Brussels citizens do ‘fantastic’ work to bring relief to Türkiye: Mayor

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – Hundreds of volunteers have worked around the clock in the Brussels expo center since Tuesday to send humanitarian aid to the victims of the major earthquakes that hit Türkiye.

“So far, 20 trucks full of winter clothes, blankets, sleeping bags, canned food, baby diapers, and formula left this place” to bring aid to those in need – with countless quake victims in 10 Turkish provinces in need of aid – Fikriye, a donations coordinator, told Anadolu.

“By Monday, three other trucks will also leave for Türkiye,” she added, explaining that none of the transport companies accepted money for the deliveries even if members of the public and businesspeople wanted to chip in.

A cargo plane and a ship, as well as 10 trucks carrying aid from other parts of Belgium, have also departed over the past week, since the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes hit Türkiye on Monday.

“It’s fantastic what I have seen here over the past week,” Philippe Close, mayor of the city of Brussels, told Anadolu.

He praised the “very dynamic Turkish community” and people who come to give a hand, often after finishing school or work.

In order “to show our solidarity with the people in Turkey,” the city of Brussels shared the expo center, “this wonderful place to welcome all the aid of the citizens” and contacted hospitals for drugs and medical equipment, he explained.

People can bring their donations to collection points all over the town or take boxes directly to the expo, which is located on the outskirts of the city, easily accessible for bigger vehicles, Close stressed.

- Blankets, diapers, food and drink

Most of the aid arrives by car but Anadolu also saw people walking from the nearest tram stop and carrying a bag with a brand-new winter coat or big packages of baby diapers.

When a van arrives, a group of young men, often teenagers who just came from school, rush to unload the cargo with impressive harmony and speed.

The containers then go to triage where the volunteers sort out the goods to be sent.

“The boxes are often mixed, so we have to sort them out,” explains Marianne.

Marianne, who is Belgian of Senegalese origin and works for an NGO called Al Nabi, decided to come to help in her free time “to contribute to (alleviating) this sad situation.”

“Only the best items will be sent to Türkiye, the rest will be given to the Belgian Red Cross,” she added.

“Many shop owners contributed too with new blankets, sleeping bags, shoes,” says Fikriye.

Local restaurants and groceries also send drinks and food for the busy volunteers.

Homemade treats can be found as well, with Anadolu’s reporter offered a delicious “pisi,” or fried puff pastry.

Fikriye estimates that over one-third of the country’s Turkish community took part in the relief efforts so far, while “a lot of Moroccan people, as well as local Italian and Belgian businesspeople also contributed.”

The donations center has now amassed so many items that they plan to send cargo to Syria as well.

“We can’t keep everything for ourselves, we’re human and have to share,” said Fikriye, who is already in touch with an organization with relations to Syria.

The quakes, centered in Kahramanmaras, southern Türkiye, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, and killed over 22,300 people, according to the latest figures.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.