The Patterson Foundation has contributed $500,000 total in unrestricted funds to strengthen immediate response and long-term recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria following the earthquake that has devastated both countries. The total includes two separate gifts designed to catalyze additional donations to The Patterson Foundation’s longtime partners, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) and NetHope, who are actively working in both countries: $375,000 to CDP's Turkey & Syria Earthquake Recovery Fund, which prioritizes medium- and long-term needs identified in collaboration with local partners, such as shelter, protection, cash assistance and health care. $125,000 to NetHope's Earthquake Response, which will provide internet connectivity for the people most affected by this disaster, technology equipment, and ensure better digital protection and cybersecurity to humanitarian aid organizations responding to the earthquake. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred Feb. 6 was one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in Turkey, killing at least 41,000 people in the southern portion of the country. More than 5,800 deaths occurred in Syria, where the earthquake threatens to worsen a complex humanitarian crisis amid more than a decade of armed conflict.

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