More than 55,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives, while many more were injured and displaced. More than 54,000 buildings, including hospitals and schools, were destroyed or damaged.
In North-west Syria, the devastation is most acute. The region is home to over four million people, more than half of whom were already displaced as a result of the ongoing, 12-year civil war in Syria. Before the earthquake, 90% of people in the region were dependent on aid to meet their basic needs. Following the earthquake we partnered with a local organisation named Violet, who were one of the first and only aid agencies operating in this region.
Thanks to your support Irish Emergency Alliance member ActionAid has reached over 100,000 people.
Below are some of the stories of women who were affected by the quakes and who have since received care at an ActionAid-funded hospital. =
Amani
The earthquake greatly affected our work because hospitals were destroyed and had to be reconstructed.
Amani is Head Nurse at an ActionAid-funded hospital in north-west Syria. She tells us that a lot of hospitals were destroyed by the earthquake which has left communities without access to medical support and healthcare workers without the vital medical supplies they need to treat patients.
Since the hospital has opened, Amani has seen dozens of patients arrive to access healthcare services, including pregnant women and new mothers who need pregnancy and antenatal care. She says the hospital is there to serve women living in the nearby IDP camps.
Safaa
Safaa, is a mother of three, with an eight-month-old son. Safaa lives in a camp for internally displaced people (IDP) and benefits from services from an ActionAid funded hospital. Safaa lives in a camp because her home was destroyed in the war. She is a mum of three children – her youngest is eight months old. She had been breastfeeding her youngest when the earthquake hit and dropped her she was so frightened. Her older son had a successful hernia operation at the hospital, and she told us that the services at the hospital and the doctor and nurses were excellent.
Previously, getting to a hospital was both confusing and a challenge. However, this hospital is just a 15-minute away. Safaa feels welcome by the staff at the hospital, and this was especially so when her son was admitted. She is relieved that the hospital has medicine and facilities. She explains that the suffering being experienced in the camp is mainly due to poverty, but the heat and the cold also affects everyone