Reuters analyzed the relationship between AFAD and Ahbap

While the number of people who lost their lives after the earthquakes, whose epicenter was Kahramanmaraş, increased by the day, the UK-based Reuters news agency published a comprehensive analysis and commented on the tension between AFAD and Ahbap.

In the analysis titled, “‘Responsibility and swift action’ also guide earthquake donations in polarized Turkey,” the analysis states: “After the most devastating and deadly earthquakes in Turkey’s history, AFAD, the government search and rescue, was the target of criticism that it was “insufficient and belated” in the early days of the earthquake, while the artist haluk raisedThe Association of Friends, founded by .

Haluk Levent shared a post on social media after the strain.

In the analysis, “after the disaster, some of those who donated to the earthquake victims in Turkey and around the world provided aid to AFAD and Kızılay, which receive state support, while large amounts of donations collected by non-governmental organizations such as Ahbap have recently received attention drawn to the association, so much so that in her earthquake exchange, pop star Madonna also showed Dude as an address for donations.

According to official data, more than 50 thousand people lost their lives in the earthquake disaster.

In the earthquake region, where hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless in the dead of winter, especially in Hatay, Maraş and Adıyaman, where the destruction was most intense, search and rescue efforts were slow in the first two days of the quake. and the lack of coordination in the distribution of shelter, food and medical aid to humanitarian workers on the ground provoked reactions. AFAD was criticized for its inadequacy in responding to forest fires in many provinces of Turkey in 2021. On the other hand, in In the news published by Reuters, it was noted that there was also talk of the 38.2 billion dollars collected with the Special Tax on Communications, which came into force after the Gölcük and Düzce earthquakes in 1999 and became permanent.

PERSONNEL: DISTRUST OF INSTITUTIONS

Nasuh Mahruki, the founder of the AKUT association, told Reuters that there was significant civil society involvement after the August 17, 1999 earthquake, saying the reason behind people’s turn to NGOs like Ahbap arose of mistrust in state institutions.

Stating that citizens have doubts about the aid sent to the government to reach those most in need, Mahruki pointed out that state institutions were slow to respond to the forest fires that occurred in July last year, as well as after the earthquake.

Many buildings were destroyed in the earthquake disaster.

AKUT, founded by professional mountaineer Nasuh Mahruki, played a key role in search and rescue activities in the 1999 Gölcük earthquake, which killed 18,000 people, and has since become an increasingly well-known and recognized association. However, Mahruki announced that he was expelled from AKUT last year, saying: “An interest group that was never qualified and qualified to manage an NGO of the scale of AKUT and had never been in the administration collapsed into the AKUT administration. with this method”.

MADONNA SIGNS THE CHILD

Madonna, who gave the address to donate to Ahbap, also called on her followers to donate to Ahbap in her earthquake post on her official Instagram account, describing the association as “the best place to donate.”

Speaking to Reuters, KK, 53, stated that he had donated to the Red Crescent for years, saying: “I used to send the slaughtered meat that I cut up every year to the Red Crescent because I thought I would distribute it to the poor. . I have not donated a penny since the day I saw the news that these donations were sold. I have no doubt that the money I sent to Dude will be used for the earthquake victims.”

Reuters did not receive a response from the Dude association on the current discussions.

DONATIONS FROM FRIENDS INCREASE OVER 1 BILLION TL

President of the Association of Friends haluk raisedannounced that donations collected in Turkey and around the world in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake exceeded 1 billion lira. In addition, he responded to criticism of “reporting the money raised” on social networks. raisedhe responded by sharing the names of the institutions that will oversee the association on social media.

On the other hand, a total of TL 115 billion was collected to be transferred to AFAD and the Red Crescent in the donation campaign, which is shaping up to be the largest aid mobilization in the history of the Republic, with joint transmission by channels of TV. More than 80 billion TL of this amount came from public institutions, including the Central Bank and public banks.

Who always says “AFAD and our compa” in their publications raised On the other hand, he stated that he wanted to be connected to the television on the night of help, but could not connect, and announced that he had donated 500,000 TL to AFAD.

Photo: Reuters

Professor Ayşe Yüksel, president of the Association for the Support of Contemporary Living, another non-governmental organization, spoke to Reuters and stressed responsibility and transparency, saying: “All our donations and spending are accessible to everyone on our website and in our statements. You become trustworthy when you are transparent, show concrete results and report on projects.”

In Reuters news, “the monetary value of the amount raised for the needs of earthquake victims in the large-scale relief campaigns in Turkey and abroad, which includes many non-governmental organizations, is unknown.”

HONEST REACTION FROM MHP

The leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who is in the position of partner in power, Devlet Bahçeli, reacted to the association with an allusive expression at the group’s meeting, declaring: “It is wrong to push the state aside and charge helps through the relations of the witch and the sergeant”.

Stating that AHBAP works in coordination and has been in contact with AFAD and the government many times to date, raised On the other hand, after Bahçeli’s criticism, he shared on Twitter the cooperation protocol document signed by AHBAP with AFAD and said: “AFAD represents the State and the Fellows represent the volunteers as NGOs”.