In Turkey camp, young quake survivors enjoy moment of normality with face painting

A woman paints on a child's face as part of entertainment for children affected by the deadly earthquake in Osmaniye, Turkey February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

With whiskers and colourful cat ears painted on their faces, young survivors of last week's earthquake at a humanitarian camp in Osmaniye, Turkey, enjoyed a moment of childhood normality on Thursday.

Chattering excitedly, the children lined up to have their faces painted by social workers and volunteers at the camp, and to take part in sports.

"We have been here for a week and all camps have this kind of psycho-social support. We may continue this for up to a year," said Ahmet Hasim Atalay, a social worker who has been helping at the camp.

A child carries a bag of bread at a school that shelters families impacted by a deadly earthquake, in Jableh, Syria, February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky

Many children were left homeless by the massive tremor that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6. They have been learning to cope with what happened and with their ongoing anxiety.

(Reporting by Salem Suhaib, Deniz Uyar and Malgorzata Wojtunik, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

A woman paints a child's face during an activity to entertain and support mental health of children affected by the deadly earthquake in Osmaniye, Turkey February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

A girl with her face painted looks on during an activity to entertain and support mental health of children affected by the deadly earthquake in Osmaniye, Turkey February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem