As the war in Syria enters its twelfth year, refugees who sought safety in neighboring Türkiye, find themselves facing unimaginable loss yet again after the devastating February 6th earthquake.

Ashraf, a father of five, fled from Aleppo to escape the war with his family. After their home in Hatay was destroyed, the family lived outside until the ground finally stopped shaking.

“Every time we try to better our situation, even worse happens. First, coronavirus came, and it stopped us from working… after Covid we got hit with this earthquake [which was] more difficult than the war we faced for ten years. Just like we left our houses in Syria, we left our houses here in Türkiye. We left without taking anything at all. No clothes, no food supplies. We were homeless for three days, and there was no shelter or home to stay in,” Ashraf said. 

CORE staffers met Ashraf in Mersin where he is living in a temporary shelter along with many other Syrian refugees. Still feeling unsettled and concerned for his family’s future, Ashraf is struggling to access basic resources for his children.