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.

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.