Our Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanık said, "We continue to provide service to our citizens with 69 warehouses in earthquake zones and 85 warehouses, 16 of which are at border gates. This is followed by the stage of delivering the donations in kind to our citizens after storing them. For this, we quickly implemented social markets. As of today, 205 social markets are serving in the earthquake zone."

Minister Derya Yanık first visited the Elbistan Pınarbaşı Shelter Area as part of the Kahramanmaraş program. Minister Yanık, who conveyed her wishes to the citizens here, visited the social market established in Mükremin Halil High School, which provides free service to earthquake victims.

Minister Derya Yanık, at a press conference held at the main warehouse of the Directorate General of Social Assistance in Kahramanmaraş, stated that after the earthquakes, they quickly moved the children, persons with disabilities, older persons, and women from the guesthouses of the Ministry of Family and Social Services to safe areas.

To date, more than 1 million citizens have been provided with psychosocial support services.

Stating that as the Ministry, they have determined to be on the field from the beginning as their main goal in their psychosocial support activities, Minister Yanık said:

“As a matter of fact, even though many of our friends were victims of the earthquake, we went to the field at first. We immediately sent our colleagues from the provinces outside the earthquake zone to the region and started our psychosocial support activities in all of our ten provinces at the same time. To date, we have provided and continue to provide psychosocial support services to over 1 million citizens.”

Minister Derya Yanık stated that they started planning studies to continue psychosocial support activities with partner ministries and organizations for 2 more years.

"As of today, our 205 social markets are serving in the earthquake zone"

Stating that they established coordination with the civil administration and AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency) for in-kind donations and warehouse management after the earthquake, Minister Yanık shared the following information:

“We immediately carried out the necessary storage works with our large in-kind donation warehouses in earthquake zones and the in-kind donation warehouses we set up in our border regions for donations from abroad. Currently, we continue to serve our citizens with 69 warehouses in earthquake zones and 85 warehouses, including 16 at border gates. This is followed by the stage of delivering the donations in kind to our citizens after storing them. For this, we quickly implemented social markets. As of today, our 205 social markets are serving in the earthquake zone.”

Stating that they provide services to earthquake victims with 5 mobile social markets for persons with disabilities, older persons or citizens living in rural areas, Minister Yanık emphasized that they plan to increase the number of mobile trucks to 10 by the beginning of the week.

Explaining that the psychosocial support activities for the citizens living in the tent and container cities in the disaster area are continuing, Minister Derya Yanık explained that they are making plans to return to the household-oriented service model as in the period before the earthquake.

"People say 'I'm here' when needed"

Underlining that Türkiye is going through a difficult process, Minister Yanık said:

“Our nation, which has overcome many adversities with great dignity, will hopefully get through this process together again, shoulder to shoulder and supporting each other. Just one single study is enough to show us what a great example of solidarity this nation displays in times of need, and how much a shower of compassion it has turned into. While there were 660 applications for foster families from January 1 to February 6, until the day of the earthquake, there were more than 347 thousand applications for foster families from February 6 to February 28. This means, people say 'I'm here' when needed.”

Minister Derya Yanık emphasized that 4,808 personnel from the Disaster and Emergency Social Assistance Teams (ASYA) continue to organize in-kind aid donations with 750 vehicles.

120 sign language interpreters are working in the field in the earthquake zone

Stating that they started to take 533 older persons and 1133 persons with disabilities who received service from institutions affiliated to the Ministry of Family and Social Services in the earthquake region, 213 older persons and 722 persons with disabilities who were determined in need of institutional care during psychosocial support activities, Minister Derya Yanık said:

“In the social studies we carry out every day in tent cities, we realized that 80 persons with disabilities need professional care, namely health and rehabilitation support. We have also placed them in our institutions. We kept in touch with persons with disabilities and older persons through Earthquake Support WhatsApp Line, which we created with civil society organizations for persons with disabilities to provide services to persons with disabilities. 120 of our sign language translators continue their work in the field so that the earthquake survivors with hearing impairment can express themselves and reveal their needs.”

Reminding that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized that no one should be left behind, Yanık said: “We continued our work by making all kinds of social service modelling and needs analysis, with the motto of leaving no one behind. We will continue to do so from now on. Thank you to all my friends who contributed.”

Minister Derya Yanık visited the container city in Karacasu after the statement.