YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARTSAKHPRESS. More than BGN 1,900,000 has been raised by a national campaign of the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) to help the victims of the February 6 earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria. BGN 480,000 has already been transferred to Turkiye and BGN 320,000 to Syria, the organizers said.
Nearly 470,000 donation text messages have been sent to 1466.
So far, the BRC has used its joint disaster reserve with the Turkish Red Crescent to provide 1,152 wool blankets, 1,008 sets of bed linen, 1,000 pillows, 240 family tents, 400 mattresses, as well as 224 boxes of donations provided in the course of the campaign. Also ready for export and in the process of being transported are 650 sleeping sets, including camping beds, air mattresses, pillows, blankets, sheets, pillowcases, towels, 312 kitchen sets, 306 radiators, 400 mattresses, 2,700 wool blankets, and over 3,500 boxes of donations from Bulgarians. The material donations from the Bulgarian Red Cross are worth about BGN 560,000.
Because of the serious logistical difficulties in the two countries affected by the earthquake, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is appealing to partner organizations to make financial assistance a priority. The Turkish Red Crescent specifically asks that the sending of material donations be limited, with the exception of winter tents and heaters.
The BRC stands ready to send the first two tonnes of humanitarian aid to the victims in Syria. The organization is in contact with the Syrian and Lebanese communities in Bulgaria to receive the donations they have collected and to assist with the transportation.
Thanks to the Bulgarian public’s generosity, the BRC currently has sufficient humanitarian aid to cover the initial needs of material donations coming in from various local and international channels. Starting Wednesday, the organization will work on sorting and distributing the incoming humanitarian aid and the already requested supplies.
