When the news was broadcast of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria on February 6, World Concern immediately reached out to partners on the ground to collaborate in finding survivors and mitigating further disaster; providing water, food, and shelter; and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In a conversation with Erica Parkerson on SPIRIT 105.3, Peter Macharia, Senior Director of Operations for World Concern, explained that World Concern partners in Turkey and Syria are helping people who have been affected by the earthquake by giving them warm food, clean water, medication, shelter, and sanitation kits. In addition to meeting physical needs, WC is coming alongside those who have lost loved ones and are speaking words of comfort and hope.
“People don’t want to just receive things, they also want to know that people care for them,” Macharia said. “They want to know that, really, they are loved, and they can hope again. Just imagine when you lose everything in your life. You have lost your loved ones, you have no one else you can turn to, and at that point in time you may feel that you also should be gone. At this point, we come in not just to provide the things that they need, but also to give them an assurance of tomorrow and to give them the love of Christ. That’s something very precious to them. It goes deeper than the need that you see.”
It is the love of Christ that compels World Concern to reach out with compassion and help, and the swift and generous response from donors has encouraged World Concern that our community cares about the situation though far removed from it, and wants to empower World Concern to continue doing what they do best — the vital work of restoring the traumatized and destitute.
Since it was founded 53 years ago, World Concern has faithfully rushed into situations of devastation and loss to assist those in dire need. From the beginning, it has been the generous outpouring of prayer and financial support from our donors that fuels World Concern’s pursuit. Time and again we have been encouraged to see that, despite the darkness, there are those whose immediate response is to band together to shine the light.
If you would like to contribute to World Concern’s life-saving work in Turkey and Syria, you can find out more here.