As we continue our humanitarian work in Turkey and Syria our thoughts and prayers are with our Human Appeal staff and their families on the ground, who have faced devastating loss in the face of the recent earthquake.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Nehle Bitar a valued member of our team in Turkey who was confirmed deceased earlier this week. A well-loved member of Human Appeal’s team in Gaziantep, Nehle was visiting family in Hatay for her sister’s wedding when the earthquake hit. She passed away with her two sisters while waiting to be rescued from under the fallen rubble. She is survived by her husband and daughter who both survived the earthquake.
Nehle joined Human Appeal’s team in March 2022 and will be remembered by us all as a dear colleague who was filled with joy and happiness, an outgoing and modest member of our team, who played a vital role in Human Appeal’s work in Turkey and will be deeply missed.
Our heartfelt thoughts and support are also with our colleagues and their family members who are still unaccounted for or waiting for rescue, or who have passed away.
Many of our team members in Syria and Turkey also faced the loss of their homes and have found temporary shelter with their families in emergency shelters while others sleep in their cars.
Words fail to express the debt of gratitude we feel for our team who continue to work like professionals helping the vulnerable despite facing the same fear, pain and uncertainty. We offer our support to those team members at this difficult time. We are honoured to support them and call them our colleagues.
They are our heroes and we will never forget them.
We ask for the public’s continued support at this tragic time as we provide emergency relief to the many affected by this devastating natural disaster in both Turkey and Syria.
