THE Turkish and Kurdish Community Solidarity Center (DAY-MER), founded in London in 1989, has run a solidarity campaign in various cities of England since the first day of the earthquake.
We talked with Day-Mer Chair Aslı Gül, who was in the part of the group of members that travel to the earthquake region last week.
Expressing that many people in England responded to the call to show solidarity by expressing their sadness after the earthquake, Gül said, “We came here by forming a delegation both to visit the people in the earthquake area and to convey our observations to the Turkish people, the local public in England and the unions showing solidarity.”
Visiting Malatya, Pazarcık and Adıyaman within their limited time, Gül conveyed her impressions as follows “Nearly 50 days have passed, and people still live in tents. There is a huge problem of toilets, bathrooms and hygiene in those tents. Especially in Adıyaman and Pazarcık, the traces of the flood that took place a week before our visit were still there. No government officials came in the villages of Pazarcık, even if they did, they took notes and set up their own tents…”
Gül expressed the need for essential items like sanitary products for women and based items from those in a more remote area like the villages. Calling for the state to ensure health, education and housing are priorities.
Looking at the conditions, Gül stated that the solidarity should last at least 3-5 months saying “We want to make this solidarity more targeted. We will carry out more solidarity to enrich the study center in Adıyaman, to support the tent city designed for children in Narlı, and for the Bridge of Sisterhood of Bread and Rose. We will evaluate the Culture and Art Festival, which we will organize for the 34th time this year, to continue our solidarity with the earthquake.”
