An international team consisting of seven Turkish, three German and two Iraqi Emergency Pedagogues has been working in a village in Hatay province since June 24. "The destruction in the area is very clear," reports Head of Mission Fiona Bay, "Some areas have already been cleaned up, but debris still dominate the overall picture." Many people are living in tents - sometimes right outside their destroyed homes. The village's school has been closed since the earthquake. The team works in the school with 30 to 50 children in the mornings. "We notice that the children struggle a lot with nightmares," Bay says, " The still consistently occurring earthquakes are small but a constant trigger for the population." The Emergency Pedagogy meets the needs of the children: “They are hungry for activities, playing together and singing. They ask for homework, they really feel like being active and learning something." Children quickly settle into the rhythm, know which songs are associated with which activities, and adopt these structures even when the team is not on site.

In addition to working with the school children, the team also works with parents and offers a playgroup for small children and toddlers. The parenting work includes psychoeducation on trauma, grief work and stabilization, body work and the opportunity to express oneself artistically. The need among participants is great. All of them have lost children, grandchildren or other close relatives in the earthquake - often after days of uncertainty. The recovery of those lost and survivors took days, and some have not even been found to this day. Adding to this is the realization for many that it will be a long time before normality returns. A feeling of hopelessness is spreading among many, also in view of the fall and winter, which many will have to spend in a tent even at low temperatures.

The urgency of the work was also evident at a training session for about 35 teachers and social workers working in schools and kindergartens. Participants reported back that they would like to take advantage of such trainings on a regular basis. "They want input that will help them in their work with the children," reports Head of Mission Fiona Bay. The desire is understandable because, "The participants are survivors themselves who lost close relatives and caregivers in the earthquake."

Another important area of work for the current team in Türkiye is the establishment of local structures so that the work can continue independently on site.