The portal of the Turkish embassy in Madrid used to house an austere reception, but in recent hours it has been filled with people loaded with materials to help those affected by the earthquake that has caused enormous damage in that country and in Syria. Shortly after it was learned that the earthquake was causing thousands of deaths and injuries in the early hours of Monday, February 6, boxes with donations and Civil Protection vans began to arrive at the wide, gray entrance of the embassy.
Such has been the Response from Turks and Madrid that the diplomatic legation has hung a poster warning that donations will no longer be received in that direction. However, many donors have ignored this request and continue to send food, blankets and other basic necessities.
Non-perishable food, winter clothes and compresses are some of the objects that have been placed at the door of the embassy and part of the street. Donors have also given away tents, lanterns, and sleeping bags, though boxes and tape to pack everything are in short supply.
Ida, a Peruvian, dressed in sportswear, was looking for things exclusively for the babies, she was in charge of assembling the boxes, sealing and labeling them. “I came first thing in the morning today and stayed, even though it wasn’t in my plans,” she says. Despite the fact that she has worked all afternoon, Ida intends to go on Friday as well to continue helping her.
Likewise, there were those who could not make donations in kind, but decided to cooperate in person. Ecem Erol, a Sustainable Development Master’s student at Charles III University, comes from Antalya, a region in southwestern Turkey. Erol is calm, because a friend of hers, who is in one of the areas most affected by the earthquake, is safe. “I have not donated, but I have been ordering the materials. My role is only to organize and help”, explains the 23-year-old student.
After several hours of forming human chains to load the Civil Protection vans that came from various places in the community, the embassy staff began to request that the aid be redirected to the Hard Rock Hotel, which is located in Ronda de Atocha. , 17.
‼️Yarın (10 Şubat) yardımların teslimi saat 12:00 ve 17:00 arasında yalnızca Hard Rock Hotel Madrid’de (Rda de Atocha, 17) yapılacaktır.
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‼️Tomorrow (February 10) the delivery of materials will take place ONLY at the Hard Rock Hotel (Rda de Atocha, 17) between 12pm and 5pm.— TC Madrid Buyukelciliği (@tcmadridbe) February 9, 2023
The quake, the region’s deadliest in almost a century, killed more than 20,000 people and injured more than 70,000. The donations that have been collected these days at the Turkish embassy in Madrid are intended to reach the hands of many of those victims who have found themselves homeless and shelterless overnight.
