"This is an unavoidable natural catastrophe, which can happen to anyone, regardless of race, gender, age or political ideology. At this time, the international community has to be united and help peoplein need," says Mecnun Serhat Çelebi, a Turkish second-year medical student at the University of Navarra.

The consecutive earthquakes, of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6, which shook the areas of Turkey and Syria, have so far left more than 41,000 dead, 120,000 injured, destroyed more than 40,000 buildings and the lives of millions of people. This status is made more hopeful by the solidarity of thousands of people around the world. However, there are still many victims in need of urgent attention, while the search continues in the rubble. 

Therefore, Mecnun Serhat Çelebi urges people to mobilize to help those affected by the earthquake: "I call on everyone who can support Turkey and Syria to recover in these difficult times". 

To collaborate with his country, this student, together with Aziz Yarkin, a fourth-year medical student, and Hande Musullulu, a doctoral student in psychology, also from Turkey, held a meeting with the coordinators of Tantaka (the academic center's solidarity time bank) at meeting . The goal of the meeting was to think of different initiatives to raise funds and allocate them to the victims through the Red Cross, which has experts in the affected places and know how to manage and send resources to these areas.

In this sense, the University of Navarra has joined this week this association to raise funds through a stockcrowd (personalized fundraising channel). Donations can be made through the following link.

Also, the meeting was attended by Clara Jazmati, Andrés Sisniega and Ariana Godoy, three students from the School of Philosophy y Letras, who, together with the students from Turkey, will be selling solidarity bracelets and are organizing a concert to raise more funds.