FOREWORD
Dear Supporters and Distinguished Partners,
The year we left behind was tough. The earthquakes on February 6, demonstrated the vital importance of humanitarian professionals being at the right place at the right time. We supported lives of over a million people in 13 provinces we worked in, including Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Adıyaman that are among the most affected provinces. Our agenda inevitably became emergency response and localization.
In the scope of our Emergency Responseactivities, meeting water and sanitation needs, improving shelter conditions, providing psychological and psychosocial support to those affected from the disaster, and access to core rights and needs were among our access focus points. In addition, we provided micro grants to support projects designed by the local people to increase their resilience to disasters and contribute to post-disaster recovery.
We experienced the importance of local civil society in coordinated response to disasters once again. In the scope of our Localization and Capacity Building program, we were among the founders of Local Humanitarian Forum (LHF) established to include local stakeholders to post-disaster improvement efforts.
On the other hand, throughout the year we provided trainings to local governments, public institutions, cooperatives and NGOs on various subjects including child safeguarding, gender equality, standards of humanitarian response, and corporate sustainability.
Looking after well-being of our staff that make all such support possible was among important agenda items in 2023. We primarily focused on our staff that were directly affected by the earthquake and endeavored to introduce our financial and moral support mechanisms.
The age of multiple disasters indicate that the coming years might be even more difficult. That is, a lot will fall upon us, as humanitarian professionals. We will continue to work on the field for people that need assistance thanks to our supporters, donors, and partners, getting encouraged by solidarity.
Chair of the Supervisory Board
Emel Şensezgin Mergen
AREAS OF WORK
KURUMSAL DESTEKLER
From the first day of the earthquake until the end of 2023, we collected 37 million 593 thousand TL of cash donations and 6 million 296 thousand TL of in-kind donations with the support of our individual and corporate donors. We found the chance to touch lives on tens of thousands of people with our supporters.
Donations of our supporters enabled us to act quickly, especially during this difficult time when needs were constantly changing. We began planning and implementing our humanitarian response within the first 24 hours.
Corporate support played an important role in water, sanitation and hygiene installations such as showers, toilets and water tanks in the first days and in our improvement works in the following months. Thanks to these supports, we delivered to the field our installations such as solar panels that supply hot water to mobile showers, purification devices that convert domestic water into drinking water, disinfection of tents, mobile laundry, and disabled-friendly toilets.
The toys we deliver to children participating in our psychosocial support activities were created in toy workshops we organized with institutions. Thanks to our supporters, we added children's books to the library we opened in our mobile container. Thanks to the support, we delivered our OKİ and HİJİ bags, which meet the hygiene and school needs of children, to hundreds of children in the earthquake zone.
In order to ensure access to livelihoods, we transferred the income obtained from the Hatay food workshop we organized with our supporters to farmers and women's cooperatives in the earthquake region. Within the framework of our corporate cooperation in Adıyaman, we established a tailor workshop for women at the Women's Solidarity Center.
With corporate support we combined our awareness sessions on ‘gender equality and rights’ with self-care workshops, supported wellbeing of women.
We were supported by theater crews that donated revenue of the plays, small enterprises that donated revenue of their production, supporters that transferred the donations they collected by running or through birthdays or marriages to activities of Support to Life.
Your corporate and individual supports made us faster and more effective in this difficult year. We would like to thank all our donors. You made us stronger. It is very nice to support life together.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
FINANCE
• 31.12.2023 Central Bank Of The Republic Of Turkey exchange rate was used when converting from TL to EUR.
• 31.12.2023 Central Bank Of The Republic Of Turkey exchange rate was used when converting from TL to EUR.
• 31.12.2023 Central Bank Of The Republic Of Turkey exchange rate was used when converting from TL to EUR.
DONORS
OUR WORKING PARTNERS
YOU CAN SUPPORT LIFE TOO
We need you to ensure people affected from disasters continue their lives with dignity.
Support a life today with one-time or regular support. With your contribution we will
work to improve lives of people that had to abandon their homes or children working in
agriculture instead of going to school.
We found the most creative way to Support Life and introduced design with benevolence. The social design shop #destekar, which transfers all of its income to Support to Life, invites you to support a fairer and more equal world with your shopping.
There are many ways to Support Life! Here are a few for you.
become a monthly donor
Our monthly donors are sources of not only financial security ensuring our independence and sustainability, but also of motivation, reassuring us that we do what we do well. With your support, we are able to turn small contributions into substantial impact. www.hayatadestek.org/bagis
invite your friends to become monthly donors
You can show your confidence in what we do, how we do it and what we wish to do with your friends and family by inviting them to become monthly donors. We think that in fact, everyone has a desire to contribute to the solution of social matters; help them hear that voice!
make special days more special
and spread the idea
In return for donations, Support to Life prepares tailor-made celebration cards for
occasions like new year’s, mother’s day, father’s day, weddings and delivers them
to whomever they are addressed. You can make your special day more special by
supporting life.
run, perform or play:
make your own campaign
You can join a charity run for a cause of your choice, deliver a music performance
on your instrument at a party, deliver a yoga session for your friends, or play games.
By delivering a Support to Life Thank You certificate after an activity, you can invite
them to donate. You can write to us at [email protected] to design your
own campaign. We are open to all sorts of creative ideas.
donate with your voluntary support
If all the NGOs of the world have one problem in common, that must be the shortage of human resources and time. You may wish to offer your expertise for support, or you may introduce us to those who do. Your knowledge and experience is the best contribution we can hope for.
introduce us to other organizations
Problems are many, resources are limited. You can introduce us to organizations you are affiliated with or you got to work with. You can be the prime mover of future collaborations, help us develop novel projects and form creative partnerships.
support us on social media
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube. Support to Life, its beneficiaries, staff and supporters do not turn a blind eye to these modern mediums of ‘speech’ and care to be visible and vibrant in these platforms. You too can share our accounts, help disseminate our posts and help us carry societal issues and rehabilitation projects to daily public agenda.SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
• By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention
and treatment and promote mental health and well-being • By 2030, substantially reducing the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination
• By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
• By 2030, substantially increasing the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
• Eliminating all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
• Eliminating all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
• Recognizing and valuing unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
• By 2030, achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
• By 2030, substantially increasing water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number
of people suffering from water scarcity • Supporting and strengthening the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
• Protecting labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
• By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
• Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
• Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
• Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
