Mobile Medical Clinic Blessing Lives in Turkey

TURKEY – The catastrophic earthquake that devastated a large area of Turkey has left survivors in distress. Countless families without homes are left shivering outdoors, and many have sustained serious injuries.

Others suffering from shock and chronic illnesses need immediate assistance, because many local hospitals are in ruins, and people can’t even get their usual medications.

Mobile Medical Clinic is Protecting Lives

Operation Blessing disaster relief teams are on the ground in hard-hit areas offering hope and resources in this overwhelming time. Lead doctor Gustavo Angel shared the plan of action for reaching people in need of medical care.

He said, “Right now, we’ve set up a mobile clinic to help the people that have survived in this place so we can give them quality health care.”

He continued, “We are seeing a lot of diseases…We’re seeing a lot of colds. We’re seeing a lot of people’s wounds.”

One of the patients is Gamze, who came to the mobile medical clinic with injuries to her feet.

She told us, “We got out from under the rubble, but we didn’t have our shoes. We walked on broken glass. Our hospital buildings are somewhere under all the debris. We lost many of our doctors and hospital staff to the earthquake. When we got here and we met you, we were so happy.”

Dr. Angel treated her feet and took out several shards of glass. She is now on her way to recovery.

He said, “That’s one of the thousands of stories that you will hear from all the patients, all the people that have suffered this catastrophe.”

medical help for turkey earthquake victims

need for medical help after turkey earthquake

Operation Blessing Is Looking to Set Up More Clinics

Through the generous gifts of our Operation Blessing partners, many people like Gamze will receive quality care in the mobile medical clinic.

There are more who are suffering all over these cities, and we’re hoping to set up clinics in different places so we can reach out to more people that are most in need.

Gamze said, “Seeing you come to our country to help us truly makes us happy. Thank you so much for treating us and staying with us in this situation.”

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Stay tuned for more information about Operation Blessing’s Turkey response. To donate to disaster relief efforts, visit: https://www.ob.org/disasterrelief/

Dry After The Storm

CAMBODIA – Imagine living on only $2.50 a day. That’s less than a cup of coffee here in the U.S. But sadly, such meager wages are a reality for many people around the world. People like Kongea’s mother, Saru.

As a single mom, Saru worked hard in the rice fields to support her two children. When she could find work, her daily wage was in fact about $2.50. Last year, she worked only a couple of months. For shelter, Saru and her children relied on the hut her husband had built for them out of bamboo and palm leaves before he died. Then, even more tragedy struck their family. Heavy winds and rain pounded their only home in Cambodia.

“I got scared when the wind and rain came and blew my house so hard that it shook,” said Saru. Water leaked through the roof and rain fell on them while they slept, but the family had no money to build a new house. “I tried to fix the holes,” Saku explained further. “But there were so many.”

Her 4-year-old son, Kongkea was scared. “When it rains, I have to stay in the house,” he said. “The roof leaks and the house moved. I am afraid my house will fall down.”

A New Home In Cambodia

That’s when you came to their rescue! Your love for Saru and her children made it possible to build them a new home in Cambodia, where they would be protected from violent winds and downpours. You gave them solid walls and a new roof that didn’t leak when it rained.

And Kongkea loves the new home that you gave him. “I am not afraid like I was before,” he said. “Thank you so much to the people who helped build it for us!”

Your compassion touched Saru’s heart. She couldn’t contain her smile. “I never dreamed I would have a house like this,” she said. “I am at a loss for words.”

Thank you for sending your heartfelt generosity around the world to bless those who are hurting and in need. You are changing lives and making a difference!

Clean Water Access for Earthquake Victims

clean water access for turkey earthquake victims

Help Disaster Victims Now!

TURKEY – Turkey has been shattered by this recent disaster. The World Bank estimates that these earthquakes caused $34 billion in damage to the country. It could cost twice as much to rebuild. But these piles of rubble tell much more of a story, one far more meaningful than a dollar sign.

Operation Blessing is Showing God’s Love to Earthquake Victims

One resident said, “It was like the end of the world. We thought that we would die. It was difficult!”

For years to come, people will likely be sharing painful memories of “the day the earth shook.”

One resident who shared her experience with us is a former schoolteacher, born and raised in Hatay, a region surrounded by beautiful mountains and famous for its cuisine and archeology. The recent earthquakes, however, erased much of life in the area.

She said, “There is no school to work at. Most of my students are dead now. The rest have relocated.”

Widespread damage has left much of the country under a state of emergency. Many survivors suffer from post-traumatic stress.

Director of International Disaster Relief, Diego Traverso said, “The trauma is something that is tangible. We see it through the eyes of the kids right now—the families that lost their beloved ones.”

Diego and the Operation Blessing team have been on the ground since the first quake struck. The base of operations in Hatay has been a refuge for people who have nothing.

He said, “People have seen this love, the tangible love through a hot meal, through water, through medicine, or just listening to them, just sitting with them and listening to them over and over.” Initiatives like our food distributions and efforts to improve clean water access are making a huge difference for earthquake victims. They are seeing God’s love through friends like you!

Relief Team is Improving Clean Water Access for Earthquake Victims

We’ve been distributing water bottles due to the terrible damage earthquakes did to the local infrastructure, leaving residents with highly contaminated water access. Now, our water engineer has successfully developed a way to purify up to 300 gallons of water per day from the local well in Hatay using reverse osmosis, and we are preparing to ramp up our clean water efforts.

Diego said, “We can be sure that the water that we’re filtering is 100% clean, cleaner than the ones that sell in the stores.”

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Stay tuned for more information about Operation Blessing’s Turkey response. To donate to disaster relief efforts, visit: https://www.ob.org/disasterrelief/

A Better Tomorrow For Turputia

PERU – Valerio was thirsty. And that meant his kids were, too. His shoulders slumped as he contemplated the long trek to the contaminated well in Peru near his village the village of Turputia.

This remote community in the highlands of Peru is located almost three hours away from the next major city by car. And the well where Valerio walked to get water often two or three times per day wasn’t treated to be safe to drink, nor was it close by. You see, the people of Turputia had to get water somehow, so they tried to dig their own wells, but the water was stagnant and
likely contaminated.

Since Valerio was a child, there had been no clean water access or adequate sanitation facilities in Turputia. That was just life as he knew it. And when he was little, he endured it, though he told us he often struggled with frequent ailments caused by impure water. Now, his own children, Diego (18), Dilan (7), and Abigail (3) were at risk.

Valerio wanted his children to have a better life than he’d had; he just wasn’t sure how he could give it to them. “This is my biggest worry. I can’t stand when my children don’t feel well; my children are the most important to me. I didn’t want them to grow up in the same condition I did.”

Valerio must have watched his kids play with mixed emotions, enjoying their sweet voices but feeling mounting pressure to leave them so they could have something to drink. Once again he would prepare himself to leave and go fetch more water from the contaminated well in Peru. The path to the well was long and dangerous in bad weather, but no matter the conditions, the need for water remained.

The good news is that friends like you heard about their need and reached out to meet it. Valerio’s worries would soon come to an end. When Operation Blessing first arrived, the local people couldn’t even fathom how much life would change when clean water became available. With their help digging trenches, our team got to work.

A Clean Water Treatment System

Your compassionate support soon provided a well and clean water treatment system. This new system was connected to a network of pipes that carried the clean water to every house in Turputia, including Valerio’s. This happy father was delighted that his kids could now turn on the tap and water would come streaming out— water that would have taken hours to get before. And it was clean and safe to drink!

The Operation Blessing family also built biodigester bathrooms for all the homes in the village and trained residents about proper hygiene and sanitation. “This is a big blessing,” Valerio said, overwhelmed with gratitude. “We never had bathrooms or water. This is changing my children’s lives. It is a blessing. With this water, my children won’t get sick anymore. They will be happy.”

Thank you!

Sharing God’s Love Despite Danger

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TURKEY – Three sizeable earthquakes and numerous aftershocks have rocked ten historic cities in Turkey. The destruction is overwhelming, and the people still aren’t out of danger yet. But we are there sharing God’s love in partnership with friends like you.

Supplies Are Slow, But We’re Meeting Needs

Operation Blessing volunteer Amanda said, “There’s been multiple earthquakes since we’ve been on the ground. So it got determined that it’s not safe to stay inside.”

Where we are on the ground in the city of Hatay—the most devastated city—residents are at risk of being struck by yet another earthquake. Right now, there is only one open road into the city. That means the journey for incoming supplies is slow and treacherous. Because the level of need in the city is so great, Operation Blessing turned our warehouse into a distribution center. As word gets around that help is available, people have been flocking here.

Amanda said, “The need is everything. These people have nothing. Most of them are living in tents or their cars. They have no hygiene products. Most of them left their house in the middle of the night because it happened while they were sleeping. They have no shoes on their feet; they have no socks; they have nothing.”

Our Director of International Disaster Relief, Diego Traverso, updated us about the severity of the situation.

“IDP is Internally Displaced Person. Turkish people are IDPs in this moment.”

Teams Sharing God’s Love Through Tangible Aid

Estimates vary between 1 and 2 million displaced people—people left homeless by this disaster like Hakan Hamurcu. He and his family now live in tents and temporary structures outside his dilapidated home. He’s forced to stare at the unwanted yet familiar scene of destruction that has overtaken Turkey’s beautiful landscape.

Even in the chaos, Operation Blessing remains steadfast because of generous friends like you. We’re committed to our mission to relieve those who are suffering and share God’s love.

Diego said, “We’re here to help people first. Water, shelter, food, medicines. But there are some people that have been asking [for prayer]. Like, ‘oh, you guys are Christian, can you pray for me?'” And our teams are happy to pray for and encourage those whose spirits are weak and point them towards the eternal hope found in Jesus Christ.

It has been weeks since the initial earthquake devastated the region. Thankfully, Operation Blessing has been on the ground since then and will continue to be for weeks to come. We’re hopeful that we’ll leave behind in Turkey the necessary tools for people who are suffering to one day be able to rebuild their lives.

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Stay tuned for more information about Operation Blessing’s Turkey response. To donate to disaster relief efforts, visit: https://www.ob.org/disasterrelief/

One Year Anniversary of the Ukraine Invasion

UKRAINE – As the one year anniversary of the Ukraine invasion by Russian forces arrives, we remember somberly the struggles and resilience of the Ukrainian people who pray and hope for an end to the conflict. It is painful to think back to the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine a year ago. Many, still trapped in Ukraine, or living as refugees elsewhere, will never forget the sounds, images, and horrors of those early days.

While bombs exploded and gunfire echoed across cities in Ukraine, many women and children fled for their lives. Those who remained in or near the war zone faced the unimaginable. With businesses, shops, and homes destroyed, these precious people had no jobs and no place to find food. But Operation Blessing was there, from the earliest days, supplying food and vital necessities in the hard-hit zones, as well as supporting refugees in Eastern Ukraine and Poland.

Many months later, as winter once again approached, they faced another threat: the cold. Oksana and her two children, Alexandra (10) and Alena (3), huddled in the basement of their home as bombs exploded in their hometown of Lyman, a mere 12 miles from the front line. They survived by eating the only supplies they had available: canned food and potatoes.

Frigid Temperatures And Hunger In Ukraine

After the fighting moved on, humanitarian organizations like Operation Blessing reached them with more food and other supplies. But food alone would not be enough for them to make it through the harsh winter ahead, when temperatures can dip down to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

“There are no heating facilities left here,” said Oksana. “I was worried because the house is cold.” In the hope of staying warm, she moved her children into another house with a boiler, but they had no electricity or firewood to power it in the months ahead. When the Operation Blessing family heard about their situation, friends like you stepped in to help.

Help Us Keep Providing For These War Victims

Together, we provided stoves and firewood to heat homes and keep families like Oksana and her children warm for the winter. The supplies arrived at just the right time. “If Operation Blessing had not brought us heating, we would have frozen here,” said Oksana. “I don’t know how my children and I would have lived.”

Your kindness touched Oksana’s heart. “Thank you so much for caring for people like us,” she said. “I would like to wish you health. And I wish there were more people like you.” You have surrounded so many Ukrainians in crisis with warmth, food, and love during their most difficult days this winter. Thank you!

So on this anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, we remember not only a year of tragedy and aggression, but also a year of love poured out by friends like you.

To help more victims of crisis, please visit ob.org/crisis. And to read more stories about our outreach to Ukrainian victims of war visit ob.org/tag/ukraine-crisis.

one year anniversary of ukraine invasion

Providing Clean Water in Turkey

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TURKEY – Operation Blessing is hard at work in Turkey attempting to help residents with emergency needs while empowering them to move towards recovery. One of the most pressing needs at the moment is for clean water to drink, as that is among the very first things affected by a natural disaster like this. Thankfully, we have people on the ground actively working to provide clean water to those in need.

OB Engineer Working to Provide Clean Water

Jose Esquer is Operation Blessing’s onsite water engineer in Turkey, where the nearly 300-mile disaster has wreaked havoc on local infrastructure. Without water, earthquake survivors will die. There are solutions, but unfortunately, much more needs to be done.

Jose said, “Right now, the solution is bottled water, but there’s not enough bottled water. So we are looking for solutions based on the local [sources], just to purify water.”

With this in mind, Operation Blessing has implemented a reverse osmosis system to take undrinkable water and make it safe. This is critical, as the existing water supply in Hatay has alarmingly-high levels of contamination.

provide clean water after turkey earthquake

Major Effort is Required to Restore Clean Water Access

Contaminated water like this can have long-term consequences that will harm residents in the area if drastic measures aren’t taken to change the situation. Esquer says major help is needed after a disaster of this scale.

He said, “This is huge, and it will need several years to restore. And I ask for all the people to continue to support this major-scale disaster.”

No one organization is going to be able to handle the massive level of need across the vast disaster zone, but we can do our part with the help of friends like you. We can make a difference and display God’s love to many suffering people.

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Stay tuned for more information about Operation Blessing’s Turkey response. To donate to disaster relief efforts, visit: https://www.ob.org/disasterrelief/

Another Quake Rocks Turkey Relief Efforts

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TURKEY – Days after a catastrophic earthquake devastated southeastern Turkey, another 6.3-magnitude quake rocked Turkey relief efforts in the province of Hatay. It was already one of Turkey’s hardest hit areas. Many buildings weakened by the previous earthquakes and aftershocks crumbled.

On the Ground as Another Quake Rocks Relief Efforts

Diego Traverso is directing relief efforts on the ground where he made this report moments after the latest quake struck:

“We felt it really strong, and everything collapsed again. The electricity—everything—just went out. We’re right here on the street serving the people that are coming here. We’re distributing solar lamps. We’re starting a medical clinic right on the spot so we can serve the people here that are under so much distress. Also, we’re making some hot soup right now and distributing blankets as it got really cold again.”

Hope in the Midst of Another Quake

Like many areas throughout the Hatay region, the city of Antioch took an especially hard hit. There, we encountered a local church whose facilities had been completely destroyed. They’d faithfully served their neighborhood for 23 years, and this event came as a shock. Pastor Elmas shared her memory of that terrifying night when the first quake struck.

“I just can’t find the words to describe it. And I don’t think you can really understand what happened at that time. There was a deep noise from the ground, and it wasn’t ending, and it was a long time. Both my husband and I just looked at each other and hugged each other, and we started praying.”

She continued, “And then we came out, and I looked, and I realized that all these buildings were collapsed. And that was so painful because this has been our ministry to our neighbors for years. All those years of loving and caring for everyone—everything is gone completely.”

Still, Pastor Elmas has a positive outlook. She said, “There’s no more Antioch left, but there will be a new Antioch. There will be a new church.”

This church has hope because they know the God of hope, and Operation Blessing is there on the ground displaying God’s love to those in need and offering hope through tangible assistance all across Hatay. You can be part of the effort!

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Stay tuned for more information about Operation Blessing’s Turkey response. To donate to disaster relief efforts, visit: https://www.ob.org/disasterrelief/

Road to Recovery in Turkey

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For the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by recent earthquakes in Turkey, the road to recovery has begun. But it’s a hard road.

The earthquakes have left behind a nearly 300-mile trail of ruined buildings and upset lives. Families like the Dudaklis in Hatay had their lives turned upside down, and they’re now living in a tent wondering when the aftershocks will stop so they can try to return to some semblance of normal.

The Road to Recovery Is Long

We sat down with Felis Dudakli and her family to hear their story. She told us, “Well before the earthquake, I had my own business. I was making bread and pastries. But now, unfortunately, after the earthquake, I have no job, and my workplace was destroyed.”

Felis made all sorts of Turkish baked goods, but the earthquake and its aftermath took its toll on her livelihood, her family, and the children.

She continued, “Our fear was too great. I don’t know when my children’s psychology will improve because, unfortunately, we even had to remove the corpses. Even my uncle’s markets were destroyed. We had to remove the bodies ourselves. Things are very bad.”

You Can Help Families on the Road to Recovery

After the earthquake, Operation Blessing came to help. We visited the family, provided food, and conducted a medical examination of the grandfather suffering from post-traumatic shock.

She said, “Blessing upon blessing comes to us. We’re always waiting for you. You supported us. Thank you very much. Many thanks to those who did this. We’re so proud. We got emotional. It made us even more happy.”

For Felis, her goal is to bake again. She said, “I hope to continue my work elsewhere. And I will invite you there. There will be treats from me. I make tandoori bread. If we get a chance, we are proud to present it to you.”

With the support of friends like you, the Operation Blessing team came as friends and left as family.

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Stay tuned for more information about Operation Blessing’s Turkey response. To donate to disaster relief efforts, visit: https://www.ob.org/disasterrelief/

Providing Hunger Relief When All Hope Seems Lost

VIRGINIA – “We were drained in pretty much every aspect you can look at: financially, emotionally, spiritually.” During the COVID pandemic, Tyler and Roxanne’s family experienced hardship in a way they never thought they would encounter.

After the loss of three parents in quick succession, they found themselves financially drained. They needed help just to make ends meet. Facing food insecurity, they turned to Heritage Church, a distribution partner of Operation Blessing.

In addition to providing hunger relief, the partner church offers a lot more to families in need. Not only did Tyler and Roxanne find the food they needed, they found love, community and a restoration of hope.

“Receiving the food really helped to restore a lot of hope. Like a reminder from God like it’s going to be okay. And if He can supply food, you know, He’ll supply the rest,” said Roxanne. Thanks to the support of our partners and donors, Tyler and Roxanne’s family were able to receive the help they needed when they needed it the most. Now their family is on their way to recovery and are hopeful for the future.

Providing Hunger Relief for a Family in Need

There are so many families just like Tyler and Roxanne’s who are thankful for the food they receive in times of tragedy and need. Without this food, many people, including children and the elderly, would not have the food they need to thrive. Thankfully, there is hope. Our partnering ministries all over the US are equipped to be that helping hand if you or your loved ones are in need of food.

No one should go to bed hungry. We at Operation Blessing are dedicated to being the hands and feet of Christ. It is our hope that we not only help those in need but also convey the hope found in God’s love.

By providing hunger relief to families like Tyler and Roxanne’s, you show them that all is not lost. To learn more about how you can be a part of the fight to end hunger, you can visit our website at: ob.org/hunger-relief.