UNICEF Ankara

15 December 1999

Four provinces have been specifically affected, namely Bolu, Kocaeli, Sakarya, and Yalova. According to the population census conducted in 1997 in the 80 provinces of Turkey, these 4 provinces account for 4.3% of the total population of the country (2.6 million out of 62.8 million people). It is worth noting that Kocaeli and Yalova provinces were classified as the two richest provinces of Turkey prior to the earthquakes.

In total, over 291,000 buildings have been damaged in Bolu, Kocaeli, Sakarya, and Yalova provinces. According to the type of buildings (residence/official) and the level of damage reported (heavily/moderately/lightly), the following table indicates the number of buildings that have been damaged during both earthquakes in each of the affected provinces:

Although Yalova is the less populated province among affected areas, the proportion of damaged houses is much higher than in other provinces. As illustrated below, the ratio of damaged houses in Yalova is 1 to 4 people, against 1 to 16 people in Bolu. Population-wise, the table also shows that the percentage of death in Yalova is higher than in other provinces.

 The Government of Turkey adopted a three-pronged approach to address the shelter issue:

• Provision of prefabricated houses for all affected families who wish to be sheltered in prefab cities.
• Allocation of a reconstruction subsidy of US$ 1,500 for families whose residence were lightly damaged. As of 13 December, out of 52,279 applicant families, 34,610 families had received reconstruction subsidies. This represents a cost of US$ 51.9 million.
• Allocation of a monthly rental subsidy of US$ 200 for each family moving to newly rented house. As of 13 December, out of 104,689 applicant families, 90,847 families were receiving rental subsidies. This represents a monthly cost of US$ 18.2 million.

 Tented camps’ situation:

As indicted in the table below, the Turkish authorities reported that 156,523 people were sheltered in 86 tented camps in the 4 affected provinces as of 13 December 1999:

On average, almost 6% of the total population in the 4 affected provinces are sheltered in tented camps. In Bolu province, up to 16.6% of the total population is living in tented camps, in comparison to only 1.8% in Sakaraya province. The table indicates that the average camps’ sizes in Bolu are much larger than in other provinces. In fact, 92,008 persons are living in 36 camps in Bolu (an average of 2,556 persons per camp) against 43,316 persons in 34 camps in Kocaeli (an average of 1,274 persons per camp). The Feature Story attached in Panel 1 relates the arduous living conditions experienced by children and women in tented camps. 

 Panel 1: Life on the Wheels in the Tent City

"I lost everything that I had in one night...What remained after my house is just ruins... Now we are trying to survive", tells Aliye. But life in tented camps continues. Eleven weeks after the earthquake that shook the Marmara Region of Turkey on 17 August and affected thousands of people, a number of survivors living in the tents are still very frustrated by the whole situation; the hopelessness of the situation and lack of a number of things they need.

"It is very difficult to get used to living in a tent. I have to wait in long queues for everything: for food, to use the bathroom, to get clothes and shoes for my children, to get water from trucks. The list is long and endless," she says. Similar statements are often heard from the survivors.

Aliye, a young woman of 38 and a mother of four girls, lives in Esentepe tent city in Golcuk, one of the hardest hit cities of the region. The tented camp provides housing to about 5,000 people. She knows that she has to take matters in her own hands to survive and for her children’s sake.

Every morning she wakes up hearing children’s voices. "They always wake up so early", she whispers. She cannot sleep properly any more during the night, seeing nightmares. Her biggest fear is to be hit again by another earthquake in the middle of the night. The idea in her mind brings back the same feelings of frustration, insecurity and fear.

Aliye has to line up at the food distribution centre of the tent city three times a day: to get breakfast, lunch and dinner for her family. "We do not have heating system yet...but winter is coming and the tents are not warm enough" she tells. She heard that the Government has started to set up prefabricated houses near the tent cities. "My neighbour told me that prefabricated houses have a shower and a bathroom. I hope my children will not wait in long queues anymore to use the toilets in the morning", she says.

Aliye’s greatest concern and worry is her youngest daughter, Dilek. Dilek is 4 years old and is continuously asking for her friend Mine, who died in the earthquake. Aliye has to find an answer to Dilek’s many questions about Mine. Every morning Aliye takes Dilek to the kindergarten tent set up by UNICEF and now run by SHCEK. Dilek is preoccupied by various activities in school and plays with her favourite toys: legos and dolls until 5:00 p.m.

In the afternoons, Aliye, together with other women living in the same tent city, go to the mother's activity tent that has been provided by UNICEF. A young enthusiastic volunteer teacher at the tent teaches them how to make different handicrafts. Aliye is very happy with her new skills. "I would like to sell them to get an income to support my family", she says. Before the earthquake, her husband used to work in a supermarket. He is now unemployed.

Life in the camp brings its own rules, needs and also new roles. The same thing happened in Esentepe tented camps in which realities of life naturally make sharing of responsibilities a necessity. Boys and girls of over 15-17 years old are helping in the distribution of supplies. A psychologist working in the youth activity tent set up by UNICEF says that children are beginning to forget the bad images of the earthquake. But there is another problem: inactivity and being a passive receiver makes children feel hopeless. They are uncertain about their future. "They are wondering about if they will continue to stay in the same camp, if they will get a winterised tent, if the prefabricated houses will be distributed. There are countless "ifs" in their lives", she says.

UNICEF’s efforts does not only make their life a little bit easier but also draws attention to children's needs in different ways that it can respond to in offering assistance.

• Prefabricated houses’ situation:

The Government of Turkey announced that it plans to provide 33,625 prefabricated houses to accommodate approximately 151,000 persons. On the other hand, the Turkish private sector promised to donate 12,040 prefabricated houses to shelter approximately 54,000 people. Altogether, 45,665 prefabricated houses are planned for construction to accommodate around 205,000 persons.

It is worth noting that the Turkish government is well ahead in its construction target compared to the private sector, as it already reach 67% of its target, against 37% for the private sector. To date, 24,737 prefabricated houses, or 54% of the planned target, have been completed, and 9,692 have already been handed over and are occupied by families. It is estimated that 43,614 people are now sheltered in prefabricated houses in the 4 affected provinces. For each province, the following graph indicates the number of people sheltered in tented camps versus the number of people sheltered in prefabricated houses as of 13 December 1999:

With the exception of Sakarya province (Adapazari City), the population sheltered in tented camps in Kocaeli, Yalova, and Bolu provinces is higher than the population sheltered in prefabricated houses. It is therefore foreseen that a large number of people will remain in tented camps throughout the winter. The huge discrepancy noticed in Bolu province is related to the fact that Bolu was the epicentre of the latest earthquake dated 12 November 1999. Consequently, affected inhabitants of the province were not originally included in government’s construction plan for prefabricated houses designed following the August earthquake.

The graph below illustrates the situation related to the completion of prefabricated houses and their distribution to beneficiaries. It clearly indicates a widening gap between the number of prefabricated houses completed and the number of houses handed-over to people. It shows that the construction of prefabricated houses is going rapidly, as between 30 November and 13 December a total of 13,777 houses were constructed, which represents an average daily production of 984 houses. In comparison, only 386 houses were handed-over daily to beneficiaries over the same period.

This might indicate the reluctance of the affected population to move to prefabricated cities. There are several possible explanations:

• People in tented camps are provided with three meals a day. This support is not provided for people sheltered in prefabricated cities.
• There are no financial subsidies for people sheltered in prefabricated cities.
• People may feel that the temporarily solution of prefabricated shelters may prevent long term solution for resettlement in concrete houses.

In consultation with the Government of Turkey (GoT), UNICEF developed a Recovery Plan for Turkish Children (RPTC) to immediately answer in an integrated manner the needs of children and women affected by the earthquakes. Valued at US$ 14.2 million, the RPTC includes relief and rehabilitation interventions in the health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation, and psychosocial sectors.

Activities are implemented through an integrated multi-sectoral approach, which aims at providing a friendly environment for children and their mothers in tented camps and prefab cities, using the concept of "Child Friendly Environment" as a model. The concept provides an integrated set of services to meet the basic needs of children and their mothers in various sectors, namely health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation, and psychosocial. In addition to relief interventions, UNICEF focuses on rehabilitation efforts and is actively advocating with government counterparts and humanitarian partners to ensure that all basic services are available for the affected populations. The following graph indicates the sectoral allocations of funds under the Recovery Plan:

The RPTC has been designed for a period of 6 months and is being implemented in all affected areas. The international community through 13 UNICEF National Committees and 9 Governments answered generously to UNICEF Recovery Plan. To date, US$ 13.5 million, or 95% of the total required amount, have been pledged or received. UNICEF established a strong field presence with a field base in Izmit, and over 16 staff deployed in the affected earthquake areas.

1. Water and Sanitation

Valued at US$5 million, UNICEF interventions in this sector aim at providing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in tented camps and prefab cities. Following are listed the activities undertaken so far:

• 15 water tankers, 6 of which on 24 hours double shifts, are operating in Adapazari Province and continue providing safe drinking water to over 100,000 people daily. The provision of safe drinking water by UNICEF is allowing the local water authorities to focus on the repair of the water network in Adapazari. Following the achievements in Adapazari, UNICEF received a request from Duzce municipality to provide similar services for the daily provision of 1,000 metric tons of safe drinking water through 10 water tankers to benefit over 50,000 people in Duzce. UNICEF conducted an assessment mission in Duzce to look at the feasibility to meet this request. The water network in Duzce City was found highly damaged, with numerous breaks and leaks.
• UNICEF supplied 2.8 million water purification tablets in all affected provinces.
• UNICEF installed 13 water and sanitation clusters to benefit 7,800 people in 13 tented camps in Bolu, Kocaeli, Sakarya, and Yalova provinces. Valued at US$ 35,000 each, a cluster benefits 600 people and offers 12 latrines, 10 hot water showers, 2 water tanks, and 2 septic tanks. Additional 35 clusters have been ordered and are under manufacturing, at the pace of 7 clusters per week, for further installation in tented camps, prefab cities and schools.

Valued at US$2.7 million, interventions in this sector focus on the following areas: Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI), Nutritional Surveillance and Intervention Programme, and Revitalisation of Health Centres.

EPI: the programme, which aims at immunising 500,000 children from 9 months to 15 years of age, is on going. UNICEF supplied the MoH with 500,000 doses of measles vaccines and 500,000 syringes. To date, over 150,000 children have been immunised in Izmit, Sakarya, Golcuk and Yalova.

Nutritional Surveillance and Intervention Programme: following the results of the nutrition study carried out by Haccetepe University, MoH and UNICEF in October 1999, which indicated high level of malnutrition among pre-school age children in the earthquake affected areas, UNICEF and its partners are addressing the nutrition problems through a combination of psychosocial interventions and more traditional nutrition interventions. The former aims at decreasing the psychological negative after-effects of the earthquakes on children, adolescents, parents and teachers to contribute, inter alia, to a renewal of appetite among affected population. The later consists in the distribution of supplementary food to benefit 150,000 children and pregnant/lactating mothers, interventions for growth monitoring and promotion, breastfeeding, nutrition education, nutrition surveys, and control of daily diet and food hygiene in tent cities. The supplementary feeding programme is implemented together with MoH and MoNE and covers approximately 33% of the daily need of children and pregnant/lactating mothers in terms of proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Revitalisation of Health Centres: during the reporting period, 2 refresher training courses for PHC staff were conducted simultaneously in Bolu and Duzce and benefited 164 health workers. In total refresher training seminars for Primary health Centres staff in mental health referral system and Immunisation and Nutrition after Disasters benefited over 1,500 health workers.

Valued at US$ 3.9 million, interventions are essentially aimed at providing and replenishing affected schools with educational and recreational materials, and distributing supplementary food through schools.

• School Survey:

Schooling in the affected areas remains irregular. School population figures constantly change as populations move either to or from tented camps and pre-fabricated cities. There remains an acute shortage of school buildings, particularly in Kocaeli and Sakarya provinces, resulting in over-crowded classes and a reluctance of students to attend regularly.

In Yalova province, the educational situation is stabilising, with 39 of the 53 primary schools now operating. Only 5 schools will be demolished, with plans for new buildings under way. The 9 remaining schools are under repair, with completion due by the end of the month. For the moment, students from these schools are using a shift system with the other schools. The total primary school population is 21,000, compared to 23,329 before the earthquake. Kindergarten classes remain closed.

In Sakarya province, schooling has restarted in all districts except Adapazari (the central area). The school population of this area has decreased from 53.000 to 43.523 in the last month, as parents seek the means to send their children to school. There are 45 schools in this affected area, 15 of which are on the periphery and have opened, leaving 30 closed. MoNE is reluctant to use any of these buildings, and is looking for solutions either through pre-fabricated or tented schools. There are 5 tented schools with a total population of nearly 3,000 children, leaving 26,000 children without proper access to schools.

In Kocaeli Province, 267 of the 319 primary schools operating prior to the earthquake are now open. For each district in Kocaeli province, the following table indicates the number of schools functioning before and after the earthquakes:

In total, 33 schools will be demolished and will be replaced by pre-fabricated schools. Additional 38 pre-fabricated schools are planned for the new pre-fabricated cities. 16 tented schools are operating temporarily in tented camps, with 3 pre-fabricated schools already operational in 3 tented camps.

In Bolu province, lightly damaged primary schools have reopened in 11 districts, but remain closed in 5 others. Out of 271 primary schools functioning prior to the earthquake, 145 remained intact, 58 suffered light damages but are usable, while all others need repair. MoNE plans to begin school in the remaining 5 districts by the end of December. However, parents remain concerned about the students entering the designated buildings.

• Supply of School Materials:

As a result of the earthquakes many schools lost materials and supplies. In addition, many students lost their houses and with it all their possessions. This project aimed to identify the most affected schools, and supply materials to these classes. UNICEF developed distribution plans for the replenishment of schools with educational and recreational materials through the provision of educational, recreational, and pre-schools kits. In a first phase, kits will benefit students attending schools in buildings and tented camps, and in a second phase, students attending schools in prefabricated cities.

First phase: distribution of 1,700 educational, recreational and pre-school kits to benefit 68,000 students in Bolu, Kocaeli, Sakarya, and Yalova provinces. Distribution plans for Kocaeli and Yalova provinces have already been developed together with MoNE, and will benefit 26,019 students in 66 schools. Distribution in Kocaeli and Yalova will start on 20 December. Distribution plans for Bolu and Sakarya provinces are still under preparation.

Second phase: together with MoNE, UNICEF continues to carry out need assessment in prefabricated cities so as to identify the needs within the prefabricated schools. Although plans for pre-fabricated schools in the 4 affected provinces are subject to frequent changes, UNICEF ordered additional 2,106 educational and recreational kits to benefit 63,200 students who will be attending schools in prefabricated cities. For each province, the following table indicates the number of kits ordered:

• School Nutrition Programme

UNICEF has begun a short-term programme of distribution of high protein biscuits to benefit 150,000 children and pregnant/lactating mothers. This programme is being implemented both in the health centres and in the schools in the affected areas. MoNE has identified the most vulnerable schools through looking at the school transportation system, and checking where the children from the tented cities attend school.

Distribution of high protein biscuits started in Yalova, Kocaeli, and Sakaraya provinces, and distribution plans for Bolu are under preparation. To date, 80 tons of high protein biscuits have already been distributed and benefited 67,000 students in 84 schools in Yalova, Kocaeli, and Sakaraya provinces. As additional schools are being identified together with MoNE for inclusion in the distribution plans, the number of beneficiaries is continuously expanding.

In Ataturk Primary School in Izmit, a boy eating UNICEF biscuits in the school yard

While eating UNICEF biscuits, a small girl in Ataturk Primary School in Izmit

The impact of the earthquakes on the educational, health and social services will be felt for many years to come. Rapid assessment indicated that the psychological impact of the disaster of the population is profound. The experiences from comparable disasters has shown that psychological problems caused by the extensive exposure to traumatic events and the high degree of losses will result in long-term psychological, educational and health problems in a significant proportion of the affected population. It is also proved that even very limited psychological interventions, if adequate and implemented in appropriate manner, can have a lasting positive impact on children and adults.

In order to decrease the negative psychosocial after effects of the earthquakes on children and their families, UNICEF has developed 4 projects, namely the School Project, the Training of Services Providers, the Training of members from the Social Welfare and Child Protection Institute (SHCEK), and Awareness Raising Campaigns. The School Project is by far the most extensive.

• The School Project

In response to the disaster, MoNE in co-operation with UNICEF has prepared this psychosocial project for implementation in seven affected provinces, namely Kocaeli, Sakarya, Yalova, Bolu, Istanbul, Bursa, and Eskisehir. It proposes public health interventions through the educational system, with support from the health system. The educational system is essential to reach children and adolescents affected by the disaster, while the traditional health and mental health services plays a crucial role for specialised services to the most affected child populations and for the adult population in general.

What?

This project consists of three phases and is being implemented by UNICEF and MoNE. The first phase consisted in the training of 65 experts, psychologists, psychiatrists, and school counsellors on debriefing techniques. During the second phase, 289 school counsellors in the affected areas were debriefed and trained on debriefing techniques. In turn, the trained school counsellors debriefed 8,235 teachers. The debriefing of teachers is crucial, as it is believed that a teacher who himself is deeply traumatised and left on his own to recover, will not function at his optimal as a teacher – simply because he is too busy to cope with his own trauma. The third phase aims at accelerating normal recovery in 240,000 children who are having normal traumatic stress reactions. This phase will be based on classroom interventions in selected schools in affected areas.

While the second phase of the project is ending with additional debriefing of teachers, UNICEF is preparing the third phase together with MoNE. The last phase of the project will be implemented throughout 2000. For each seven provinces where the project is being implemented, the following table indicates the number of teachers debriefed. Out of 39,834 teachers working in these provinces prior to the earthquakes, it shows that UNICEF together with MoNE debriefed 8,235 teachers working specifically in the earthquake zones. It is worth mentioning that the original target envisaged by MoNE was to debrief 6,000 teachers.

• UNICEF/SHCEK Agreement

On 25 November, UNICEF and the Department of Social Services and Child Protection (SHCEK) signed an agreement, which aims to train 400 social workers to handle psychosocial interventions in the tent cities. To date, all 400 social workers were debriefed and trained to handle child recreational plays in emergency situations. This 4-month project is expected to promote the Child Friendly Environment concept for children in Turkey. In Panel 2 below, a Feature Story tells the trauma experienced by children and UNICEF activities in Child Friendly Spaces in tented camps to minimise those trauma.

Panel 2: After the earthquake, children's dreams live on in drawings

The earthquake that shook Turkey on 17 August killed around 18,000 people, wounded 24,000 and forced more than 200,000 from their homes. It also shattered the lives and dreams of thousands of children who lost families, friends and schools to the destruction. Now, many of the children in camps for the displaced are being helped to overcome their trauma through psychosocial activities supported by UNICEF. These activities encourage the children to express their feelings through writing, drawing and play.

Yasemin, 8, draws a crying sun to describe the calamity that has changed her life. In her new home in the tent city of Emirdag, the largest camp for the displaced in the town of Adapazari, she also draws helicopters and tents. These images have replaced the flowers, birds and trees she used to create just a few weeks ago, and she is complaining about not being able to draw happy pictures as well as before. It is hoped that her continued participation in the programme will help 'rescue' memories of her former life from the earthquake.

Many children like Yasemin are far more sensitive than they were before the disaster. An unusual noise in the tent city is enough to make them cry and even faint. Some children hang on to their mothers, not letting them leave their side for even a short time. Others follow their mothers around like a shadow.

An UNICEF volunteer, who works in the Budakli tent camp of Adapazari, reports that some children have lost interest in any activity, even drawing. "There cannot be anything worse than just a blank white paper -- even a dot means something," she says. To help counter this passivity, the volunteer has tried to teach children origami and interactive drawing, a participatory activity that involves contributing thoughts and ideas as well as listening.

At first Ilker, a boy of 10, could not draw anything. He had not talked since he was rescued after being buried in ruins for five days. The volunteer began to help him by asking him to select a pencil. He could not decide which one. She chose the yellow one. Ilker waited, then chose the blue one. The game had started. Then the volunteer drew a yellow circle. After a few minutes of silence, Ilker copied her, making a blue circle. He then started to draw. A sign of hope?

During the same art therapy session, Defne, 12, wrote a story about "the dream of two friends." It was about two children travelling outside of Turkey, who miss their families very much. While writing this story, Defne stopped suddenly and said, "I have no mother and father anymore."

The psychological impact of the disaster is immense. UNICEF, together with its partners, is developing and implementing a larger psychosocial programme for children and youth that will take place primarily in schools in earthquake-affected areas. Part of UNICEF's Recovery Plan for Turkey's Children, the programme covers children's physical, mental and emotional well being and involves a vast effort to train thousands of teachers. Guided by UNICEF-trained psychologists, the teachers will learn how to identify signs of trauma among school children and to address problems. The programme aims to help children express their needs, thoughts and emotions and develop ways of coping with their new circumstances - to bring back light to their lives.

As of 14 December 1999, contributions to UNICEF Recovery Plan for Turkish Children amounted to US$ 13,508,423. Only 5% or US$ 699,577 of the required total amount has not been covered yet. US$ 6,379,959 has been received/pledged from UNICEF National Committees, and US$ 7,128,464 from Governments. The following table provides a breakdown of the funds received/pledged: