Gurbet and her family are victims of the earthquake in Hatay. After having lived in a tent with her husband and three children, she now lives in a very small village in the mountains of Hatay in Turkey and has adopted 6 cats and 4 dogs.
When she was one year old, she moved to the Netherlands where she grew up and married a Turkish man from Hatay. Her husband missed Turkey and decided to move back to Hatay, which was known as the gastronomic region of Turkey. Gurbet worked in an international school in the Netherlands and decided 5 years ago to move back to Turkey. After the earthquake, their house was still standing, but they were not allowed to enter the house and they were too scared that it might collapse so they slept in a tent for 8 months. Because the house was not completely ruined, Gurbet and her family did not receive any compensation from the government.
Slowly, as time passed by, they restored their house and now they are living there again, trying to pick up their lives.
Gurbet contacted us when we were in Hatay a year ago, during the earthquake, when she told us they were very scared and living in a tent. A while ago, Gurbet contacted us again to say that she needed help because there are many stray dogs and cats, and none in their village provides food for them. At the moment Gurbet cooks for 10 puppies, 2 mother dogs, and another adult dog called Fluffie.
Gurbet says: “We are still very scared because the shocks continue, but then I just look at the nature and the animals, and then I feel happy.”
Despite the loss that Gurbet’s family, along with thousands of other families had to endure, and the struggle to rebuild their house, she dedicates herself to helping animals in her village. She managed to find adoption families for 6 of the puppies!
Thanks to a donation from our Finnish partner organisation Animal Aid without Borders we have been able to help Gurbet to buy food for her extended four-legged family.
