After every high-profile emergency people naturally want to help.  Kind-hearted people set up donation drives for clothes, shoes, food and baby diapers that flood our Facebook pages.  But here are five reasons why it’s better to give cash, not commodities.

World Vision warns it could take a generation for survivors to recover. The earthquake in Syria and Türkiye has created needs greater than any other natural disaster they have responded to in over a decade.

The death toll continues to rise hour by hour and has now sadly climbed above 21,000 in both Syria and Türkiye. As the international effort gathers pace in Türkiye, Syria is significantly underserved and remains a serious concern. World Vision has worked rapidly to assess the needs to already-displaced children and communities in the wake of the earthquake and are scaling up our emergency response.

As we approach the end of the first week of emergency relief operations following the devastating earthquake in south-eastern Türkiye and northern Syria, please pray with us for all who have been affected.

World Vision is concerned about growing health needs in Syria where health facilities are overwhelmed by the wounded and operating at very limited capacity. Very little humanitarian aid has reached Northwest Syria in the past 4 days, and medical supplies are running out. Doctors have warned that children are at risk of developing hypothermia and being exposed to waterborne diseases.

"...if I can live my life comfortably with the money that I have, why not challenge myself to also put aside a sum of money every month to give to these children," shared Shawn.

Hundreds of thousands of children in Northern Syria are currently stranded outside of their homes and are becoming even more vulnerable to family separation, exploitation and abuse. Children are also at risk of hypothermia as they struggle to survive in freezing temperatures. Children will also be out of school as the buildings are still deemed unsafe. 

The major concerns at the moment are displaced people sleeping wherever they can. People are building fires in oil drums, sleeping outside, sleeping on chairs and in cars, trying to find anywhere that is warm, anywhere except in a building that has the potential to collapse. Buildings and homes remain unstable.

World Vision Singapore has committed an initial S$100,000, with plans to announce a public fundraising appeal shortly, to support the immediate basic needs of the children and families impacted by the catastrophic earthquake that hit a wide area in south-eastern Türkiye and Northern Syria, killing more than 2,600 people and trapping many others.