted an intensive trauma-relief assessment and intervention for 90 Syrian refugees in southern Türkiye. The group included a diverse demographic (age range from mid 20s to late 40s) who fled the war in Syria and relocated to Southern Türkiye and living in some of the worst hit areas affected by the February 2023 quakes.
Our team of therapists conducted intense psychological assessment and met with each 90 beneficiaries individually. Extensive assessments revealed astonishing aspects of a constant state of fear amidst survivors of the February 6th earthquakes. Almost all the Syrian beneficiaries felt that they "had nothing more to give" and that they lived in a constant state of terror.
"We escaped death at home in Syria; but my family died here in Türkiye." Explained a male beneficiary who fled his hometown of Idlib for Hatay - another hard-hit region in southern Türkiye.
Our clinicians observed that many beneficiaries were experiencing complex grief not only from recent losses but also from previous traumas endured fleeing the war in Syria and relocating to a new, unfamiliar, and challenging environment.
Key partner for our intensive trauma-relief assessment and intervention program serving 90 Syrian refugees in southern Türkiye. The program included:
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