American actress Ashley Judd visiting Türkiye’s quake-hit areas

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) – Famous American actress and global goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ashley Judd, has been visiting the earthquake-affected areas in Türkiye since July 12 to observe the situation on the ground.

Saying that she went to Hatay first and then came to Kahramanmaras, Judd wrote on Instagram: “I am with @UNFPA at informal tent settlements where Turkish folks and Syrian refugees live, displaced by the apocalyptic earthquakes of spring 2023. They hit 145,000 square miles and directly affected 9 million people…The families I have met are lit from within by a clear connection and belonging with each other in spite of profound trauma and loss."

“We met with our partners and humanitarian aid workers, who have been working with great devotion in the region since the first day, and the women and girls we support came together,” UNFPA said in a statement on Twitter.

Expressing satisfaction with the trust placed in UNFPA, Judd said that people welcome them in the best possible way despite the impossibilities.

“I am humbled and ever in wonder at the grace of sitting in circles with girls and women.”

She also met with women who are working together with UNFPA to help support post-earthquake healing.

“We continue to be on the ground,” the UNFPA added.

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

More than 50,000 people were killed in the two powerful earthquakes.