Hungarian Businesses Help Earthquake Victims in Turkey

At the initiative of the formwork, scaffolding production and engineering services firm PERI Hungary, an unprecedented charity campaign has been launched by Hungarian construction companies, contributing to the work of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid in Turkey, supporting the humanitarian work in the earthquake-affected area with between HUF 100,000 and HUF one million. The charity gala was held at the Aria Hotel Budapest, which also joined the list of donors.

Three months have passed since the earthquakes in Turkey began. The disaster area is larger than Hungary, affecting an area of around 110,000 square kilometers, including 11 major cities and a total of 14 million people. One of the great disasters of the century has killed more than 50,000 people. Although the tragedy has fallen from the headlines, major Hungarian construction companies have put relief efforts on the agenda.

23 major Hungarian structural engineering and investment companies accepted the invitation of PERI to donate to the victims of the earthquake in Turkey. The Guest of Honor at the event was the Turkish Ambassador to Hungary, Gülşen Karanis Ekşioğlu, who attended the charity dinner with her husband, Ekrem Ekşioğlu and Deputy Ambassador Meltem Güney.

According to the Ambassador “Hungarians are our true friends and will remain so forever... In these difficult days, even the smallest support makes a big difference. I believe that every drop of help becomes an ocean of hope for the victims of the earthquake and helps them to return to life."

The donations have been made to the Hungarian Interchurch Aid, the staff of which have been working in the earthquake-affected areas from the very first days of the disaster. The charity's President and CEO, László Lehel, has just returned from the scene of the disaster. In his speech, he said that after the rescue phase, they have established local cooperation, are involved in international coordination and, organized from Iskenderun, are working with local partner organizations to set up containers, provide housing and help with food and hygiene distribution in a six-month humanitarian aid program.

Miklós Ézsiás, the Managing Director of PERI Hungary, which organised the charity gala dinner, stressed that PERI is a family business with presence in 70 countries, which also means that if there is a problem somewhere, they know about it and will help. "It is important in any profession, including ours, to have positive common goals that forge us into a community beyond business interests," he said.

The donation event was also attended by Turkish businessmen living in Hungary, including Hakan Yildiz, an important player in the domestic construction industry, engineer and founder of Tura Group. In his speech, he stressed that Hatay province, which was severely affected by the earthquake, has always symbolized a kind of cultural bridge between Western and Eastern civilizations, as the region is home to many Christian cultural heritages, such as the St. Peter's Cave in Antakya. The businessman thanked Hungary and the Hungarian people for their support and help in the rescue efforts so far.