TORONTO, February 12, 2023: We at Journalists for Human Rights express our deep sympathy and solidarity with communities in Turkey and Syria affected by the devastating earthquakes of February 5-6, 2023.
We wish to inform our supporters that all JHR staff members in Gaziantep are physically safe at this time. However, they have incurred heavy personal financial losses and JHR will be helping them rebuild their lives after immediate relief efforts are complete. Donors who wish to support JHR’s Gaziantep staff and our ongoing work in Turkey can visit jhr.ca/donate to contribute to a dedicated fund for our team.
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From our Gaziantep office, JHR runs its Canada World program in Turkey, which works to promote the rights of women and girls in the Syrian diaspora through media development. We are proud of the JHR Gaziantep team for leading this life-changing work and their resilience through this period of crisis. We look forward to sharing with our supporters our plans to update our programming to meet the developing needs of the Syrian diaspora during the ongoing emergency and its aftermath.
We also wish to inform our supporters that JHR’s International Programs and Development Director Zein Almograbhy and a Canadian media trainer were also in Gaziantep at the time of the earthquake and have safely returned to Canada. In the coming weeks, we will have more to say about our team and our work in Gaziantep.
We encourage donors who wish to support Canadian relief efforts in Turkey and Syria to give to the Canadian Red Cross’s Canadian Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria Appeal. Up till February 22nd, the Government of Canada will match donations to the Canadian Red Cross effort, up to a maximum amount of $10 million.