Disaster Relief and Recovery: Lessons Learned from CORE’s Small Business Support in Turkey Following the 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake

On February 6, 2023, Turkey and Syria experienced a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that resulted in immense damage to infrastructure, including roads, medical centers, and houses. The hardest-hit areas in Turkey were Hatay, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya. The disaster left over 108,000 injured individuals, over 50,000 deaths, and approximately three million people displaced. This crisis created a dire need for humanitarian assistance.

Prior to the earthquake, Turkey was already hosting around 3.5 million Syrian refugees who were once again displaced by the disaster. The economic cost of the earthquake was estimated at $104 billion USD and had severe effects on the labor market and businesses.

In response to the crisis, CORE quickly mobilized within a week to assess and address critical needs in the affected region. Cash and Voucher Assistance were the preferred modalities of response for CORE as they worked in collaboration with the Turkey Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the Ministry of Family and Social Services, and local NGOs YSYD and IHSAN Relief and Development. The response included distributing food vouchers, ready-to-eat meal kits, hygiene kits, and kitchen sets. One of the key initiatives was providing business grants and training to small businesses in Hatay Province to support early recovery efforts.

This learning brief specifically focuses on lessons learned from CORE’s small business recovery support provided to 58 business owners located in Hassa Business Park between May 15th to September 30th of 2023. The initiative aimed at scaling up this type of support in similar contexts has been recommended in this report