From Pakistan to Syria, women rise to the humanitarian challenge in disaster zones

DUBAI: In the midst of conflicts and natural disasters, women are often viewed as a particularly vulnerable and even helpless demographic. In fact, UN statistics show that women and children are 14 times more likely to die in natural disasters than men.

Nevertheless, recent natural disasters, such as floods in Pakistan and earthquakes in both Turkiye and Syria, have shown how women’s empowerment has enabled them to take on leading roles in their communities after destructive catastrophes.

Even in societies in which there are social restrictions on women’s movement, women have risen to the challenges presented by these tragedies.

In the wake of the Feb. 6 earthquakes in southern Turkiye and northern Syria, which left tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, dozens of women joined relief workers who rushed to disaster zones. Other women volunteered to help with the distribution of food and aid, working with organizations and even creating their own ad-hoc groups.  

Other women work tirelessly to prepare hot meals in the cold weather for the victims of the quake, such as Turkish Social Gastronomy Chef Ebru Baybara Demir.

When news arrived of the earthquake that laid waste to large areas of Turkiye, Demir was attending business meetings in Istanbul. Her city, Mardin, was hard-hit by the quake.

Almost immediately, Demir and her colleague and fellow chef Turev Uludag began cooking to feed people in the earthquake-stricken city of Osmaniye. A soup kitchen was established at the dormitory kitchens of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the city, and the team of volunteers cooked 25,000 meals on the first day alone.

“The first day, we worked in a serious hurry,” Demir told Arab News. “Volunteers for