Symbolic dining table in Berlin raises awareness of earthquake orphans in Turkiye, Syria

A prominent Islamic charity based in Berlin set up a symbolic dining table on Friday to raise awareness about the children orphaned by the devastating earthquakes that struck southern Turkiye and northern Syria in February 2023, Anadolu Agency reports.

The dining table, measuring 75 meters (246 feet) in length, was arranged by Islamic Relief and named the “Table of Orphans”. It featured empty plates and cups in memory of the earthquake orphans.

During the event in front of the German Parliament, or Bundestag, Sevgi Kulanoglu, the Charity’s representative, highlighted that the earthquakes had left tens of thousands of children orphaned and called for support and solidarity with them.

On 6 February, earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 struck 11 Turkish provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa, resulting in the loss of more than 50,000 lives.

Around 14 million people in Turkiye have been affected by the quakes as well as many others in northern Syria.

READ: Millions of children still facing dire conditions 100 days after Turkiye-Syria quakes: UNICEF