Only one day after the terrible earthquake in Turkey on February 6, 2023, we arrived in the affected region to provide months of emergency humanitarian aid. As 36,046 buildings in Malatya, Turkey, had been severely damaged by the earthquake, we considered how we could help as many homeless people as possible in the long term.

With the support of our donors, 205 container houses were finally organized for the Yeşilyurt district in Malatya and provided to the earthquake victims, who had been identified in coordination with AFAD (Turkey's disaster management authority). The houses, costing 1.4 million euros, were handed over to the earthquake victims at the end of June. The containers are equipped with a wardrobe, a fridge, a carpet, a bed, a sofa, an armchair, a table, air conditioning and electrical appliances to cover all the needs of a family.

On September 9, 2023, the official opening took place in Malatya with the participation of our team from Austria. The ceremony was attended by our board members, our Austrian volunteers, many NGOs and officials from Turkey and also the families living in the containers. At the opening of the program, our board member Ayşe Akay said: "It was planned at an early stage to organize containers for the survivors of the earthquake. They should be designed and furnished in such a way that the residents would be able to live in dignity.

Of course, a container is not a family home and is modest compared to the houses where the affected families previously lived. Nevertheless, this step is a huge improvement on the fate of homelessness and living in tents. At least for 200 families, these containers give them a perspective and a piece of normality back. That is why we have also created 5 additional rooms for psychosocial and medical care, a laundry room, a playroom for the children and a library." The opening program ended with the symbolic cutting of the ribbon after several speakers gave welcoming statements.

After the program, we organized a large painting activity for the children of the container district. We would like to thank all supporters and donors from Austria who made this project possible.