Help Uni Students Who Survived the Earthquakes!
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The double earthquakes that hit on 6th February have been devastating for thousands of university students who had families in the disaster area. Some of them lost their family members, friends, and relatives. Some were in the region at the time of the earthquake which happened during holidays and experienced it first-hand. In addition to the emotional toll, these students are now struggling with the financial consequences. Their families, who normally paid their stipends, are no longer able to support them because they themselves lost everything - homes, businesses, jobs. They need our help, and they need it now.
We are raising funds for supporting university students that are directly affected by the recent earthquakes. Initially, the campaign will focus on students from seven universities: Boğaziçi University, Middle East Technical University (METU), Istanbul Technical University (İTU), Yıldız Technical University (YTU), Ankara University, Ege University and Hacettepe University. We plan to expand the campaign’s reach to other universities in the following weeks after we establish reliable contacts and networks.
In the first round, we aim to reach 400 students with a one-time stipend worth €250 per person in aid. This humble support will address their immediate needs and help them start rebuilding their lives post-disaster. Therefore, initially, we aim to collect €100,000 in total.
Earthquakes as a humanitarian and political disaster
Since the 6th of February Turkey has been deeply shaken by a disaster that experts have long warned about, but the authorities failed to prepare for. Two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.8 and 7.5 hit southeast Turkey, devastating 10 cities in the country and even more in northwest Syria. According to official reports, which some speculate may be underestimating the impact, more than 7000 buildings were razed to the ground in Turkey, and the majority of the building stock in affected areas will no longer be habitable. The earthquakes directly affected more than 15 million people, and their homes and cities have been destroyed. The death toll is rising every day. As of the 10th of March, the official figures are higher than 47,000 in Turkey, and 6,000 in Syria.
Turkish civil society and the international community have immediately responded to this tragedy. However, the unpreparedness of the authorities, as well as the top-down disaster response, delayed the rescue operations and relief efforts. Local and international news showed survivors waiting for days for search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid to reach them, reportedly costing thousands of lives.
Furthering the civil society’s efforts is vital not only to meet earthquake survivors' material needs but also to give them hope for healing and a better future, which we aim to build together with your invaluable contributions.
We are fundraising to meet the immediate needs of university students affected by the disaster
The funds will be given to the students who are directly affected by the earthquake or have family who did so. The recipients will be identified in cooperation with the student councils and/or alumni organizations of the selected universities.
Please show your support by donating and/or circulating the campaign within your circles.
As Bogazici University International Community, we will run this campaign in a transparent manner. Donors will be regularly updated about the process. The collected funds will be transferred to university students by Germany-based BOYUT member and Boğaziçi University alumnus Alperen Yüncü. Alperen Yüncü is a doctoral researcher at Heidelberg University and conducts his research as a part of a wider research group at CERN. The below file, where you can follow the state of bank transfers, will be continuously updated:
With solidarity,
BOYUT (Bogazici University International Community)
Project Group
Dr. Ezgi Ergenlik
Dr. Zeynep Akçakaya
Academics Supporting the Campaign
Prof. Judith Butler, University of California
Emerita Prof. Joan W. Scott, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton NJ
Prof. Dilek Dizdar, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Prof. Mine Eder, Boğaziçi University
Dr. Birkan Yılmaz, Boğaziçi University
Prof. Selen Ercan, University of Canberra
Prof. Canan Koca, Hacettepe University
Dr. Zeynep Gambetti, Independent Scholar
Prof. Gülçin Çivi Bilir, Istanbul Technical University
Prof. Tuna Tuğcu, Boğaziçi University
Dr. Inci Öykü Yener-Roderburg, University of Duisburg-Essen
Dr. Erman Örsan Yetiş, University of Sheffield
Dr. Elif Balın, San Francisco State University
Prof. Zehra Kabasakal Arat, University of Connecticut
Emeritus Prof. Serdar Arat, Concordia College
Dr. Elif Keskiner, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Dr. Zeynep Kaşlı, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Fundraising team: BOYUT Boğaziçi Campaign Team (8)
Boyut Bogazici
Organizer
Berlin, Berlin
Alperen Yuncu
Beneficiary
Dr. Devrim Umut Aslan
Team member
Mert Tas
Team member
Mert Gokduman
Team member
Dr. Ezgi Ergenlik
Team member