Interview with Christine Robichon – “Solidarity with Turkey and Syria” Committee President

Christine Robichon is the President of “Solidarity with Turkey and Syria” Committee. Volunteer experts created this committee in the very first days following the earthquakes, enabling it to set out priorities, create partnerships and examine requests for funding. She tells us of her active involvement with Fondation de France.

What was specific about this emergency?

This is the biggest natural disaster in the region since more than a century ago. There have been more than 57,000 dead and more than 100,000 injured, as well as close to 18 million people affected by the crisis. The quakes struck two countries. In a Syria fragmented by 12 years of war, many areas which did not all come under the same political authority were impacted. And yet more than three million people are concentrated here, making humanitarian operations very difficult. In the areas affected in Turkey, the local population and the very many Syrian refugees it had welcomed lived here, before the earthquake. Already difficult living conditions were made worse by the catastrophe, due to high inflation and a poor economic outlook.

What is the situation now?

Fondation de France brings priority aid to those most vulnerable: children, women, the elderly, disabled people, isolated populations, minorities, etc. It has received many projects led by NGOs, mostly local ones, working tirelessly with the people affected. During the early months, Fondation de France massively supported organizations which provided temporary shelters and distributed essential aid. This was all the more necessary that the earthquake struck in the middle of winter. It also funded several initiatives for easier access to healthcare and psychosocial activities, as well as education programs and help for the most vulnerable, as projects often cut across several sectors.

Fondation de France will now be funding projects that support people over the long term. It helps create areas dedicated to social activity, especially for children, young people and women, to help them overcome their traumas. Added to which are the initiatives aiming to make those impacted more independent, by helping them to go back to or create income revenue activities.