Gaziantep – Nine months since devastating earthquakes struck Türkiye’s Southeast, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has delivered more than 1,100 containers – aimed at supporting national efforts to provide shelter to affected families.

This support comes at a critical time with the winter looming. “I wonder how we are going to live through winter. We need a toilet, bathroom and cooking place,” shared Hatice, one of the site residents in Adiyaman Province, to an IOM team.

Equipped to withstand the harsh winter conditions, the containers were dispatched to Adiyaman, Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Malatya Provinces and then further set up in formal settlements by authorities.

With the capacity to accommodate five people, each container is 21 square metres in size and features a fully functional kitchen, bathroom, living area and heaters. These resilient containers will provide comfort and safety for individuals like Hatice, offering them a sense of normalcy as reconstruction efforts continue.

"These deliveries are very timely as the winter approaches, ensuring that individuals in need have a roof over their heads while offering privacy and protection,” says Firas Budeiri, IOM’s Emergency, Post-Crisis and Transition Coordinator. We worked closely with national partners to ensure that the containers are distributed to areas where they are most needed. We are planning to complete the delivery of all containers by 8 November."

The container deliveries were made possible thanks to the generous support of the Governments of Japan, Canada, Kuwait, and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, and in close cooperation with the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

This forms part of IOM’s broader support to earthquake response efforts, which include immediate humanitarian aid through non-food items to support minimum standard of living; strengthening access to primary healthcare services, hygiene and sanitation facilities, and clean water; provision of psychosocial support; maintenance and repair of communal spaces in sites; and referral of vulnerable individuals to competent humanitarian and national actors.

As part of recovery efforts, IOM emphasizes the importance of sustained humanitarian assistance, especially focusing on addressing needs brought by the winter, and support from the international community. IOM is further ready to leverage its expertise to harness the potential of migrants to meet the reconstruction’s labour demands.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Miko Alazas, Ankara, aalazas@iom.int

Olga Borzenkova, Gaziantep, oborzenkova@iom.int