On February 6, a severe earthquake hit the border between southern Turkey and Syria. So far, the death toll has exceeded 43,000. People from all over the world are following the rescue efforts and grieving for the victims. Even though Macau is more than 7,000 kilometers away, Macau citizens from all walks of life in have joined hands to provide assistance, contributing money and supplies to the affected area.

After the disaster, organizations such as the Macau Red Cross Society, Macau Caritas, and the Simang Association of Macau swung into action, raising relief funds and collecting relief materials. Even local shop managers offered their shops as collection points for donated materials.

The Macau Red Cross Society has donated a total of US$100,000 in emergency relief funds to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and issued an urgent appeal for donations from the general public.

Caritas Macau has also made an urgent appeal for donations, and will transfer the collected donations through Caritas International to Caritas Turkey and Caritas Syria to help local disaster victims purchase needed supplies.

The Simang Association of Macau reached an agreement with Turkish volunteers and the Turkish organization in Hong Kong, and successfully completed collection of donated materials on February 14. They were stored in cargo areas at Macau International Airport, and subsequently sent to Turkey in batches.