Ikea sends 5000 shelters for Earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey

In the wake of the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria last week, Ikea Foundation has announced it will provide emergency shelters to those affected. The announcement follows a string of aid donations from companies in the region as they rally to provide relief to families in need. The Ikea Foundation, a charity run by the Swedish furniture giant has responded to the earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria last week by sending 5,000 flatpack shelters to people who are left homeless. The philanthropy arm of the Swedish homeware multinational has donated €10m (£8.8m) to the NGO Better Shelter, with which it developed the robust, award-winning 17.5 sq meter shelters that fit in two boxes and can be assembled without tools, reported The Guardian.

As Heggenes, the foundation's chief executive said, “As the devastating impact of the earthquake unfolds, it is clear that our collective efforts are required to support the many children and families left without a home and access to basic necessities of life. The need for safe, dignified shelter against the cold and freezing temperatures is urgent and growing.”

The first of the so-called relief housing units have already arrived in Turkey’s southern Hatay province and some were erected overnight. The foundation has also donated another €10m to Médecins Sans Frontières for healthcare assistance. The modular shelters serve as temporary homes, classrooms and clinics in more than 80 countries, including Ukraine, Bangladesh and Colombia. More than 10,000 have been erected in Syria for internally displaced people fleeing the civil war.

Amazon has been sending shipments of baby food, blankets, tents and medicines through its Istanbul warehouse over the past week and has also set up a full-scale disaster relief hub outside the city. In addition, the company has donated $600,000 to NGOs, including the World Food Programme (WFP), Save the Children, UNICEF, the Turkish and Emirates Red Crescents and Turkish search and rescue groups.

Google, Apple, Meta and Accenture have all contributed to relief efforts. Google's chief executive, Sundar Pichai, said the company had activated SOS alerts to ensure “relevant emergency information” reached to people affected, while Apple's Tim Cook said his company was donating as well. Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said it was donating $550,000 aimed at assisting aid and recovery in Turkey and Syria, while the Irish-American consultancy group Accenture has donated $1m to humanitarian NGOs.

Other major companies have also given donations to aid relief efforts. Chevron said it was donating $1m, UPS has set aside $1m for logistical support for aid shipments and FedEx has pledged similar logistical backing and also donated $100,000 to the Turkish Red Crescent. Allianz has donated €6m and is also adding €1m staff donations, while Deutsche Telekom has made calls and text messages from Germany to Turkey and Syria free of charge and donated €1m to a relief project. Bayer has set up a €1.5m disaster fund, including a donation of €200,000 to the German Red Cross for aid in Syria and launched an employee donation fund that will match.

Mercedes-Benz is donating €1m to the Red Cross and Porsche and Volkswagen are giving similar amounts to Germany's humanitarian aid platform. Lufthansa has launched aid flights to Turkey and the Danish shipping firm Maersk has donated 1,000 shipping containers to carry shipments of clothes, blankets and food. Finally, Inditex, the parent company of the fashion brands Zara, Pull&Bear, Bershka and Massimo Dutti, said it was donating €3m to aid groups active in Turkey and Syria, as well as giving 500,000 coats, jackets and jumpers to the Turkish Red Crescent.

This is a developing story and we'll update you as we learn more. The information about the earthquake is swiftly changing and Upworthy is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency of developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication.