(by Steve Hopkins)

As the world continues to understand the devastation following the Kahramanmaras earthquake along the Turkish and Syrian border, relief groups are now mobilizing to look forward towards caring for survivors and helping to rebuild. The ITTF Foundation’s Emergency Relief Fund (ERF) is one of those relief groups.

In the past, the ITTF’s ERF has helped with post-conflict efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Afghanistan, and Ukraine as well as post-earthquake support efforts in Haiti and Nepal.  The ITTF’s ERF goals stay in a table tennis “lane” – providing safe spaces, improving psychosocial well-being, fostering integration and coexistence, promoting health and education, and supporting economic development.  These goals are achieved through sport – and while it is recognized that sport alone does not ensure recovery as stated on the ITTF’s site, “there is solid and growing evidence of the positive impact sport and play can have if it is applied in a systematic and structured manner and is complemented by other interventions.”

The ITTF’s announcement this week is that the ERF is activated and readily available for the Turkish and Syrian table tennis communities.  You can make a donation here.

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