A 14-year-old boy who lay under the rubble of an earthquake is one of many who have been helped by a global Christian charity.
Many readers of Evangelicals Now will know of Samaritans Purse through its annual Operation Christmas Child shoebox appeal, which has delivered boxes to more than 208m children in over 160 countries since 1993. But Samaritans Purse has also responded to more than 100 disasters around the world since 2009. Working through local churches and ministry partners the international charity, which has Franklin Graham as its President, is highly experienced in humanitarian recovery work, including food distribution, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter and medical services.
On 6 February a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck south west Turkey and north west Syria. So far well over 50,000 deaths have been recorded. A week later, Samaritan’s Purse began receiving patients at their Emergency Field Hospital located in Antakya, Turkey—one of the worst hit areas. Antakya is Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians.
