Belgium organizes fundraising radio broadcast for quake zone

BELGIUM

In a show of solidarity, Belgian radio stations arranged a nationwide joint broadcast to raise money for quake survivors in Türkiye and Syria, which were severely hit by the Kahramanmaraş centered earthquakes last month.

The devastating tremors of Feb. 6 hit 11 southern provinces in Türkiye and parts of Syria, leaving thousands of people vulnerable.

In the joint broadcast, people donated 1 euro to quake survivors with each song they requested via text message.

The broadcast is the first national fundraising event held simultaneously in Belgium’s Dutch-speaking Flemish and French-speaking Walloon regions.

In addition, the song “People Help The People” by Birdy was played on 60 European radio stations simultaneously.

In the broadcast, supported by Belgian media companies VRT, DPG Media, Play Media and Mediahuis, listeners donated by requesting songs from the radio stations.

Each text message raised 1 euro for the earthquake survivors and the collected aid was reported to be around 119.7 million Turkish liras (6,000,000 euros).

Meanwhile, the proceeds from the sale of the single “People Help the People” will be transferred to Turkish organizations that are helping earthquake survivors.

The campaign was led by the “12 -12” consortium, which unites several organizations in Belgium to provide humanitarian aid during natural disasters or severe national crises in developing countries.