Team from Banbury Mosque return from 'humbling' Turkey earthquake aid trip

The three volunteers from the Madni Masjid Mosque returned from their second trip donating food and aid to those affected by the series of deadly earthquakes in the southeast of Turkey last Saturday (March 23).

The small team spent five days in some of the worst-hit areas of the country, overseeing and directing how the money raised by the generous community in Banbury is being spent.

So far, the mosque has raised almost £4,000 via its JustGiving donation page, ensuring that entire villages of hundreds of people have food packages and water supplies for the next month.

The mosque is working with a team in Turkey to buy and prepare £40 Ramadan food packs, which consist of rice, lentils, tea, sugar, cooking oil, and other long-lasting food supplies to help them get through the month of fasting.

One of the members of the team, Munir Noor, said: "It has been an absolutely eye-opening experience. You see a lot on TV, and it looks bad, but until you actually go there and see it with your own eyes, it's very different.

"You can drive for miles and miles and all the buildings are completely abandoned. Many of the buildings still standing have large cracks in them, and people are afraid to return to their houses because of the aftershocks and the fear of their buildings collapsing, so they are living in tents.

"It's complete devastation, people in the rural areas have lost their animals, which has resulted in them losing their income and way of life. It will take many years for them to rebuild."

The days for the team were long and involved many hours of driving and travelling to remote areas, however, the gratitude of the Turkish people really touched those from Banbury who took the trip and inspired them to provide further help.

Rashad Elahi said: "The people are very grateful and really appreciate seeing us there helping. We gave sweets to some children and words couldn’t describe the smiles on their faces, it was absolutely amazing to see.

"They are so grateful for the small gifts of kindness, it has really humbled us. We think that we have problems in our lives, but when we see what they have been through and how they cope with it, it makes us re-evaluate."

Munir said: "These people are proud people, so it's very hard for them to ask for help. They used to give charity to others, but now their lives have been turned upside down. It's hard to see them like this."

The mosque is now preparing to send another small team to Turkey at the end of Ramadan because, although the incredible work they have done has helped many, there is still much more to be done to rebuild the area.

Rashad said: "We would like to thank everyone for their hard work and donations; they are much appreciated by the people of Turkey. We could not have done any of this without the help of the community. Please continue to send donations, and we will try our best to help those people in need."

To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/banbury-mosque-ramadan-food-pack-appeal-2023