Say Yes, Autumn 2003: Picking Up The Pieces
The only thing I can recall from those moments after the earthquake was the deep pain I felt
Photograph by Sema Hosta © UNICEF Turkey 2003
Twenty-seven year old Gülsüm Geçimli has been teaching at Çeltiksuyu Regional Boarding School in the province of Bingöl for four years. In the early hours of May 1st, 2003, an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale (RS) shook the province. One hundred and seventy-seven people lost their lives and five hundred and twenty were injured. Eighty-five of those who died were students who had been staying at Çeltiksuyu School when the earthquake razed the building. One of Gülsüm’s colleagues, a fellow teacher, also died.
I wanted to run to the school and help my students but I was frozen still -- my body just wouldn’t follow what my brain was telling it to do. I can’t say how long it took to pull myself together and go to the children.
The only thing I can recall from those moments after the earthquake was the deep pain I felt. I asked myself:
What can I do to help them?
I lost so many of my students in this disaster. Now I can hear myself in the words of the traditional song:
a part of me is floating on the waves
Three days after the disaster, Ms Geçimli was waiting for news about the children who were still buried under the ruins. Some of her students -- several of whom had been rescued from the ruins -- were there to keep the vigil with her. Like the rest of her colleagues in the teaching profession, she is aware that she needs to be strong in an extraordinary situation like this so that she can provide support for the surviving children in her care.
We were told not to give up hope, that if we did, our lack of hope might snuff out any remaining flicker of life in there. I’m sure they understood that the chances of finding any more survivors were growing slimmer all the time.
Mehmet Dayı, rushed from Karlıova in the north of the province as soon as he heard about the disaster. He was furious: We sent our children to school -- not to die!
The sudden loss of someone close is one of the most shocking traumas a human being can suffer. When the pain and sorrow of bereavement is occasioned by a sudden phenomenon such as this earthquake, the effects of the trauma can be so much more difficult to overcome -- our grief lacks a focus and there are no ready answers as to the cause of all this suffering.
Immediately after the disaster, a team of UNICEF staff and experts visited the scene in order to assess need. Following the initial assessment, UNICEF supplied 100 tents, 25 recreational kits, a psychosocial support kit containing 25 paint sets and other creative materials as well as school materials since it was considered imperative to resume school activities and enable students to complete the school year.
A team of psychosocial experts composed of staff from the Ministry of National Education (MONE) and UNICEF immediately organised a psychosocial support programme. In consideration of the special needs of children in Bingöl, materials and issues such as safety cover, safe place and relaxation techniques were added to the psychosocial training package. A target group of five hundred composed of school principals, teachers and students was informed about traumatic effects, associated reactions and the proposed Psychosocial School Project.
Since the earthquake occurred very close to the end of the school year 2002-2003, students in the 8th to 11th grades and their families were prioritised and as a result, the Psychosocial Training programme covered 738 students, 316 parents and 83 teachers.
In the course of working in the area, the team also conducted psychological information gathering and interpretation sessions with fifty-eight teachers and, in conjunction with MONE, a three day training seminar was provided for thirty-six school consultants on related issues.
UNICEF will continue activities in the area during this new school year, 2003-2004, picking up the pace with a drive to reach a target of 100,000 students, parents and teachers in Bingöl itself as well as neighbouring provinces.
Earthquakes are an unavoidable fact of life in Turkey where 70% of the population live with the high risk of tremors. The country is particularly susceptible to the phenomenon owing to its unique position between the European, African and Asian continental plates.
UNICEF is working with relevant organisations and civil societies in Turkey to mitigate the impact of disasters on women and children in disaster management plans.
In the past, serious deficiencies such as poor distribution of aid materials and problems accessing affected areas have hampered disaster response, so we must learn how to take relevant precautions to protect ourselves from the effects of such disasters. Failure to take into account the special needs of women and children has often left this most vulnerable group worst affected.
Children do not have the physical or mental resilience to cope with the stress levels engendered by these geological phenomena. Women, particularly those who are pregnant, recovering from childbirth or breastfeeding are similarly vulnerable.
Visit the UNICEF Turkey Press Centre for more details about UNICEF’s response to the disaster.
Read about the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness programme.
Following the disaster, UNICEF Turkey launched an appeal for funds. For further information, please contact:
The UNICEF Turkey Country Office,
Telephone: +90 (0)312 454 1000
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SAY YES, AUTUMN 2003
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