Rebuilding from the ground up: Emergency Smile in Türkiye
In February 2023, a devastating earthquake struck near the Türkiye-Syria border, leaving entire communities in ruins and causing immense humanitarian suffering. Thousands of families were displaced, mourning the loss of loved ones, homes, and a sense of safety. In the wake of this tragedy, RED NOSES International launched an Emergency Smile scouting mission in Türkiye, followed by a four-week mission in April 2023 to provide emotional relief to those affected. At the start of 2024, our team returned for another scouting mission, paving the way for two additional missions in 2024.
Reconnecting with communities in need
Our team operated in the Hatay region, one of the hardest-hit areas in the earthquake zone, where destruction is still visible in every corner. The levels of dust and debris remain high, posing health risks, particularly for people with respiratory issues such as asthma. Despite these challenges, our mission was focused on reaching children, youth, and families in need of psychosocial relief.
Making a difference: over 1,900 people reached in four weeks
During the initial four-week mission, the team collaborated with seven dedicated partner organisations, allowing us to reach a total of 1,908 people, including 1,494 children and youth, as well as 63 unaccompanied minors. Our outreach took us to local schools and to displacement camps, where we brought laughter to both Turkish and Syrian families and children coping with the aftermath of the earthquake.
Expanding impact through schools
During our second four-week mission, we reached an incredible number of people, more than double the number we reached during the first mission. This success was due to our increased familiarity with the territory, as it was our fifth time in Türkiye, and our focus on schools, where we often reached over 1,000 children at a time. Teachers mentioned that many of the kids attending the show had never seen this type of performance before. It is our hope these joyful moments will stay in their hearts for a long time.
Here is what one of our clowns had to share about a memorable moment:
"I want to share a funny moment that happened when we visited the city container in Türkiye. The city container isn't really a displacement camp but a city that people recreated with containers after the earthquake.
We went at sunset. We had two containers with a sort of corridor between them at our back and 300 children and adults forming a semicircle in front. The show was beautiful because they were so happy we were there. As it got dark, people started using their own torches to make light, which was really touching.
As the show came to an end, we were unsure what to do. Usually, we do a parade or play with the kids. But as it was getting pitch dark, we thought it might be problematic and maybe unsafe for the kids to roam around, considering there were so many. But it's really hard to leave the scene when you have such a big crowd!
After talking with the Head of Mission and the organization we partnered with, we had to make a fast escape! They drove our car to the end of the corridor, at the back of where we performed, and quite silently, we made our way to the car after a bit! We really felt a bit like pop stars!"pop stars!" — Luciana Emergency Smile clown artist
RED NOSES International is committed to continuing our work to bring laughter, hope, and healing to those most in need. If you would like to contribute to future missions like the ones in Türkiye, please visit this link. Your support means the world to us!
