A THF Grant to Aid Pioneers
As well as delivering our core Sport and Education Programmes, THF also responds in times of extreme need. Recently, we reacted to the Earthquake in Turkey & Syria by providing a grant which enabled Aid Pioneers to deliver $300,000 worth of medical goods to 49 hospitals in northwest Syria.
What happened?
The magnitude 7.8 Earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6th has tragically taken the lives of over 50,000 people (as-of 27/02) and affected hundreds of thousands more.
Our partners on this project, HiHFAD, told us that World Health Organisation shipments only met 15-20% of the need in the first week of the Earthquake. Only a fraction of this reached northwest Syria due to a host of complex issues, including a lack of disaster management structures. In northwest Syria more than 10,000 buildings have been completely or partially destroyed, including 270 schools. This highlights the importance of this project.
The THF response
The Earthquake hit on February 6th. The Trustees had met and agreed a response three days later, and a further five days after had enabled Aid Pioneers to facilitate the transportation of $300,000 worth of medical goods to 49 hospitals in northwest Syria. These were hand picked hospitals and delivered only to the areas with the most pressing needs to treat survivors of this tragic natural disaster.
The process
- US based Project C.U.R.E. (world’s largest supplier of donated medical supplies) provided €300,000 of medical goods (Anesthesia supplies, syringes, IV equipment, surgical instruments, oxygen concentrators).
- Kuehne & Nagel (the world’s largest freight forwarder) transported the goods at high-speed.
- Hand in Hand for Aid and Development (HiHFAD) worked on the ground to directly supply the hospitals.
The Grant & Impact
Our Grant of £18,000 was multiplied 13.8 times to provide $300,000 of medical supplies. This will reach an estimated 7,680 people.