Dear Blossom Hill Family,

The devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023, with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5, claimed over 57,200 lives and left over 1.5 million people homeless as of March 20, 2023. Among the affected areas were the regions in which we implement our programs, home to thousands of Syrian refugees already struggling to survive. Sadly, three of our programs were impacted, including our coding bootcamps for youth and education for autistic children in Turkey, and our Soar Girls’ Empowerment program in Syria.

The earthquake has caused immeasurable pain and suffering for the people we serve. One mother in our program lost all four of her children in Syria, and four members of the community we serve in Turkey also perished. Hundreds of families have been left homeless, and children and their families are experiencing extreme psychosocial distress due to the overall disruption of society.

But, thanks to your generosity, our Fellows have been able to respond immediately to the situation on the ground and provide essential relief to their beneficiaries impacted by the earthquakes.

Maryam Montague, who runs the Soar girls empowerment program in Syria, distributed winter clothing, food supplies, and hygiene kits and menstrual pads to the families of 47 girls, and provided the rent and salaries of teachers so they could continue the program in an interim hall after the earthquake. Her team also distributed toys and diapers to almost 500 children and infants, and health kits and meals to thousands of beneficiaries in three camps.

Here are some of the stories of the earthquake victims in our program who benefited from your generosity.

On these photos members of Blossom Hill Fellow Maryam Montague’s Soar team distribute food supplies and engage in outdoor activities with children displaced by the earthquake in northwest Syria.

* Children’s eyes are covered per child protection guidelines.

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