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ISRAELI CIVIL SOCIETY RESPONSE TO THE EARTHQUAKE IN TURKEY

Among these organisations:
ISRAELI RESPONSE & SOLIDARITY

Since the early hours following the earthquake, Israeli humanitarian organisations have been deployed to assess needs on the ground and to provide urgent assistance. Along with the State of Israel’s official Search and Rescue teams and a field hospital, Israeli NGOs were quick to arrive in Turkey, focusing on search and rescue efforts, emergency medical care, psycho-social support, WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene), distribution of essential needs such as food & NFI (Non-Food Items) including: tents, blankets and warm winter clothes, mattresses, kitchen sets), communications and more.

As an umbrella organisation, SID-Israel worked to help NGOs carry out their work in the most effective way, including helping to remove barriers, and bring public recognition of their important activity.

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Immediately after the earthquake, we opened a dedicated group in collaboration with JDC and OLAM, for all the Israeli and Jewish NGOs operating in the disaster-stricken areas. The group was created in order to share information, help in coordination - who does what and where, and encourage collaboration. In addition, we held twice-daily calls with representatives from each NGO on our radar, verifying their location, needs and well-being, and requests for assistance.

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We also held an initial briefing with Dr. Gallia Lindenstrauss, senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, and expert on Turkey’s foreign policy to gain an understanding of social and cultural issues.

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To streamline and simplify the volunteer recruitment process, we created a centralised sign-up form for professional volunteers (including doctors, nurses, social workers, mental health experts and more), which we shared with organisations looking to recruit volunteers.

POLICY AND GOVERNMENT COLLABORATIONS

SID-Israel worked closely with various government agencies in order to maximise the impact of Israeli humanitarian assistance, helped maintain the safety and wellbeing of NGOs operating on ground, share information and leverage resources and expertise to ensure a more coordinated and effective response to this emergency, including: the Israeli Embassy in Turkey; the Turkish Embassy in Israel; the official Israeli IDF Search and Rescue delegation and the Israeli field hospital.

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In order to increase the sharing of information between the government and civil society, we partnered with the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Authority for National Emergency Preparedness, and the Israeli Volunteer Council, held joint meetings and opened a WhatsApp group for ongoing communication.

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Through our collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Social Services we managed to arrange social security coverage for members of the CSO humanitarian missions in Turkey (those registered as official NGO only).

Following a briefing with the IDF Home-Front Command, we connected interested NGOs with the IDF online platform providing data from the field in real time.

RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS

We recognize the importance of introducing Israeli humanitarian efforts to the public and policymakers to encourage action and support for these efforts. Our communication strategy included identifying target audiences, selecting appropriate communication channels (e.g., social media, traditional media, newsletters) and creating compelling messaging which emphasised the importance of Israeli humanitarian efforts to Turkey.

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Immediately after the earthquake we created a speakers’ list, which was sent to Israeli and international media outlets including representatives from humanitarian organisations in the field, as well as other emergency experts.

We answered dozens of requests forwarded to us by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the general public wanting to donate goods and to volunteer, who we in turn connected to relevant organisations.

CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS

SID-Israel's ongoing working relationships and understanding of different sectors, enabled us to maximise their impact on the ground to make a difference and provide critical humanitarian assistance to those in need. We brought together players from various sectors, each with their own unique focus to mobilise goods and efforts efficiently, saving time and resources. 

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SID-Israel served as a central hub for information sharing between NGOs and the private sector, which included updates regarding the needs of affected communities. We helped address any gaps in the local procurement processes, provide logistical support, and other technical assistance, in-kind donations and services such as transportation via air, sea, on-the- ground and helped navigate local bureaucracy and customs. 

Among the multi- stakeholder partnerships SID-Israel helped form, was the connection between the Israel-Turkey Chamber of Commerce lead by Nimrod Arad; the Israeli Association of Manufacturers; the Turkish Embassy in Israel; LATET; SmartAID; IsraAid; One Heart; Good-Vision; the Strauss Group; AppsFlyer; Sano; Teva Naot LTD, and other private businesses. These partnerships produced a total of 180 tons of humanitarian goods, including food & NFI items. The equipment was flown to Turkey as a donation by Turkish Airlines, in full partnership with the Turkish humanitarian organisation, Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM), and in coordination with the Turkish government. 

SID-Israel also facilitated the partnership between Social Delivery (Shinua Hevrati) and Arkia Airlines to mobilize and fly goods from Israel to Turkey, and between IsraAID and Netafim who partnered to learn from local staff experience, assist with the transportation of goods and vehicles and provide warehouses. 

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By having accurate data of SID members’ response on the ground we were able to engage with the larger SID-Israel network, which includes 1000 companies, and offer those interested in donating, ways to connect and donate to NGO’s responding to the emergency. 

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