In crisis, all hands should be on deck to work together. The Turkish HR association PERYON and other NGOs in Turkey have joined efforts to support individuals, companies and communities affected by the earthquakes.
Since immediate relief efforts are the most critical at the moment, PERYON (Turkish Association of People Management) has partnered with 20 NGO’s to act immediately. While being active for the design of the mid and short term projects to rebuild the life and support the people in the region, PERYON prioritised reaching out to all members in the impacted area and assisting the needs. PERYON have made their training and psychosocial care support freely available to all HR colleagues and will also be conducting Post Disaster Webinars.
“PERYON will continue to work together with the NGO Community in Turkey, focusing on longer term projects on recruitment, young and female workforce support, upskilling and mentorship”, says Berna Öztinaz, President of PERYON and vice president of the European HR association EAPM.
“It might be a huge paradox to some, but this is a great example that crisis often is what transforms and directs generic values and the human desire of ‘doing good’ into action”, says Even Bolstad, president of the EAPM. We acclaim the initiative by PERYON and other Turkish NGOs. As we do with the international support by NATO, EU, UN and a huge number of individual countries and bodies. It is also worth noting that crisis opened for relief support to Syria via the closed borders to Turkey.
“Crisis management is very much about logistics, and logistics is a people-centric activity. So is leadership and caretaking of all those affected. HR professionals all over Europe and beyond are directly and indirectly involved, and as a European HR community EAPM will of course support PERYON, Turkey and Syria the best way possible based on their needs and requests”, Bolstad says.
For further comments and information, please contact Berna Öztinaz or Even Bolstad.
More than 35,000 people have died across Turkey and Syria since two devastating earthquakes struck on February 6th, 2022. Fears grow that numbers are rising, and WHO has described the Syrian/Turkish earthquake as worst natural disaster in Europe in a century https://www.politico.eu/article/who-turkey-syria-earthquake-worst-natural-disaster-europe-region-century/
In Turkey, the 10 provinces devastated by the disaster make up 15% of Turkey’s population (13.4 million people) and produce 10% of its GDP. The earthquake struck a heavily-populated area in and around the southeast of Turkey, destroying buildings, roads, and infrastructure to rubble. Emergency teams are working day and night to provide help and supplies to those in the most urgent need. Some of the NGOs that PERYON have collaborated with and who are seeking further support are:
UNICEF (help children affected by earthquake)
AHBAP (Providing earthquake victims shelter, food, support)
AKUT (Search, rescue and support)
KAÇUV (Hope Foundation for Children with Cancer)
ANGELS FARM SANCTUARY (Farm animal sanctuary in Turkey)
UN WFP (UN World Food Programme)
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