On Monday, February 6, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Turkey, near the city of Gaziantep, along the border with Syria. Just 11 minutes later, the region was struck by a magnitude 7.5 aftershock. More than 100 aftershocks have since followed, including some felt as far away as Lebanon, Cyprus, Iraq and Egypt.
 
According to reports as of February 8, more than 11,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands more have been injured. Tragically, these numbers are expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue across the region. Freezing temperatures, snow and rain are complicating rescue efforts and exposing rescue workers and thousands of families who have lost their homes to the elements.
 
This earthquake also comes at the worst possible time for the most vulnerable in the region including children and refugee families displaced by the ongoing conflict of more than a decade in northern Syria.
 
In response to this urgent need, we are committing $50,000 from the Bain Capital Relief Fund to support two organizations providing immediate relief and longer-term support in the communities impacted: 
 
International Medical Corps (IMC) is providing immediate medical aid in Turkey and Syria and will continue to work with affected communities after the emergency has passed to help the region recover and rebuild. IMC has been working in Syria since 2008, providing emergency relief supplies, healthcare consultations, malnutrition screening, mental health & psychosocial support and ongoing training for local health professionals. The firm supported IMC through the Relief Fund in response to the Beirut explosion in 2020 and war in Ukraine in 2022.
AKUT, the leading search and rescue team in Turkey with over 400 staff and volunteers, has deployed its teams to the earthquake zone and is conducting emergency operations to find and rescue as many survivors as possible. The firm supported AKUT through the Relief Fund in response to the wildfires in Turkey in 2021. 
Since creating the Relief Fund in 2017, we have donated more than $1.5 million in response to over 20 disasters.  These funds build on our partners’ significant history of giving to support individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, Fukushima, the Boston Marathon bombing and numerous other crises.