Love for Syria and Turkey

On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Syria and Turkey and now a series of subsequent tremors and aftershocks continue to devastate the region. The destruction is astonishing and the loss of life – 47,000 people and counting – is incomprehensible.

Our hearts hurt for all of those affected – those who have lost loved ones, those who are missing, those who are sick and hungry, those who are now homeless. We know our kind-hearted community wants to help. Please see below for different ways our kids can show their love and support.

Thank you for your kindness and compassion.

Send Video Messages of Love & Support

Send a 5-second (or less) video message by 3/24.

We are calling on schools, families and communities to join our Love for Syria and Turkey video project. Youth from all around the world are invited to create a short video clip, sharing messages of love and support.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Record a short, 5-second (or less) video message expressing love and compassion for the people of Syria and Turkey.
  2. Shoot the video in horizontal orientation.
  3. Leave a couple of seconds of silence at the beginning and end so that we may easily edit the messages together without cutting off any words.
  4. Email your clip to info@kidsforpeaceglobal.org by Friday, March 24th.
  5. In the email, please indicate the school and/or KfP chapter name and city/state/country in which you are sending the video from.
  6. If any part of the video is in a language other than English, please identify the language that is spoken and provide the English translation.

Once complete, our collaborative video will be shared with our global Kids for Peace network and especially with our Kids for Peace and Great Kindness Challenge friends in Syria and Turkey. They will help us share this video message far and wide.

Thank you for being a part of this heartfelt video to extend emotional support to the people of Syria and Turkey.

Send Pictures With Uplifting Heart-Shaped Messages

To supplement the collaborative video, we will also be weaving in images of youth holding hearts with short, uplifting messages.

Please email these photos to info@kidsforpeaceglobal.org.

Please remember to include school name, city and state. Thank you.

Support Financially

As the need for assistance in Syria and Turkey continues to grow, with many families in dire need of basic necessities, we encourage our youth to raise funds to directly support the humanitarian relief efforts in these regions.

Here are some well-established organizations you may choose to support:

Pupils Scarlett Hewitt, Emily Basanovic, Jasmine Smith, Jasmine South and Maddison Colman with one of the school parents and fundraiser organiser Clare Basanovic, and principal Rosie Irvine Mahony. Picture by Chris Lane. Source: ST GEORGE & SUTHERLAND SHIRE LEADER

  • British Red Cross has put together resources on how you can donate or volunteer in Turkey and Syria and how to look after your mental health during a crisis.
  • AHBAP is providing shelter, food, and medical supplies to those affected by the Earthquake in Turkey.
  • Syrian American Medical Society is providing life-saving medical care to people in acute need in Syria and neighboring countries.
  • Bridge to Turkey Fund is providing family tents, mobile toilets, heaters and stoves, sleeping bags, hygiene kits, and food aid to the people affected by the earthquake in Turkey.
  • White Helmets are searching for survivors and pulling the dead from collapsed buildings in Syria.
  • Direct Relief is deploying urgently needed medical aid, including acute and chronic care medications, to hard-hit areas in both Syria and Turkey.

(Source: Peace First)