Day: February 20, 2023

UK development minister visits Turkey-Syria earthquake response

  • First trip by UK Minister to Turkey since devastating earthquakes to witness first-hand impact of UK aid, helping those affected in Turkey and Syria.
  • Follows major new UK aid package on 15 February in response to needs on the ground in both Turkey and Syria.
  • Minister toured a UK-led Field Hospital in Türkoğlu to thank UK medical staff for providing lifesaving care alongside Turkish medics, and met UK-aid-funded White Helmets (Syrian Civil Defence) to discuss what is needed in the next stage of the response

As the UK continues to play a leading role in the global response to the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey, UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell travelled to southern Turkey yesterday (Sunday 19 February) to see the response first-hand.

He witnessed the work of UK medical and aid teams supporting the Turkish authorities, Syrian organisations, UN and other aid organisations to coordinate the emergency response in both Turkey and Syria.

In Türkoğlu he toured a joint MoD-FCDO Field Hospital staffed by UK-Med and MoD personnel with an emergency room and 24/7 operating centre providing lifesaving care and thanked UK medical staff working side-by-side with Turkish medics.

He also met the White Helmets and Syrian Women’s groups as well as the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) member charity, Care International, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and UN agencies to hear first-hand about their relief efforts in Turkey and Syria and understand what more needs to be done as the crisis moves from rescue to recovery.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1627395269003292672

Development Minister Andrew Mitchell said: “We have been working since day one of this terrible earthquake to help coordinate the emergency response in both Turkey and Syria and provide life-saving support to those who need it.

“As this evolving situation heads into a new phase from rescue to recovery, I’ve seen first-hand the incredible efforts on the ground at the field hospital, with UK medical teams providing live-saving operations, including to those rescued from under the rubble.

“The British public’s response to the Disasters and Emergency Committee appeal, which has now reached a staggering £88 million, underlines the strong support from the UK for rescue and recovery following this tragic event.

“I have seen and heard today how this extraordinary generosity has enabled British expertise, charities and NGOs to scale up their support and make a real difference to the people of Turkey and Syria.”

The UK match funded the first £5 million of public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Turkey-Syria Earthquake appeal providing immediate life-saving support to hardest-hit areas, thanks to the compassion and generosity of the British public.

The visit follows a further £25 million major UK package of support on 15 February, with the UK responding to needs on the ground in Turkey and in Syria in line with requests from the Turkish authorities, the UN and aid agencies.

The UK also sent a team of 77 search and rescue experts with specialist equipment, as well as four rescue dogs, who worked day and night to help people affected by the earthquake. The UK-aid-funded White Helmets (Syria Civil Defence) mobilised a significant search and rescue effort and the UK mobilised an additional £4.3 million to the White Helmets in support of this.

As we move from rescue to recovery, the UK is continuing to send urgent relief supplies to Turkey and Syria such as tents and blankets to help survivors cope with the freezing conditions.

We are working closely with the UN to maintain the swift delivery of these supplies across the Turkish border into north-west Syria.

Christian Atsu: A statement from Arms Around The Child

“He will live in our memories as one of the kindest, most talented, humble people to enter this world…”

Following the news that the body of Christian Atsu’s body has been recovered in Turkey, Arms Around The Child (AATC) , have today issued a statement: 

Christian was an ambassador for the AATC helping to build schools in Senya, Ghana and visited the children and projects several times.

Paying tribute to Christian a spokesman for the charity said yeaterday (SUNDAY FEB 19): “It is with immense pain and disbelief that we have to write these words. We have held onto the hope that Christian would survive and be found in the rubble of the tragic earthquake to hit Turkey and Syria.

Like the many friends, families and people impacted by this disaster, we are still struggling to accept what has happened and feel tremendous sadness at the devastating loss of life. We empathise with all those grieving for their lost ones. Our deepest condolences are with Christian’s family, wife, children and many friends and lives that he touched.

“Christian Atsu was a truly unique and wonderful man, and his legacy will live on through the many hundreds if not thousands of lives he has helped. He will live in our memories as one of the kindest, most talented, humble people to enter this world. A young boy from poverty in Ghana who followed his dreams had an incredibly successful footballing career and used his talent and platform to help others.

“Arms Around The Child were fortunate to have known Christian and will treasure his support for the children we look after, especially the children in Senya Beraku where Christian was building a school in the local community. Christian believed in giving children a brighter future and the opportunity to succeed.

“He never forgot his own roots and didn’t want to see any more children abused, imprisoned, affected by HIV, trafficked or sold. He was determined to use his prominence as a footballer to prevent this. He had also been supporting The Crime Check Foundation in Ghana with their work paying fines for petty crimes which had resulted in incarceration, and helping people reintegrate into society and get back on their feet.

“Christian has been the global ambassador for Arms Around The Child since 2016. During that time, he visited the children at our home in Senya Beraku, Ghana on many occasions. He regularly organised for gifts and football equipment to be sent to the home and developed a very close relationship with the kids. 

“In 2018 Christian and Arms Around The Child launched a campaign to build a new school in Senya to benefit orphaned children and the local community. Together Arms Around The Child and Christian organized the Black Star Gala, a special fundraising event at the Hilton Hotel in Gateshead, Newcastle, to kickstart the fundraising effort for a new school.

“Whenever Christian visited Senya, the children and the community were always so happy to see him. They would welcome him like a hero, but also like a father, uncle or brother as everyone felt such a close affection for him. He greeted everyone with smiles and hugs, making each individual, child and adult, feel important and that they could dream and succeed in life. Christian loved the children and would always throw his shoes off to play barefoot football with them, something he loved to do whenever he visited. 

“The children looked up to him, he showed them that they can have dreams for a better future and that through education, dreams can be achieved. This is why Christian was so passionate about building a school, he believed in education for all, especially as a way to solve problems and give kids a brighter future.

“Christian was the main benefactor of the new school buildings in Senya. He always wanted to know how the children were doing and we would regularly update him on the progress of the school, which after years of building is finally nearing completion. 

“On Saturday 4th Feb 2023, just one day before his final game in which he scored a last-minute winning goal, he responded ‘Thank you for the update. I will arrange some money so that we will be able to complete it fast, I am very happy with the progress. Later in the day, he emailed again to say that he would come to open the school in June and bring his Black Star friends. 

This was our last correspondence with Christian; as always, he was thinking about the children and what he could do to help others.

Director of one of the homes Christian supported, in Senya, Beraku, Seth Asiedu said: “Our hearts are broken by the news regarding our beloved bro, Christian Atsu. We always felt the impact of his presence and were soaked with joy any time he visited us.

“The happiness he brought to so many will leave a painful void, but we will always remember his kind heart and his beaming, infectious and joyful smile. Thank you Christian, we love you.”