Taiwan has been one of the countries that have stepped forward to extend a helping hand in response to the devastating earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 that struck Türkiye on 6 February. In the aftermath of the twin earthquakes that claimed over 50 thousand lives, Taiwan sent a team of 130 search and rescue personnel and five search and rescue dogs to join the search and rescue efforts in Adıyaman. In addition to the cash assistance provided by their government, Taiwanese people also demonstrated their solidarity with the Turkish people by making donations.

Thanks to the support from the Taiwanese people and government, Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara and ASAM have added yet another long-term partnership to their collaborations.

The “Provision of Humanitarian Assistance to the Earthquake Victims in Türkiye Project” aims to provide humanitarian aid to thousands of individuals affected by the destructive twin earthquakes that hit Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, and had a severe impact on 11 provinces in the region. As part of the project, humanitarian relief items, psychosocial support, and health counseling through additional referrals will be provided to earthquake victims residing in 11 affected provinces, mainly Adıyaman, Hatay, and Kahramanmaraş, as well as those who have relocated to other provinces due to the disaster. Protection activities will also be carried out to meet the vital and urgent needs of earthquake victims.

Representative Volkan Chih-Yang Huang Attended the Signing Ceremony of the Project

ASAM Headquarters hosted the signing ceremony of the “Provision of Humanitarian Assistance to the Earthquake Victims in Türkiye Project”, which was attended by Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission Representative Volkan Chih-Yang Huang and ASAM General Coordinator İbrahim Vurgun Kavlak.

Stating that Türkiye was one of the first countries to send a search and rescue team to Taiwan when the earthquake occurred in Nantua in 1999, Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission Representative Volkan Chih-Yang Huang said, “Therefore, we should also be the first to help this time.” Chih-Yang Huang expressed their gratitude for working with ASAM, and stated, “On 6 February, our rescue team was mobilized immediately and arrived the next day. They arrived in Adana and went to Adıyaman. There is a big campaign in Taiwan to support our Turkish friends. The funds raised has reached almost 41 million USD now. With this amount of money, we should act quickly to work with our partners to use the donation well and to deliver the donations to the operations center in the earthquake zone as soon as possible.”

After the ceremony, Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission Representative Volkan Chih-Yang Huang answered questions from Anatolian News Agency (AA) and İhlas News Agency (İHA) regarding the project.

The collaboration between Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara and ASAM continues

ASAM and Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara continue to engage in new collaborations within the framework of humanitarian aid efforts for earthquake victims.

Following the “Provision of Humanitarian Assistance to the Earthquake Victims in Türkiye Project”, which includes the distribution of humanitarian relief items, provision of psychosocial support, health counseling, and referrals when required, Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara and ASAM will launch two new projects in the fields of health and education.

Within the scope of the project aimed at ensuring access to healthcare services for earthquake victims, containers will be provided for healthcare professionals to stay in the quake-hit region, and mobile health clinics will be provided for doctors to perform healthcare services. Thus, access to healthcare services will be facilitated in the provinces affected by the earthquake in the Southeastern Region of Türkiye.

Another project to be initiated by the collaboration of Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara and ASAM will enable access to education for out-of-school children in the earthquake-stricken region through containers to be transformed into mobile education centers and computer labs.