“Our job right now is communication. Following this earthquake, we have learned that communication is very important.”
Two staff members from SAT-7 TÜRK, who lived and grew up in the areas of Türkiye affected by the recent earthquakes, and whose families are still there, gave a very moving interview to the Channel’s Deputy Executive Director.
When asked, “What is the need in the earthquake areas right now?’ they said, “We know the area. We grew up there. Aid sometimes cannot reach the people in need in time because there is chaos. So, we want to serve, collect food, clothing, and packing materials, and organize and coordinate efforts to send them to people there. We are trying to help as much as we can.”
Asked about the channel’s programming, they replied, “We are trying to communicate accurate information to our viewers and give them encouragement and strength. For instance, in one of our programs, called Parents are Asking, we referred three children from the disaster area to Dença Kıristopuryan, our co-host and child psychologist. These children are going through a challenging, traumatic time. Dença is currently providing psychological support to them and many other children.”
When they described what is happening on the ground, according to reports from churches and local organizations, they said that in their own church, people are cooking and distributing meals to everyone. “Hot food is essential in the area because people have been eating cookies and dry food for days,” one said. They are directing food and clothing donations to the churches, which then distribute them to the public. Pastors are also sending out messages about people who need help, both Christians and non-Christians. Prayer meetings are being held in the churches; some are holding two daily prayer sessions.
Please pray for SAT-7 TÜRK staff to stay strong so that they can both continue sending messages of encouragement and biblically-based support and find ways to coordinate the delivery and distribution of essential materials to people in need in the disaster areas.