The Child Amputees of Turkiye Earthquake

On February 6, 2023, Southern Turkiye was struck by two massive earthquakes, resulting in the loss of numerous lives and leaving many more homeless, injured, and traumatized.

As the focus of relief efforts shifts towards the long-term process of rebuilding, a new fundraising initiative called Project CATE (Child Amputees of Turkiye Earthquake) has been launched. Its primary objective is to offer a renewed lease on life to children affected by the earthquakes. Medical professionals from both the United States and Turkiye are collaborating to establish a sustainable medical support system for these children. In Turkiye, this initiative is known as the Children Goodness Center Project or Çocuk Iyilik Merkezi Projesi, which will provide the necessary medical services for these children.

Within the scope of the CATE project, 33 children have already been enrolled in the scholarship program, and 23 of them have received the prosthetics they require. Children in need of prosthetics undergo an application process under the supervision of their doctors. Once the applications are received, if deemed necessary, the children undergo a rehabilitation process to ensure a successful adjustment after receiving the prosthetics. They then become recipients of BTF (Children Goodness Center Project) scholarship. If a child has already received a prosthetic prior to applying, they are directly evaluated within the scholarship program and registered as a BTF scholarship recipient.

The goal for this year is to provide prosthetics and scholarships to a total of 100 amputee children by the end of the year.