EHF Social Fund to support Turkish handball recovery initiative

The earthquakes on 6 February caused immense destruction. The official death toll stands at around 44,000, and about 1.5 million people have lost their homes. Türkiye's men's handball captain Cemal Kütahya and his family were among those to lose their lives.

In the wake of the earthquakes professional handball clubs in the affected region had to withdraw from national competitions, and sports facilities are either destroyed, damaged or being used to accommodate victims or storing disaster relief material.

Following the earthquake the Turkish Handball Federation provided relief material and organised outdoor handball activities for children living in temporary tent camps. 

However, the #HandballHeals initiative is aimed at developing a sustainable and longer term plan supporting recovery efforts. It envisages an outdoor handball field for every tent camp within the next two years, allowing children and adults to play handball on a continuous basis. The federation will also enlarge and empower its volunteers' base, and provide disaster awareness and management education to handball stakeholders.

In the longer run, the federation plans to lobby the authorities for the construction of earthquake-resistant handball halls while also supporting handball clubs and teams in the affected region for long-term growth and
resilience.

The initiative will also establish street handball as a major component of the Turkish handball system rather than a one-time emergency case instrument, and develop beach handball in the region.

#HandballHeals will have an estimated annual budget of €60,000 to cover equipment, transport and personnel costs, but the Turkish Handball Federation said it is also currently in need of size 0 and 1 balls suitable for outdoor play, outdoor handball fields and markings, portable goalposts, and bags and clothing for players. 

The initiative will be supported not only by the EHF but by other international organisations, national federations and local stakeholders. 

Photos © Turkish Handball Federation