The earthquakes turned entire cities across Turkey and Syria into piles of rubble (Picture: Relief International)

Every time Khadija Qasim got displaced in Syria, she carried one thing with her – a sewing machine.

The 53-year-old was making a living working as a seamstress when two deadly earthquakes rocked her country and neighbouring Turkey.

More than 50,000 people were killed, thousands of others missing and millions left homeless after the disaster turned entire cities into nothing but rubble.

At the time, Khadija had fled the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, seeking refuge with her children in the town of Jindires, less than 10 miles from the Turkish border.

Khadija pictured in her tent where she lives with her son Mohamad (Picture: Relief International)

Her eldest was killed in the earthquake, while her second eldest son Mohamad had to have his arm and leg removed.

Their mum also had to undergo surgeries and had her foot amputated after being crushed.

Six months on from the disaster on February 6, Khadija sits on the ground in a tent in the camp where her family now lives.

She does not have a wheelchair to move around freely and struggles to assist Mohamad, who cannot walk.

Mohamad, who dreams of becoming a doctor, had to have his arm and leg amputated (Picture: Relief International)

‘Once we left the hospital, we moved straight into the camp. Camp life is very difficult for us as people living with disabilities,’ Khadija said.

Though devastating, Khadija and Mohamad’s story – worsened by the ongoing civil war in their country – is all too common.

Rescue teams from all over the world poured into Turkey immediately after the earthquake, but in Syria people were left to fend for themselves.

While those who survived are considered fortunate, thousands of the seriously injured still await prosthetics and assistive devices, such as wheelchairs, and physical therapy.

Mahmoud’s leg was trapped under the rubble of his home and doctors could not save it (Picture: Relief International)

Relief International and its partner on the ground, the National Syrian Project for Prosthetic Limbs (NSPPL), have since scaled up operations to support those with disabilities.

Ali Al-Ahmad, who is from the city of Tadmor in Syria, is one of the teenagers the organisations are helping at their centre in Hatay.

His family was living in Antakya when the earthquake struck, killing his mum, dad and four of his five siblings.

The 14-year-old, who was stuck under the rubble for three days, said: ‘I realised one of my nieces was alive because I could hear her crying.

People with lifelong injuries are still waiting for wheelchairs (Picture: Relief International)

‘She was only a five-month-old baby and her face was smashed and deformed.

‘One of my brothers was still alive with me too. Rescuers cut off his hand to free him, but he died as he entered the emergency room. 

‘My older brother was not at home when the earthquake struck. We are the only surviving members of our family. We now live together in a rented home in the town of Reyhanli.’

Ali was in intensive care for 100 days and underwent 25 surgeries. His entire leg including his thigh had to be amputated after being crushed.

Ali spent 100 days in intensive care and underwent 25 surgeries (Picture: Relief International)

He is currently doing physical therapy in preparation for getting a prosthetic leg.

Six months on, Ali says he still feels like his leg is there and sometimes even has electrical shocks in it. 

‘My life is completely different. My father, my mother, my sister, my brothers – all of them died,’ he said.

‘I lost my whole family. I still cannot leave the house on my own. I cannot walk far before I feel tired. Once I have a prosthetic limb I hope to be more independent.’

His entire leg including his thigh had to be amputated after being crushed (Picture: Relief International)

The extent of the physical and mental trauma survivors have experienced since the earthquakes is enormous.

Some have been pulled from the rubble after days in the cold and darkness only to discover family members have died or are missing.

Nadim Hassan’s wife and three of their four children were killed in the disaster. Only him and eight-year-old son Habib survived.

Originally from near Aleppo, in Syria, the 36-year-old lived in Hatay with his family where he worked as a concrete carpenter and owned a construction business with 50 employees.

Nadim with his eight-year-old son Habib (Picture: Idris Esen)

‘Our life was so beautiful back then; nothing was lacking. We had everything we wished to have,’ he said.

‘The earthquake was impossible to bear. My family lived on the ground level of a building with many floors.

‘I threw myself on my children but the whole structure collapsed with a blink of an eye. My daughter told me her feet were aching and painful. 

‘I told her to keep her faith and say a verse from the Quran. She began speaking but then passed away. After that, I heard the voice of my little boy but it then also disappeared.  

People carry a bodybag as residents wait for their relatives to be pulled out from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Hatay, on February 14, 2023, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake (Picture: AFP)

‘These were unimaginably hard moments for me. My son Habib was not stuck like the rest of the family.

‘He found a tunnel and managed to get out to find help. I was trapped under the rubble for four days before being rescued.’

Nadim spent 45 days in hospital before returning to Hatay. At first, doctors tried to save his leg, doing plastic surgery and installing metal plates, but a huge number of patients needed treatment and the hospitals were overcrowded.

His leg never responded as the arteries, veins and nerves were dead, and they had no choice but to amputate it.

This aerial view shows collapsed buildings during ongoing rescue operations in Kahramanmaras, southeastern Turkey (Picture: AFP)

After returning from the hospital, Nadim and Habib slept in gardens until he was told about the Relief International centre.

‘They provided me with mental health support sessions and gave me a physical therapy plan to prepare for my prosthetic leg,’ the dad added.

‘In the meantime I am waiting for a wheelchair as walking with crutches is very difficult. Once I have my prosthetic, I hope to go back to work so I can provide for Habib.

‘This is his future and as a dad, I need to do my best to secure the best life for him.’

Relief International’s disability support centres are based in Hatay, Kilis, Mersin, Adana and Istanbul.

They also have mobile teams in these locations as well as Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, Adıyaman and Malatya to help people in areas most impacted by the earthquakes. 

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

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Six months on, survivors of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are still waiting for support.