PHOTOS: Hungarian construction companies help Türkiye earthquake victims

Three months have passed since the earthquakes in Turkey began. The disaster affected an area larger than Hungary, around 110 000 square metres, 11 major cities and a total of 14 million people. One of the great disasters of the century has killed more than 50 000 people. Although the tragedy is no longer in the headlines, major Hungarian construction companies have put relief efforts on the agenda, following an initiative by PERI Hungary.

In an unprecedented charity campaign, Hungarian construction companies contributed to the work of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid in Turkey, supporting the humanitarian efforts in the earthquake-affected area with donations ranging from HUF 100,000 to HUF 1 million. The charity gala was held at the Aria Hotel Budapest, which also joined the list of supporters.

23 major Hungarian construction companies and real estate developers have accepted the invitation of PERI, one of the world’s largest formwork, scaffolding and engineering companies, to donate to the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey. The Guest of Honour at the event, representing Turkey, was Ambassador Gülşen Karanis Ekşioğlu, who attended the charity dinner with her husband, Mr Ekrem Ekşioğlu, and First Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission, Meltem Güney.

Photo: Zerocom

The Ambassador said, “Trouble shows us who our good friends are. The Hungarians are our true friends and they will always remain so…. In these difficult days, even the smallest support makes a big difference. I believe that every drop of help becomes an ocean, brings hope for the victims of the earthquake and helps them to return to their lives.”

The donations were offered to the Hungarian Interchurch Aid, whose staff had been contributing to the humanitarian effort since the first days in the earthquake-affected areas. The charity’s President-Director, László Lehel, had just returned from the disaster area. In his speech, he said that after the rescue phase, they have established local cooperations, they are involved in the international coordination and, organised from Iskenderun, are working with local partner organisations to set up containers, provide housing and help with food and hygiene distribution in a 6-month humanitarian aid programme.

László Lehel. Photo: Zerocom

Miklós Ézsiás, Managing Director of PERI, organiser of the charity gala dinner stressed that PERI is a family business with a presence in 70 countries, which means that whenever there is trouble somewhere, they know about it and help. “It is important in any profession, including ours, to have positive common goals that forge us into a community beyond business interests,” he said.

Miklós Ézsiás. Photo: Zerocom

The charity event was also attended by Turkish businessmen living in Hungary, including Hakan Yildiz, an important player in the domestic construction industry, engineer and founder of Tura Group. In his speech, he stressed that Hatay province, which was severely affected by the earthquake, has always symbolised a kind of cultural bridge between Western and Eastern civilizations, as the region is home to Christian cultural heritage, such as the Cave Church of St. Peter in Antakya. The businessman thanked Hungary and the Hungarian people for their support and help in the rescue efforts so far.

Hakan Yildiz. Photo: Zerocom

For more than 3 decades, Hungarian Interchurch Aid has been helping people in need with regular or periodic support from tens of thousands of individuals and hundreds of companies. This makes it one of the largest aid organisations in Hungary and one of the most internationally recognised Hungarian charities with the greatest commitments. In the past decades, the relief organisation has provided assistance in a number of natural and humanitarian disasters around the world; building on this experience it is able to provide effective professional assistance with commitment and focus. More information on the organisation’s earthquake-related activities can be found here.

Companies that have made a donation to the victims of the earthquakes on the charity event: Aria Hotel Budapest, CLC-Construct Építőipari és Szolgáltató Kft., Épület-Forma Kft., Hercsel Csoport, LupEx Kft., Most-Épker Kft., Moratus Szerkezetépítő Kft., PERI Magyarország Kft., Rózsadomb Investment Kft., Tuffply Europa Kft., Tura Kft., Veréb Kft, X Properties Kft.

Here are some additional photos: