Allianz launches earthquake risk awareness program for schoolchildren in Türkiye

Allianz Group has committed 6 million euros to support relief and recovery efforts in Türkiye and Syria after a catastrophic series of earthquakes struck the region on February 6, 2023. Allianz has also unveiled a nationwide earthquake awareness program and projects to build critical facilities for children left destitute by the earthquakes in Türkiye.

Allianz Teknik is partnering with TEGV, an NGO educational partner in Türkiye, on a nationwide program to increase risk awareness in children about what to do before, during and after an earthquake. 

The three-year program aims to reach 145,000 children, ages 10 and above, in 34 cities. The program will involve both classroom and video training sessions, a mobile field truck, and a board game designed by Allianz Teknik consultants. Visits to Allianz Teknik will also be provided to school groups. The facility – which is the first and only accredited center in Türkiye for earthquake and fire testing and training – features earthquake and fire simulators, testing machines, and hands-on training rooms equipped for special demonstrations. 
The earthquakes and aftershocks that devastated the region in February are among the most severe natural disasters of the last century. They hit in the early morning and devastated southeast Türkiye and northern Syria, destroying cities and killing more than 46,000 people. 

Of the total Allianz earthquake relief funds, 4 million euros has been distributed by Allianz SE. An additional one million euros has been committed by Allianz entities based in Türkiye, while Allianz employees and agents also donated 683,000 euros to the Red Cross Society. Allianz Group has matched this amount while also contributing to the German Red Cross in their collaboration with the Red Crescent in Türkiye and Syria. 

In addition, Allianz Trade has donated 50,000 euros to local NGOs working in the region, while Allianz Portugal has given 38,000 euros to UNICEF for its relief efforts in Türkiye. As part of a long-term partnership with Malaysia International Search and Rescue (MISAR), Allianz Malaysia supported MISAR’s post-relief efforts, including the distribution of 2,000 trauma kits to children in the affected region.

“The post-effects of such a disaster continue to ripple after the aftershocks stop,” said Tolga Gürkan. “More than 850,000 children remain displaced in Türkiye and Syria. I urge people to contribute to help vulnerable children and families.”

For this reason, Allianz is building critical facilities for children left destitute by the earthquakes. The Koruncuk Foundation is a long-term partner of Allianz Türkiye. The foundation supports children who are without necessary social and economic resources, by providing them with a stable environment and education. Allianz Türkiye will fund the care and education of 25 girls (ages 10–18) living in Koruncukköy for four years.

Allianz Türkiye has started a drive to raise 2 million euros to increase the capacity of Koruncuk Foundation’s children’s village in Istanbul for more than 100 girls needing socio-economic support for care and education. In addition, Allianz offices and agents will also provide university scholarships, job placement and internship opportunities, career coaching, and guidance.

Also in Syria, Allianz will support the efforts of Zeltschule to rebuild nine shattered educational facilities. Zeltschule is a non-profit organization that has remained active in the country during the ongoing civil war and supports 13,000 people, including 4,600 students.

The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with more than 122 million* private and corporate customers in more than 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 706 billion euros** on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 1.7 trillion euros** of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2022, over 159,000 employees achieved total revenues of 152.7 billion euros and an operating profit of 14.2 billion euros for the group***.
* Including non-consolidated entities with Allianz customers.
** As of September 30, 2023.
*** As reported – not adjusted to reflect the application of IFRS 9 and IFRS 17.

Press contact

Florian Amberg
Allianz SE
As with all content published on this site, these statements are subject to our cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements:

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