‘I gave birth in an earthquake – I’ll never forget these moments’ | World | News

Heavily pregnant Abeer had traveled over the border from Turkey to visit family in rebel-held north Syria and immediately feared for her unborn baby as the disaster began.

She said she was awoken by a violent tremor and thrown to the floor.

Abeer was helped by charity ActionAid, which supported a neonatal hospital in an area covering 58 camps for people who lost their homes.

She said: “The birth was easy and I was pleased there were so many female staff.

“They were excellent and so friendly – like family to me.

“I wish my daughter a good and decent life. And, god willing, a better life.”

The hospital is one of many projects across southern Turkey and north Syria being supported by generous donations from the UK public to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.

It has raised £158million, including £5million matched by the UK Government, making the DEC the largest charity donor to the earthquake response around the world.

The appeal is the third biggest in the committee’s 60-year history, after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and an appeal to help people affected by the Ukraine conflict.

Other earthquake survivors have told how they had to rebuild their lives.

In Aleppo, Syria, Lama and her four children were already struggling after her husband died four months before the earthquake.

Lama said: “Since the earthquake, we are facing so many challenges. We became very poor. Not just us, but all families. There are women who lost their men, children who lost their limbs.

“I hope my children achieve their dreams, and we settle in a house. I want to see them be successful, graduate from university, get married, and have children. This is my ultimate goal in life.”