A musical fundraiser that brought together over 50 ukulele players in Belfast has raised over £8,700 for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.
The fundraiser, which contributes to the £1.4 million now raised in Northern Ireland, comes as DEC charities warn of the increased risk facing older people and those with disabilities in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday 6 February.
Late on 20 February, a further 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck near Antakya, Turkey and was felt strongly across the Hatay province and areas of north-west Syria, with reports that more buildings have collapsed.
DEC charities and their local partners will continue to help people in Turkey and north-west Syria, and with the support of donations and fundraisers across the UK, will scale up their work to provide support now and in the months ahead.
Donations to the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal reached £95 million on Tuesday (21 February), including £5 million matched by the UK Government through the UK Aid Match scheme.
As part of this, the Belfast Ukulele Jam brought together over 40 of its ukulele players, who were joined by members of other ukulele groups from across NI, to hold a musical fundraiser in Belfast’s Corn Market area (Arthur Square) on Saturday 11 February.
The group entertained shoppers and passersby with many well-known hits, including favourites from The Beatles, Elvis, and Queen. Musicians travelled from as far as Newcastle, Co Down for the event and managed to raise over £8,700 for the appeal, which launched on Thursday 9 February to raise funds to support the people of Turkey and Syria following the earthquake.
It’s now known that the earthquake killed at least 44,000 people, with the figure expected to rise. In Turkey (now known as Türkiye) alone, more than 100,000 people were injured and over 47,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged, according to the UN. In Syria people displaced by the war who were already living in tents have hosted people whose homes have been destroyed.
More than two weeks on from the earthquake, DEC charities, which include the British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Save the Children and Tearfund in Northern Ireland, have warned that older people and those with disabilities and health conditions are particularly vulnerable.
The earthquake will have exacerbated the everyday challenges these individuals face such as mobility issues, living on their own, social isolation and having specific medical and nutritional needs. The cold winter weather both countries are currently experiencing is also expected to hit older people and those with disabilities hard and worsen pre-existing medical conditions.
Maria McCloskey from the Belfast Ukulele Jam said:
“We are pleased to have contributed in some small way to the incredible efforts right across the UK to support the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal. We have been overwhelmed by the response of the public to our fundraiser to help the people of Turkey and Syria. It is encouraging to see evidence of aid delivery in the affected areas emerging, and we are glad the money donated in Belfast via our fundraiser can play a small part in supporting this.”
Rosamond Bennett, Chief Executive of Christian Aid Ireland said:
“It is heartening to see so many people in Northern Ireland come together to raise awareness and generate donations for the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal. The situation is particularly dire in northwest Syria where there were already 4 million people in need of aid following 12 years of conflict. We thank the Belfast Ukulele Jam for coming together quickly to hold a fundraiser, and to each and every person who donated to it and contributed to the £1.4 million raised in Northern Ireland so far.”