Stories from the ground
Hülya
As we always do, WCK worked with local chefs to provide culturally appropriate foods that can offer the most comfort. Hülya was one of the local chefs cooking in our Antakya kitchen. Alongside her children and husband, she managed to evacuate her building just moments before it collapsed. Unfortunately, several of her family members were not able to leave quickly enough and were buried in the rubble. She prepared meals for neighbors who also lost loved ones and their homes.
Nur
Many people in heavily impacted regions of Syria did not have the option to leave their devastated communities. This was the case for two-year-old Nur and her family in Jinderes. The family of six relies on humanitarian aid after their home was destroyed. Because of this, we expanded partnerships with local restaurants to ensure that our teams were able to increase production near hard-hit areas.
Ramazan
Ramazan was one of the local chefs who joined our Gaziantep kitchen. A chef with half a century of experience, Ramazan had set up his own soup distribution site just hours after the major earthquakes. He brought his decades of experience and local expertise to WCK’s Relief Kitchen where he became an integral part of the team that produced delicious local favorites like Ezogelin soup, bulgur, and chicken sote.