Norwegian-Turkish Julie Gamze Aydogan grew up in Bergen, but now lives in Ankara in Turkey with her fiance Abdulrahman Haddad. Haddad has fled Aleppo in Syria. The couple now see that the family is in yet another crisis after the powerful earthquake on the night of 6 February. – I feel powerless, and it eats away. One sees terrible and cruel videos broadcast on the news. At the same time, the world must move on. It is incredibly difficult, she says. In Ankara, which is outside the earthquake zones, according to Aydogan, there is a heavy atmosphere. In Turkey, inflation was already high before the earthquakes, and in Syria the population already had few funds due to the ongoing civil war. Getting emergency aid into the country can be complicated. The need to help is strong for the couple. – We know how to send money quickly across the border in a way that ensures that it is received and disposed of in an orderly manner, she says. Earthquake victims in Idlib in Syria on 8 February 2023. Over 37,000 people have been confirmed dead after the powerful earthquake on the night of 6 January. Photo: AA/ABACA / Abaca Aydogan has therefore, like many others, started a private fundraising campaign. She wants to support the local business community. – The civilian population should not be underestimated. They have lived 13 years of civil war. They have incredible resilience, have lived through major crises and have experience of this, says the 25-year-old. So far, Norwegians have given NOK 5.7 million to private fundraising for the earthquake victims through Spleis. But many of the large aid organizations are skeptical about private collections. Asking people to send to the big organizations – I think the best way to contribute now is to give money to humanitarian organizations that have a presence. Money gives emergency aid organizations the opportunity to contribute where the need is greatest, says Cecilie Thuv, marketing director at the Red Cross. On Friday, 199 different private fundraisers were started through Sparebank1’s Spleis service. This is a fundraising service where private individuals can collect money for specific purposes. More private fundraisers are constantly appearing. Photo: Julianne Bråten Mossing / news But the willingness to donate has also been great to the established organisations, according to aid organizations news has spoken to. On Monday, Vipps opened its own number in collaboration with six large aid organisations. After 24 hours, NOK 750,000 had been collected. The collaboration was also present after the war in Ukraine broke out. NOK 90 million was collected during the first three weeks. – People have to assess for themselves how they want to help, but what we see is that the experienced aid organizations are effective and reach those who need it, says Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap), Minister for Foreign Affairs. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap) advises people to give to the big organisations. Photo: Anders Tvegård / news Julie Gamze Aydogan says she was unsure whether it was a good idea to start a private fundraiser, but came to the conclusion that it was the right thing to do. – I understand that it can lead to the large organizations not getting enough. But I think the positive benefits of private fundraising can outweigh the negatives. My fiance and his family have a lot of experience and can help. They sit and wait and ready to help their people. I want to help them to be able to do this, and we know how money is sent across the border quickly, she says. She believes it is good that there is no monopoly for fundraising. – Perhaps a family has lost their house, but can get money and funds into their shop. It is about getting money into the country, which has had incredibly bad economic conditions for many years, says the 25-year-old. Abdulrahman Haddad and Julie Gamze Aydogan. Photo: Private – Trust-based Per Kristian Haugen, general manager of the Collection Control, says there are both advantages and disadvantages to giving money to private collections. – If you have contacts and family you want to help, then the advantage is that you make sure that the money goes to exactly those you want to help. In Norway, there are no legal provisions that regulate how fundraising should take place. Therefore, it is free to start fundraising, such as via Spleis. – Private actions are based on trust. Then it’s about the extent to which you trust the person, and whether the person has considered what was written in order to get help, he says. He says a small number are caught for fraud in connection with fundraising for non-profit purposes. In addition, it can be difficult for private individuals in Norway to assess which help is most needed, according to Haugen. – If you want help to arrive in the most efficient way possible, we recommend using the more established organisations. They have a more established network on the ground, he says. Per Kristian Haugen is daily manager in the collection control. Photo: Trond Løkke / Collection control Tone Mesna, communications manager at Spleis, says they are extra vigilant during major crises and review all collections manually. – Spleis is a trust-based service, and we assume that the information given in Spleis is correct, that the purpose for which it is collected is real and that the money after payment is used for the purpose for which it was collected, she says. – Drop collection of clothing and equipment Haugen and the large aid organizations are ready for a type of aid that can be dropped. When the war in Ukraine broke out, it didn’t take long before “diaper mountains” were stuck on the border. Haugen asks people to drop private collection of clothes, food and equipment. – It turns out time and time again that aid sent with the best of intentions in large containers is left at the border. They take up important space in warehouses. If they are not well marked or linked to a good network, then it is more of a burden than a help, he says. Hi! Do you have any tips for things I should look at? Then I’d love to hear from you!
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