The garment print sector is helping to raise funds to provide shelter for people made homeless by the earthquakes that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria.
Fespa, the international trade federation for textile, digital and screen printing, is backing efforts led by the Turkish Outdoor and Industrial Advertisers Association (ARED), its trade association in Turkey.
It has launched a fund-raising drive to help victims of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake by providing emergency shelters and longer-term accommodation for people who have lost their homes.
Donations from Fespa, its global associations and its associations’ members have helped ARED to buy 10 tents and install them in the most affected regions to offer short-term shelter.
Further donations are being used to purchase units which will be adapted to provide longer-term accommodation, suitable for around two years, for use until new housing is available.
These will be within a temporary town set up by the Sectoral Associations Federation (SEDEFED), a Turkish organisation representing over 12,000 businesses, of which ARED is a member.
ARED will also design, produce and donate directional signage for the three temporary housing towns that SEDEFED is establishing in Adıyaman, Hatay and Maraş.
With donations received so far, ARED has funds to provide over 30 temporary housing units. The association is appealing to the wider Fespa community for further donations to increase the number of temporary houses that can be supplied.
The earthquakes killed more than 41,000 people in southern Turkey and at least 4,000 more in neighbouring Syria and left more than a million people homeless across the region.
Neil Felton, CEO of Fespa, said: “We send our sincere condolences to everyone affected by this tragic disaster. The project initiated by ARED offers vital protection to those impacted, and Fespa will continue to work with ARED to support its community-based efforts. We thank everyone in our international community who feels able to contribute to this vital effort.”
İbrahim Demirseren, secretary general of ARED and board director of Fespa Eurasia, added: “Thank you to the Fespa community for your generous donations to this cause. We are thrilled to have your support. Through your donations we will be able to increase the help we’re offering to the victims of this disaster and continue building temporary shelters for them.”
To donate money through Fespa towards further temporary housing for those affected by the earthquake, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/fespa.
In the UK, fund-raising for relief in the region is being led by the Disasters Emergencies Committee (DEC) via donation.dec.org.uk/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal. The DEC is urging businesses to get in touch if they need support and materials to run fund-raising campaigns or events at www.dec.org.uk/fundraise-for-us.
