Turkish Red Crescent, international groups launch cash support model for quake victims in Türkiye

A large-scale humanitarian aid project was launched by the Turkish Red Crescent in cooperation with the UN World Food Programme and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to provide cash support to families affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye.

Under the project titled "Time for Collective Kindness," nearly 1 billion Turkish liras ($51.6 million) of humanitarian aid, which is provided by international stakeholders, were delivered to quake victims, the Turkish Red Crescent said in a press release on Thursday.

As part of the project, 3,000 Turkish liras ($154.86) in monthly cash support is provided to families in need, Red Crescent said.

In the first phase of the project, cash support will be provided to 151,000 households affected by the disaster, the relief organization said.

Work is underway to extend the duration of the project, which will last for two months in the first stage, as well as to expand the beneficiary group, it added.

The twin earthquakes on Feb. 6 in southern Türkiye killed more than 50,000 people in the country and prompted international solidarity.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces — Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Şanlıurfa.

Around 14 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes as well as many others in northern Syria.