We, as the Setur Marinas team, still feel the devastation of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake deeply. We continue to work under the leadership of Koç Holding to heal the damage caused by the earthquake.

 

Görkem Baygın, Setur Marinas Ayvalık Front Office Representative

 

Carrying out activities in almost every field since the first moment of the earthquake, from search and rescue operations to the shelter needs of earthquake victims, from meeting urgent needs to overcoming social deficiencies, Koç Holding continues to support the region affected by the earthquake today. As the Hope Towns in Adıyaman, İskenderun, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya, consisting of 5 thousand container homes where 20 thousand people will live, rise one by one, the faces of the people in the region are starting to brighten a little with time passing and the aid coming in.

 

 

Hope Towns offer a different approach not only with the shelter they provide, but also with their green areas, sports facilities, playgrounds, libraries, kindergartens, technology, and kitchen workshops to ensure the development of children and youth. They are created by addressing financial challenges while not ignoring social needs. That is because the aim is not only to make the region livable again, but also to reconnect the people of the region to life and enable them to participate in production. Through this perspective, Hope Towns also create a space for women's solidarity.

 

 

An important aspect of all these efforts is that Koç Holding employees take responsibility individually and the army of volunteers formed by them takes the initiative. There are, of course, many members of the Setur Marinas family among the volunteers.

 

One of them is Fatma Erkoç from Setur Marinas Antalya, who works in Hope Town area in Adıyaman. Fatma focused on the children of Hope Town during her stay in the earthquake region and tried to be there for them by playing games with them throughout the day. "Although we try to make our presence felt from a distance, I think being with the earthquake victims in person, listening to them, affecting their lives has a different meaning. I believe this is a fundamental need to regenerate hope", she says.

 

 

I went to Adıyaman region as a volunteer and experienced some of the most meaningful moments of my life here. It is hard for me to describe the impact on me of the class hours and big hugs we had with the 1st graders. What impressed me the most in the container town was the sadness of the silence I felt on one street and the joy of solidarity I saw on another. I realized that Hope Towns have a meaning beyond hope, that they bring people closer to the essence of life. I therefore invite you to volunteer in regions affected by the earthquake. Because to me, if there is one thing that never fails, it is "hope".

 

Photographs: Görkem Baygın