After the 2023 Türkiye Earthquake, One Backpack Helped Save a Child’s Education

On February 6, 2023, the ground beneath southern Türkiye fractured without warning. Entire neighborhoods collapsed; families were displaced overnight, and a generation of children watched their sense of safety disappear beneath the rubble. Long after the headlines faded, the consequences of the earthquake remained: quiet, heavy, and deeply personal. For school-aged children, the loss went far beyond buildings. Education itself was suddenly at risk. 

Yusuf Eymen Koç was one of those children. A sixth-grade student living in the Dulkadiroğlu district of Kahramanmaraş, Yusuf’s young life has already been shaped by hardship. After his mother remarried, he and his siblings came under the care of their grandfather, a man doing everything he can to hold the family together while paying rent and supporting two university students. In the wake of the earthquake and rising living costs, even the most basic school supplies became an overwhelming burden. As the new academic year approached, Yusuf faced the possibility of starting school unprepared or not at all. 

Through Zakat Foundation of America’s Back to School Project, Yusuf received a complete backpack filled with the supplies he needed to return to the classroom with confidence. What may seem small at first glance carried enormous weight. The backpack eased the financial strain on his grandfather, restored Yusuf’s sense of dignity, and reminded him that he was not forgotten. For the first time in months, school felt less like a worry and more like a place of possibility. 

Yusuf proudly shared that his favorite class is physical education and that he dreams of becoming a governor one day. In a region still recovering from disaster, that dream matters. It exists thanks to compassion translated into action, thanks to donors who chose to protect a child’s future when circumstances threatened to take it away. 

Yusuf is one of 600 students supported across Gaziantep, Ankara, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, and Şanlıurfa through this initiative. Each child comes from a family navigating economic hardship, displacement, or the long aftermath of disaster. Each backpack represented more than supplies. It represented stability, motivation, and a renewed connection to education. Teachers observed stronger attendance and engagement.  

Education is not a luxury in times of crisis. It is a lifeline. It provides structure when life feels unstable and hope when the future feels uncertain. 

On this International Day of Education, Yusuf’s story stands as a reminder of what is possible when generosity meets need. His experience reflects that of hundreds of others: children whose paths forward were strengthened through your zakat. When the world was shaken, you helped ensure that learning continued, dreams endured, and futures remained within reach.