100 days after the earthquake millions of children without access to food or school

According to Unicef data 3.7 million children in Syria and 2.5 million in Turkey are living in severe poverty and precarious conditions. Over 4 million have had to interrupt their studies, already hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Source of AsiaNews: 'Structural' problems, lack of classrooms and teachers. They need 'prefabricated schools, stationery, books'.

Iskenderun (AsiaNews) - More than six million boys and girls in Turkey and Syria, 100 days after the devastating earthquake on 6 February, are still in conditions of severe poverty and precariousness, having to struggle every day to meet basic needs and necessities.

The dramatic picture of the situation is outlined in a recently published report by the UN children's agency (Unicef) according to which 2.5 million children in Turkey and another 3.7 million in Syria 'continue to require humanitarian assistance'. Therefore, experts add, 'more support' is needed for the affected populations. 

Catherine Russell, Unicef Executive Director, points out that 'since the earthquake, children in both countries have experienced unimaginable loss and pain'. The earthquake affected entire areas 'where many families were already incredibly vulnerable'.

The children, he continued, 'lost their families and loved ones and saw their homes, schools and communities devastated and their entire lives turned upside down'. At least 51,000 under the age of five are at risk of suffering acute and severe malnutrition; 76,000 pregnant or lactating women are in need of care and support, also due to acute malnutrition.

The extent of the emergency is confirmed by an AsiaNews institutional source working in the earthquake-affected areas.

"In the earthquake-affected provinces," he explains, "until three weeks ago all the schools were closed, now some have reopened, but the open question of the refugee camps remains, where there are no places set up for the purpose. Occasionally some teachers visit the centres and teach lessons, but these are occasional episodes in a context of great need'.

The basic problem, he continues, is that the effects of the earthquake 'are added to the blockade of previous years linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. We were slowly returning to normality and then the earthquake arrived, damaging and rendering many schools unusable. Here we are faced with structural problems, lacking places and classrooms'. 

Vulnerable children in the affected areas face increasing exposure to violence, marriage or forced labour, which has put their education at serious risk. Almost 4 million have had to interrupt their studies, including 350,000 from refugee and migrant families.

Moreover, many households were already struggling before the disaster, with 40% of families on the Turkish side living below the poverty line even before 6 February, and without adequate international support the figure will rise to 50% according to Unicef estimates.

In neighbouring Syria, battered by 12 years of war with massive damage to infrastructure and public services, the earthquake has caused further suffering and destroyed schools, hospitals and other centres called upon to provide basic supplies. Up to 6.5 million people are at risk of contracting water-borne diseases such as cholera.

Hence the UN agency's call for the collection of more than EUR 170 million needed to implement the immediate response plan, while so far only EUR 78 million has been collected for Syria with underfunded budgets for health and education. Turkey still needs 85 million to the 196 million needed to meet the basic needs of children. 

'Even today,' says the AsiaNews source, 'in many areas the priority is to remove the remains of collapsed buildings. As in Antioch, where after three months of daily work only 20% of the city has been cleaned up. One possible temporary solution is to set up prefabricated schools, especially in centres for displaced people, then teachers must be found, many of whom have emigrated, and stationery and books must be provided. The issue,' he concludes, 'is not only educational: something must be done for the children, who spend their days wandering around doing nothing, and for their parents by providing the means to reopen some activities such as tailors, bakers or small artisans'.

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• Earthquake
• Turkey
• Syria