Halalbooking Islamic Relief Earthquake Appeal: School Construction Begins
On 16th May 2025, a ceremony took place in Türkiye’s Kahramanmaraş to mark the laying of the foundations of the primary school building, which is the key project at the centre of Halalbooking’s €200,000 earthquake rebuilding appeal. It was attended by local dignitaries and 200 pupils, who hope to attend the school when it opens in September.
Halalbooking’s Chief Marketing Officer, Ufuk Seçgin, himself of Turkish heritage, was at the Foundation Laying Ceremony:
“It was extremely moving to be at the site of the school and witness the first steps towards construction of this momentous project. As soon as I heard about the terrible earthquakes, I knew that we had a duty to do something to help those affected. Alhamdullilah, thanks to the generosity of our customers and the hard work of our partner Islamic Relief, today we have been able to take an important step towards improving the lives of local children and their families.”
Seçgin, accompanied by Islamic Relief Founder, Dr Hany El-Banna and Zia Salik, UK Deputy Director, were joined by local MP, Dr Tuba Köksal; Deputy Governor of Kahramanmaraş, Davut Sinanoğlu; Local Governor of Dulkadiroğlu, Hicabi Aytemür; Provincial Director of National Education for Kahramanmaraş, Erhan Baydur; Director of Culture and Tourism for Kahramanmaraş Harun Dedeoğlu and Deputy Provincial Director of National Education for Kahramanmaraş, Önder Erdem Gökşen.
Seçgin continued:
“It is humbling for me to meet local people and community leaders today and hear their experiences of the destruction, which is still having such a deep and ongoing effect on their community. We are very grateful for their support with this project and delighted to have the opportunity to play a role in building a future for the children of the area. The construction company is hopeful that the building will be finished in time for pupils to start the new school year here in September, Insha’Allah.”
Generous customers and friends of Halalbooking donated funds following the devastating twin earthquakes which took place in Syria and Türkiye on 6th February 2023, which were then matched by a donation from the company itself. Almost 60,000 people lost their lives in the earthquakes and hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed, with lives and livelihoods ripped apart. Kahramanmaraş was one of the areas most badly affected, with negative effects of the earthquakes still continuing today. Reports have highlighted the significant ongoing psychological impact of the disaster, particularly on young people in the region.
Halalbooking has been working closely with charity partner, Islamic Relief, whose dedicated team has been on the ground from the beginning, offering support and assistance to those affected. They are overseeing delivery of this ambitious project. Phase one saw the building of new homes for 5 Syrian families, giving more than 25 children the security and peace of mind of being able to live in their own homes. This final stage of the project is the construction of a two-storey primary school with 16 classes (3,050m²) in the Kayabaşı neighbourhood of the borough of Dulkadiroğlu in Kahramanmaraş in Türkiye.
Islamic Relief Founder Dr Hany El-Banna said that he was delighted to have been able to attend the ceremony and Zia Salik added:
“Islamic Relief has been here supporting the community from the beginning, on their long road to recovery, helping local families to rebuild their lives. Today’s ceremony marked a significant step in our commitment towards supporting the education of children in this area. The gift of education allows them to create a brighter future, not only for themselves but also for their families and their community.”