After the national day of action for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, about 88.9 million euros have been collected on Giro555. This was announced on Wednesday evening in the action center in Sound & Vision in Hilversum.
“It is overwhelming how much money has been given throughout the Netherlands,” says Giro555 campaign chairman Michiel Servaes. “So many people have taken action by calling our panel or donating online, but actions have also been set up throughout the country by young and old. And all that money is badly needed and is well spent on emergency aid in Turkey and Syria. Giro555 remains open for earthquake victims.”
The counter stood at more than 54.7 million euros just after 7 p.m. and continued to rise in the evening. At the beginning of the afternoon, the balance was 41.9 million euros and the action day started with an amount of more than 28.6 million euros.
Giro555’s national action day for earthquake victims started at 5.55 am in Sound & Vision. About two hundred well-known Dutch people and representatives of the Turkish and Syrian communities helped in the call panel or on social media.
One of the people who helped on the call panel is Secretary of State Gunay Uslu (Culture and Media). She said she spoke to several people on the phone, including a 90-year-old who had lived through the Second World War and someone from Bosnia and Herzegovina who had lived through the war there.
“They were very nice conversations,” said Uslu. “People are very emotional and want to help, even if they don’t have it themselves.” According to the State Secretary, the feeling ‘we have to do something’ kept coming back in the conversations.
