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On 6 February 2023, an earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, devastating an area of more than 20,000 km2. Students, teachers, all university staff and their families were directly affected by this catastrophe, which claimed the lives of more than 45,000 people across the country. On 11 February, President Erdogan announced the requisitioning of student residences, the closure of universities and a return to distance learning until summer 2023. Istanbul Teknik Universitesi (ITU), PSL’s partner within the EELISA European alliance, was very much affected with almost 400 students left with no computer facilities with which to follow courses remotely, not to mention the victims of the earthquake and their families.
In the name of solidarity between European universities, ²ÝÁñÂÛ̳, along with several partners in the EELISA European alliance, has made a donation to ITU to help students wanting to continue their university year and their course work despite the tragedy that has affected their country.
Members of the EELISA alliance of European universities were keen to complement the massive amount of aid provided by the European Commission, and approached ITU in order to identify their needs and provide an effective contribution to their reconstruction effort. This outreach work enabled us to identify specific needs and decide how to deliver this aid quickly to the communities. On 13 July 2023, ITU will welcome all the alliance partners for a meeting of the EELISA Governing Board.