The Association for Social Development and Aid Mobilization (ASAM), one of Türkiye’s greatest non-governmental organizations in its field, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara, Taiwan’s diplomatic mission to Türkiye, have been working together for many years based on mutual trust, cooperation, and solution-driven humanitarian assistance projects.
Taiwan and Türkiye have always been two countries remaining close to one another, despite being thousands of kilometers apart. Although they share no historical, cultural, or geographical ties, both countries have never refrained from extending a helping hand to one another in times of need.
Their close relationship actually began with the dedicated efforts of the search and rescue team that Türkiye deployed to Taiwan in 1999, when devastating earthquakes struck with just two months apart.
The lives the AKUT (Search and Rescue Association) team rescued from the rubble in Taiwan eventually paved the way for Taiwan to swiftly dispatch a search and rescue team to Kahramanmaraş as the calendar marked February 2023.
With the delivery to Türkiye of millions of dollars in aid raised after the earthquake by the people and government of Taiwan, Taiwan truly became, as reflected in the title of the short film depicting years of collaboration with ASAM, a close neighbor in the Far East.
Although the collaboration between the two organizations gained momentum following the twin earthquakes that occurred in Kahramanmaraş on 6 February 2023, its origins date back much further.
Their collaboration initiated via Migrant TV, a YouTube channel broadcasting in 7 languages to ensure refugees and asylum seekers living in Türkiye have access to accurate and reliable information, evolved over the years into numerous multifaceted projects.
Even though the MIGRANT TV Project, which was the first and only channel to broadcast in multiple languages on a wide range of topics, from essential hygiene rules to be followed during the Covid-19 period to solutions offered for the most common problems encountered by asylum seekers and migrants, has come to an end, the channel remains active today.
2 million
Number of people reached by Migrant TV
ASAM’s 30 years of experience in migration, protection, humanitarian aid, and needs assessment, combined with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission’s ability to react swiftly, enabled them to launch their first project just hours after the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes.
In addition to providing services in Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa as part of the Project, a needs assessment was also conducted for the earthquake survivors who settled in other provinces.
One of the primary objectives of the Provision of Humanitarian Assistance to the Earthquake Victims in Türkiye Project was the distribution of humanitarian relief items during the acute phase of the crisis. In the initial phase, shelter items such as sleeping bags, blankets, mattresses, and tents were delivered to individuals in need in Hatay.
During the second phase of assistance, items such as children’s boots, clothing vouchers, coats, food packages, home kits, underwear, and women’s hygiene kits were distributed to those in need.
7,395 market vouchers, each carrying TRY 1,500, and 2,650 clothing vouchers, each carrying TRY 1,500 per family member, were also distributed to those affected by the earthquake.
Through the Facilitating the Provision of Health Services for the Earthquake Survivors in Türkiye Project, which originated from the idea of bringing healthcare services directly to the earthquake survivors, rather than having them attempt to reach hospitals, 65 containers were placed at locations determined by the Hatay Provincial Directorate of Health, providing primary healthcare services to areas heavily populated by earthquake survivors. A total of 268,317 healthcare services were provided in these containers.
In addition, 14 “Mobile Clinics” were made operational to reach patients with no mobility. Ten of these clinics were allocated to the Turkish Ministry of Health’s Directorate General of Public Health, while four were operated under the coordination of the ASAM Search and Rescue Team. These clinics were used for a range of activities, from emergency medical care and patient transfers to wound dressing and pediatric checkups, providing a total of 11,444 services to 8,088 beneficiaries.
The two organizations offered counseling and psychosocial support to help earthquake survivors swiftly recover from the trauma they had experienced. In an effort to heal the wounds, psychological counseling was provided to a total of 531 individuals by psychologists, and 1,240 children were reached by creating Child-Friendly Spaces in the provinces of Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, and Hatay.
Medical equipment that was lost during the earthquake was replaced with new ones. Prostheses, orthoses, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and hearing aids, which unfortunately became vital needs after the earthquake, were delivered to individuals in need, helping survivors continue their daily lives. In this context, 168 medical supplies were provided to those in need.
The Facilitating the Access to Education for the Children Affected from the Earthquakes Project was launched on 1 April 2023 with the aim of reintegrating earthquake-affected children into learning environments and strengthening the technological infrastructure of damaged schools through the donation of computers.
Under the project initiated in all of the earthquake-affected provinces, primarily in Hatay, Malatya, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, and Adıyaman, 50 containers were transformed into learning labs, where 850 computers were made available for children’s use.
Through these labs, children were able to access online course materials, review course subjects, and continue their education without falling behind the curriculum. Moreover, individual study sessions and practice tests were held specifically for 8th and 12th grade students preparing for exams.
Similar to their health-related efforts, ASAM and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara took a pioneering initiative based on the idea, “If earthquake-affected children cannot reach education, let the school reach the children.”
Six “Mobile Learning Labs” were set up in truck trailers, each equipped with 21 computers. This ensured that children in hard-to-reach areas would not fall behind in their education.
Number of Children Benefiting from Mobile Classrooms
number of activities
number of total participants
These trucks, which provided support to earthquake-affected children in basic computer training, individual study, reading, and academic studies, as well as training on topics such as stress management and peer bullying, also played a key role in creating equal education opportunities for earthquake survivor children facing socioeconomic challenges. In addition to focusing on students, these trucks were also made available to teachers and families, addressing topics such as emotional awareness and stress management.
Number of Children Benefiting from TISCs
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Number of total participants
Age-appropriate test books and stationery kits were distributed to children, enabling earthquake-affected students preparing for exams to have equal opportunities as their peers.
Within the Project developed by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara and ASAM, a total of 995 computers were donated to the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Metropolitan Municipalities of Hatay, Adana, and Şanlıurfa, as well as İnönü University in Malatya, Mustafa Kemal University in Hatay, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, and Adıyaman University.
Having undertaken various earthquake-related projects together, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara and ASAM have reached hundreds of thousands of people so far, 47% of whom are children, and continue their efforts to develop new projects and extend a helping hand to those in need.
