TÜrkİye

Save the Children in Türkiye has been at the forefront of protecting children and fostering their futures since 2013. Our work focuses on Istanbul and Hatay, addressing the needs of children from refugee and host communities through child protection, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), education, and livelihoods.

Following the devastating February 6, 2023, earthquakes, which displaced 3 million people across 11 provinces, we immediately expanded our efforts to assist children and families in Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, and Kahramanmaraş. Our support covers child protection, MHPSS, education, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene, livelihoods, and nutrition, through interventions and projects directly implemented by us or in collaboration with our partners and the government of Türkiye. Save the Children is committed to ensuring that all children in Türkiye survive, learn, and are protected.

Children in Türkiye are facing significant challenges in accessing a healthy start to life, schooling and safety against social vulnerabilities. The needs are persisting, particularly after the massive destruction across southern Türkiye in the aftermath of February 2023 earthquakes. The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes resulted in a large-scale humanitarian crisis, directly affecting 9.1 million people, including 2.5 million children and 1.7 million refugees. More than 50,000 lives were lost, 2.7 million people were displaced, and essential services were disrupted. There are still some families struggle to access basic needs such as safe water, shelter, healthcare, education, and protection, while widespread loss of livelihoods continues to deepen poverty for those most affected. The disaster left countless workers without livelihoods and rendered many workplaces unusable, underscoring the immense challenges of economic and social recovery¹, many families in affected regions are still struggling to recover. This economic instability compounds the existing vulnerabilities of millions, particularly children.

Türkiye hosts one of the world’s largest refugee population, with 3.1 million registered refugees, including 2.9 million Syrians under temporary protection, and around 220,000 refugees and asylum seekers from other nationalities². Already, 90% of refugees faced challenges meeting basic needs before the earthquakes. The disaster has heightened these difficulties, with families relying on precarious informal work or humanitarian assistance³. Many refugees face barriers to essential services like healthcare and education, while negative coping mechanisms, such as rationing food and incurring debt, have become increasingly common. Children from refugee families face unique risks, including discrimination, language barriers, and limited access to education. Across the country, over 300,000 school-aged refugee children remain out of school⁴, leaving them more vulnerable to child labour and exploitation.

The earthquakes have disrupted education for 4 million children, including 390,000 refugee children. An estimated 2,100 schools in the hardest-hit provinces were destroyed or damaged, forcing children into temporary learning spaces or out of the education system altogether. Barriers such as economic hardship, transportation issues, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient teaching materials, and lack of specialized support for children with disabilities have made returning to school and sense of normalcy especially difficult. For refugee children, these challenges are compounded by systemic issues such as language differences and difficulties with school registration⁵. Without immediate action, children risk long-term impacts on their learning, development, and future opportunities. Having survived so much destruction and loss, children are also still experiencing psychological problems including anxiety, depression and fear. Yet with many educational and community settings, that provided safe spaces for healing and playing remaining damaged or inaccessible, make it challenging for children to rebuild their sense of safety and normalcy.

Economic strains are also likely to have protection implications for children in Türkiye, in addition to heightened protection risks in the earthquake affected regions. Despite robust economic growth, persistent high inflation continues to erode purchasing power, disproportionately impacting lower-income households that allocate a significant portion of their expenses to essential needs like food.