This summer, we participated in a Service-Learning course titled “Breaking the Cycle of Disaster, Response, Recover, and Repeat”. The course was developed by Solmaz Mohadjer and offered as part of the Transdisciplinary Course Program at the University of Tübingen, Germany. We were brought together from different disciplines to explore key factors that contribute to effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) approaches. We did this by examining case studies from around the world and through direct interactions with non-profit organisations engaged in DRR. In this insightful interview, we spoke with a member of Hayata Destek (or Support to Life in English), an independent humanitarian organisation in Türkiye that amplifies the voices of disaster-affected local communities to address the needs of different vulnerable groups in disaster-affected areas. In this blog, we share the insights we gained from this interview with the natural hazard science community to provoke discussion about how researchers and practitioners can strengthen their engagement in DRR.
We focused on the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence because it was a turning point for millions of people in Türkiye and neighbouring Syria. More than 50,000 people lost their lives, hundreds of thousands were injured, and more than 9 million people were impacted, with almost 3 million displaced [1]. Vulnerable groups like women and children, refugees and displaced people were disproportionately affected. Hayata Destek was already operating in the affected areas when the earthquake happened, and immediately shifted their activities to support those impacted by the earthquake, especially vulnerable groups who suffered more.
In this interview, we spoke with Gözde Kazaz, who is the Communication Expert of Hayata Destek. We discussed how Hayata Destek collaborates with local actors, supports vulnerable groups, responds to emergencies, and navigates the challenges of resource development in the humanitarian sector.
This interview was originally done in Turkish.
Gözde Kazaz
Hi Gözde, thanks for the opportunity to speak with you today. You are the Communication Expert of Hayata Destek in Türkiye. One of your main jobs is to coordinate collective action efforts by bringing together local groups to cooperate. How do you do this?
Gözde: We establish different types of collaborations with local groups depending on the project. For example, in the aftermath of the 2023 earthquakes, we supported several programs, including one called “Survivor Community Led Response”, by providing technical and financial (micro-grant) support to projects that helped disaster-affected communities turn their disaster preparedness ideas into projects.
We have also been working with community volunteers within the scope of our refugee support program that we launched in 2012 following the Syrian war. In this program, we focus on enabling refugees’ access to basic rights and services, we organise awareness sessions on rights and responsibilities and provide individual protection support. During these sessions, volunteers from the refugee community help us reach those in need and act as facilitators in our outreach efforts.
Additionally, we host the Local Humanitarian Forum, which enables local associations and civil initiatives in Türkiye to access resources. An important aspect of such localisation efforts with different scopes is the principle of accountability, which we must adhere to in humanitarian aid. Having feedback and complaint mechanisms for all our activities makes it easier to build a relationship of trust with the local communities we work with.
What are the main challenges of working with vulnerable people in disaster situations, and how do you tackle them?
Gözde: We are a humanitarian aid organisation helping people affected by disasters access basic rights and services. Our entire beneficiary group, therefore, consists of vulnerable people like children, women, and refugees. We have social workers, psychologists and lawyers in our teams. This helps them communicate better with vulnerable groups who are traumatised by disasters. Of course, in major crises like earthquakes, especially in the initial phase when access to basic needs is highly restricted, affected individuals may become more vulnerable and more sensitive due to the trauma, and tensions can rise. However, even in such situations, we have not yet encountered major problems and have been able to ensure that our support reaches those in need.
In the early stages of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, Hayata Destek focused on improving shelter conditions, particularly water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and distributing aid materials (image credit: Hayata Destek / Kerem Uzel, Hatay, 2023)
How has Hayata Destek responded to the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake, both in the immediate aftermath and now?
Gözde: Since 2012, we had been conducting many activities in Hatay, one of the cities most affected by the earthquake, particularly through our refugee support program. We had an office there. When the earthquake happened, our own team was also affected. We don’t do search and rescue operations in the critical 72-hour window following a disaster, but it’s crucial for us to reach the disaster-affected area as quickly as possible so that we can do a rapid needs assessment.
This is exactly what we did on February 7, 2023, the day after the earthquake. Our team in Istanbul was quickly mobilised and arrived in Hatay to manage the logistics process. In our rapid needs assessments, we identified water, sanitation, and hygiene as the most urgent needs, and organised our initial intervention accordingly. In the last two years, we have continued working actively in the Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Adıyaman regions. We mainly focus on providing emergency aid and assisting with disaster prevention efforts. We are currently preparing various scenarios and plans regarding logistics and humanitarian aid interventions for a possible earthquake in Istanbul.
Who do you form partnerships with and why?
Gözde: We operate in accordance with the five core principles of humanitarian aid: humanity, impartiality, accountability, independence, and neutrality. In accordance with the last two principles, we aren’t affiliated with any political authority. Instead, we collaborate with public institutions, particularly those that overlap with our areas of work, such as the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Ministry of National Education, and the Directorate General of Migration Management. We prepare protocols and collaborate with these institutions and local governments. For instance, in a project with Şanlıurfa Municipality, we are training municipal personnel to provide mental health and psychosocial support to everyone.
In our areas of expertise, such as child safeguarding and psychosocial support, we’ve provided training to many public institutions, bar associations, and local government personnel. In addition to our national memberships, such as the Refugee Council of Turkey and the Disaster Platform, we are also part of international networks like NEAR.
Not only in Türkiye but globally, the humanitarian aid system is going through difficult times. While the number of humanitarian crises is increasing, the funding allocated to address them is not keeping pace. This has led to the downsizing of civil society organisations, including ours. Because of this, one of our strategic priorities is fundraising. For example, we’ve established a social enterprise named “Destekar.” All revenue from the products sold under this brand is used to support our humanitarian aid activities. We’ve also been developing creative partnerships with the private sector to co-organise workshops to reach more people.
A Hayata Destek staff speaks with a community member amid rubble in Adıyaman after the Kahramanmaraş earthquake (image credit: Hayata Destek / Kerem Uzel, 2023)
Thank you for speaking with us, Gözde. You touch on 3 key insights in DRR: localisation, psychosocial support, and rapid needs assessment, and gave us some recommendations for making DRR measures work better in Humanitarian Actions.
What are the 3 key insights when it comes to DRR
- Localisation – Empowering local actors and community-led initiatives enhances relevance, responsiveness, and trust in DRR efforts. Hayata Destek’s Survivor Community Led Response model shows that communities are better prepared and resilient when they shape and lead disaster projects.
- Psychosocial support – Psychological first aid and tailored psychosocial interventions are vital even in the early stages of response to mitigate trauma and promote recovery. Global guidance highlights the need for multi-level support strategies adapted to local contexts.
- Rapid Needs Assessment – Conducting timely, structured assessments within the first 48 hours and followed by rapid joint assessments ensures that interventions align with true needs across sectors such as shelter, hygiene, protection and mental health.
What are the 3 recommendations for effective DRR in humanitarian action
- Invest in developing local capacity and funding mechanisms, enabling decision-making and accountability at the community level to build sustainable resilience.
- Integrate psychosocial support early on, establishing protocols and partnerships for mental health care grounded in local cultural norms and capacity.
- Standardise rapid, participatory needs assessments, using joint tools to map urgent needs across sectors to guide early and coordinated response efforts.
References
[1] WHO (2023) Türkiye earthquakes: six months of resilient response and support
Post edited by Asimina Voskaki
