Mother of quake victims sets up foundation named after her children

İZMİR

The names of the twins who lost their lives in the 6.6-magnitude İzmir earthquake in 2020 will be beared by the foundation established by their mothers.

Tülin Batmaz, the mothers of twins Sayra and Çınar Alpgündüz, who lost their lives in the earthquake that left 115 people dead and injured over 1,000 in the western province of İzmir, transformed the İyilik İkizim (My Kindness Twin) movement founded after the quake into the Sayra and Çınar Foundation.

The goal of the movement’s volunteers, who had previously established five libraries, planted saplings, fed stray animals, created an orchard in Africa, provided scholarships, and helped children in the dormitories of the General Directorate of Child Services and in village schools, was to “continue the unfinished missions of Sayra and Çınar,” Batmaz said.

Noting that they have been working like a foundation for more than two years, Batmaz said, “It made much more sense for us to gather all the projects we have done under one roof.”

“Our biggest goal when establishing the foundation is to be the future of children, she added. “If the child has a need for education or social, psychological, or cognitive support, we will meet.”

Stating that she waited for the twins to be pulled from the wreckage for four hours, she said, “Those who survived the search efforts were applauded, while those who could not be saved were not. I completed the story of the unapplauded with the foundation that produces charity projects.”

According to the Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change Ministry, inspections conducted in the wake of the disaster revealed that nearly 630 buildings were heavily damaged and 605 buildings were mildy damaged due to the quake, while nearly 8,000 structures suffered little damage. It even caused a small tsunami in the Seferihisar district, flooding the streets of the town.

Nearly 400 heavily damaged buildings have been demolished by authorities.

Bayraklı and Bornova were the districts most affected. Authorities identified seven sites in Bayraklı to build new homes for the earthquake victims.