Long-time Bahrain resident Y V R Murty and his wife Lakshmi have made a personal donation to our #HelpThem drive to help earthquake victims in Syria and Türkiye.
GDN Media has teamed up with Bahrain Red Crescent Society (BRCS), the kingdom’s oldest charity, to help survivors in both countries, as well as struggling local families through the campaign.
Mr Murty, 59, who works as a senior instructor at Alba’s Training department, said he wanted to do his part following the February 6 earthquakes which were the worst natural disaster to strike modern-day Türkiye with more than 56,000 people killed in Türkiye and neighbouring Syria.
Many survivors lost their homes and all their possessions. The earthquake destroyed 230,000 buildings or made them uninhabitable, according to official figures. At least 1.5 million people are now homeless, and it’s unclear how long it will take to find them proper shelter.
The Turkish disaster agency Afad, meanwhile, says almost 2m people have now left the quake zone. Some are living with friends or loved ones elsewhere in the country.
The earthquake has led to a significant deterioration in humanitarian conditions in civil war-torn Syria, particularly at the level of food security and housing precariousness. Vulnerable segments of the population, such as women, children, the elderly, and those with disabilities, as well as the poor, were hit hardest.
“We wanted to do our part to help the affected families and earlier donated blankets to the Türkiye embassy,” said Mr Murty who arrived in Bahrain in 2001.
“We read about the GDN’s generous charity drive and decided to donate two cartons that consists of men’s T- shirts and another one packed with footwear for women, men and children.
“I believe such small gestures always go a long way.”
The GDN reported that BRCS will be sending the collected items in non-stop batches to ensure that the much-needed supplies are handed over and made available as soon as possible.
Under the hashtag #HelpThem we urge supporters to continue backing the initiative with donations of brand new:
Clothes, shoes and accessories for men, women and children
Blankets and pillows
Hygiene kits
And toys
Donated gifts during Ramadan can be left at our security office at The Press in East Riffa, our commercial office on the Exhibition Avenue and the BRCS headquarters, both located in Hoora.
For more details on how to support the GDN #HelpThem Ramadan community campaign contact the GDN’s chief reporter Mohammed Al A’ali on 17620222/39659635.
Those who prefer to donate cash can reach BRCS on 17293171 or info@rcsbahrain.org.
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