SINGAPORE - The Turkish Embassy here has temporarily stopped accepting in-kind donations for victims of the deadly Turkey-Syria earthquake due to overwhelming response.
A call has also gone out for volunteers to help sort and pack the various items that have been dropped off.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, the embassy said that due to the large inflow of donations of winter clothing, among others, it has temporarily suspended accepting such donations until further notice.
The post added: “This decision aims to reflect our determination to make full use of the incoming donations, and our sensitivity to fully respect the generosity extended by our Singaporean friends.”
On Thursday at around 11.30am, the embassy put up a post on its social media channels directing donors from its embassy’s premises at SGX Centre 1, to a collection point at 10 Genting Lane, after its office ran out of space.
Media reports and social media images showed snaking queues of donors with bags at the lobby of SGX Centre on Thursday morning.
On Friday, furniture shop Bless Brothers posted an Instagram video showing dozens of bags and boxes of items that have been sent in, and called for volunteers to help sort, pack and label them.
According to the video, volunteers are needed at two locations: 20 Ayer Rajah Crescent and 10 Genting Lane.
Earlier this week, the Turkish embassy had put out a call for donations for items such as adults’ and children’s winter clothes, and supplies such as tents, blankets and diapers.
The embassy intends to send donations to Turkey and Syria on Monday.
The death toll of Monday’s magnitude-7.8 tremor, which hit Turkey and the north-western regions of its neighbour Syria, climbed to over 19,000 as at Thursday night. The death toll is expected to rise.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has sent two teams of officers from its elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team to aid in rescue efforts.
Working with local Turkish and Spanish rescue teams, one of the teams on Wednesday rescued a boy from the rubble of a building in a three-hour operation.
Several Singapore charities have also started fund-raising drives for victims.
Humanity Matters – a Singapore interfaith charity – is working with the Turkish Embassy in Singapore to send items such as surgical respirators and oxygen chambers to victims and first responders in Turkey.
Singapore disaster relief agency Mercy Relief and local charity Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) are teaming up with Turkish agency Hayrat Humanitarian Aid Association to provide on-the-ground relief such as hot meals and blankets to victims.
Donation boxes will also be placed at all mosques in Singapore from Feb 10 to 16.
The public can send donations via Mercy Relief’s website or make fund transfers to its bank account (DBS: 054-900741-2).
For RLAF’s fundraiser, members of the public can donate via PayNow (UEN: 200910530ZRLA, indicate “TurkiyeSyria2023” in remarks) or bank transfer (OCBC: 601313315001), or by mailing a cheque to RLAF or the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore.
