On Monday (Feb. 6), Turkey and Syria were hit by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake and a series of aftershocks that devastated both countries. As of press time, the death toll has climbed to over 20,000 reported dead. Over 72,300 people are reported missing following the earthquake. Countries worldwide are helping with the relief efforts in Turkey and Syria. Mexico even sent trained rescue dogs to assist with the search and rescue efforts.
Many celebrities are also lending their support to Turkey and Syria as both countries recover. On Thursday (Feb. 9), Shakira asked people to donate to UNICEF’s official relief campaign.
“Thousands of lives have been lost this week due to the earthquake affecting Turkey and Syria-thousands more have been displaced and left with no home, and those most affected by this tragedy, as always, will be children left without protection,” she wrote while asking people to donate to the UNICEF campaign.
Her Super Bowl halftime co-headliner, Jennifer Lopez, also posted a link to the UNICEF campaign. UNICEF will be providing relief and aid in Turkey and Syria. The campaign says it’s “stepping up humanitarian assistance to children and families affected, in coordination with partners, while assessing the impact of the earthquakes.” David Beckham and Orlando Bloom have also spread the word about UNICEF’s campaign.
Lopez encouraged her fans to donate to another relief fund as well. The Turkish Philanthropy Funds says in its campaign that “all donations will provide direct and immediate support to families in need.”
In a post on Instagram, Enrique Iglesias informed his fans about the disaster with slides from Save The Children. The Spanish singer encouraged people to donate to the non-profit organization’s relief fund for Turkey and Syria.