Author: Dallandyshe Xhaferri
For Ecem Erdogan, the fear left by the earthquake in Turkey is mixed with the hope for help. From February 6, when the earth shook and took more than 50 thousand lives, many countries, among them Albania, continue to give their help. For Albania, the voluntary support brought out once again that in addition to financial assistance, we still need more awareness about volunteering in humanitarian situations.
"I was located 1 thousand kilometers away from the epicenter of the earthquake, but I was so desperate... cities were collapsing and we could not prevent anything", Ecem Erdogan, a student of English at the University of Istanbul, tells "Sinjalizo". One of the countries that offered help for the tragedy is our country. Haki Çako, Director of the National Agency of Civil Protection (AKMC), says to "Sinjalizo" that between the two countries there is a direct government agreement approved between the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama and the Turkish President, Rexhep Taip Erdogan.
Turkey is the friendly country that after the November 26 earthquake, four years ago, financed the construction of 522 apartments in Laç.
"42 were the specialized forces. There were a total of 5 volunteers who went afterwards and 2 volunteer doctors who joined in Istanbul"- says about "Signalizo" Haki Čako.
Then, he states that in total "86 forces of the Albanian side participated in the operation from February 7 to February 15 in the city of Malatja". among them are also registered "15 personnel from the Armed Forces".
"For all participation, there is a compensation formula from the General Directorate of Civil Emergencies in Brussels, since we are members of the civil defense and it goes up to 70% of the contribution, which is compensated by the joint contributions made in the membership of the European Civil Protection system", - adds Haki Chako.
Through an official response, the Ministry of Finance and Economy emphasizes to "Sinjalizo" that; "To the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in the approved budget for 2023, a counter value in lek is added to the fund of 1 (one million) euros, for the provision of humanitarian financial aid by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania for the support of the government of Turkey for the damages caused by the earthquake of February 000, 000". This institution further mentions that "this donated value constitutes 0,02% of the state budget expenses. "
Albania with few volunteers
Nebi Muçaj, Director of the Voluntary Center for Civil Emergencies, admits to "Sinjalizo" that 10 people from this center served as volunteers in Turkey, while in total the center has about 430 forces.
"We have a considerable number of volunteers joining this center, about 400-430, but we had to bring the most appropriate specialists in this field (in earthquake cases)",- he says, then adding that “The forces that have gone to Turkey are elite forces. Given the distance, terrain and time that was short, we took 10 specialized forces of our own", Muçaj concludes.
However, sources from the fire department tell "Sinjalizo" on the condition of anonymity that they have never been trained for earthquakes.
"We have never been trained on how to act in case of earthquakes and the tools we use have not been changed even after the November 26th earthquake",- says an employee of the fire brigade.
What did we give away?
Artur Katuçi, general secretary of the Albanian Red Cross, tells "Sinjalizo" that the monetary figure collected by the Albanian people to help those affected by the earthquake in Tuqi "it reaches the value of 50 thousand dollars."
"It is a figure that we have transferred to the Turkish Crescent, - says Katuçi, adding,- "It's not a bad figure, it's not a big figure that will make a difference in the needs that will be required, but it's a figure that adds to all the great appeal that the Turkish Crescent has issued to support its operation , I think that this too will have its own contribution and at least the value of the support of the Albanian people",- he tells "Sinjalizo", admitting that the goals of the Albanian Red Cross is to help the Syrian people affected by the earthquake.
“One of our driving components in Syria is the International Committee of the Red Cross. It is located there because of the conflict that has been going on for years", - he says, adding that the aid will go to the Syrian people "it can reach the value of 20 thousand dollars".
The girl who helped as a volunteer
Al Alwadiha is one of the foreign students in Albania who served as a volunteer in collecting aid near the mosques for the affected in Turkey.
"We collected everything from food to clothes, which we packed into age categories",- says the Ethiopian girl, adding that at the gathering point in Namazgja mosque "about 1 million ALL were collected".
The encouragement of volunteering is also missing in schools
"The funds given by our citizens were received directly, without mediation. That is, the funds collected in city squares, markets, shops, schools", Katuçi says, adding that the value collected for the earthquake in Turkey by the Red Cross "it is almost double the revenue collected for the war in Ukraine". The expert suggests launching a campaign to change the mentality about volunteering. Especially for Nebi Muçaj, it is considered important to encourage volunteering through lessons.
"More work must be done, of course. Sensitization should be, why not, an hour in schools to prepare and express, to encourage the volunteering part", - says Muçaj.
