To support the victims of the earthquake in Turkey, global network company Russell Bedford International has donated £5,000 ($6,000) to the Foundation of Anatolian People and Peace Platform.
Recommended by the network's local member firms in Istanbul and Ankara, the foundation is an advocacy organization funded by Turkish rock singer Haluk Levent that provides services for those in need by providing tents, generators and mobile trucks, among other initiatives.
"The recent earthquakes have devastatingly affected more than 13 million people's lives, with more than 40,000 dead and tens of thousands still under rubble," said Ziya Deniz Şenalp, senior manager at an Istanbul member firm of Russell Bedford, in a statement. "Even though it is impossible to fully ease the pain for their losses, the focus must now be placed on helping those affected. We are so grateful to hear that Russell Bedford International made a donation from its RB Cares fund this year to support the victims of the earthquake — it will help immensely."
On Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit near the city of Gaziantep, followed by numerous aftershocks that interrupted local search and rescue operations. The earthquake has killed nearly 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria, with over 345,000 apartments demolished and thousands of citizens still missing.
Providing assistance in the affected areas only hours after the first earthquake, AHBAP volunteers have been working in cooperation with the Turkey Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, governors' offices and municipalities and local volunteers to rescue as many survivors as possible from the rubbles.
"In the accountancy profession, so far, more than 100 CPAs and CPA candidates are identified as having lost their lives, and more than 1,000 CPAs have lost their homes and offices," said Şenalp in a press release. "As the network's member firm in Istanbul, it is our obligation to help them in any way possible. We have made a donation and are planning to provide jobs and shelter to those directly affected. We are encouraging all member firms to join in this effort."
The foundation has been organizing and announcing institutions and businesses that opened their doors to people who lost their homes after the earthquakes, representing over 1 million citizens. The charity further encouraged people to donate blood for the treatment of tens of thousands injured in the disaster.
In addition to this donation, Russell Bedford's network recommends members support local charities such as the Foundation of Anatolian People and Peace Platform, which are in severe need of resources and equipment in those dire conditions.
"When we started seeing video footage of the devastation in Turkey and Syria, caused by the earthquake in early February this year, it was heart-breaking," said Russell Bedford CEO Stephen Hamlet in a statement. "We reached out to our Russell Bedford colleagues in Ankara and Istanbul and, although they were safe and not directly affected, it was clear that this had a terrible impact on the whole country, and we knew we had to do something. "
