University students and academic staff across Türkiye are playing vital roles in supporting local communities trying to cope with the earthquake disaster.

Students from all over the country have rushed to be part of volunteer teams to dispatch aid, personnel and equipment to help the rescue efforts in the southeast, where several cities were hit by devastating earthquakes on Monday.

"This country hosted us and gave us a chance to receive higher education and build a successful life for ourselves and our families. How can we not help the country in its hour of need?" said an international student who is currently enrolled in a Turkish university.

The role of universities in disaster management includes not only relief and support for the affected communities to link student activities with concerns about the society in which they live through volunteer work but also disaster education and research.

On Tuesday, hundreds of volunteers, rescue workers and nongovernmental organization (NGO) members immediately went to Istanbul Airport to join aid efforts.

"Our heart is in the earthquake zone," a volunteer in Kırıkkale said, full of emotion while describing the aid received and the activities being carried out.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) also launched an appeal to multilingual students to volunteer to organize emergency donations from citizens for the regions hit by the quakes

The unions of international students in every part of the country launched blood donation campaigns in all blood transfusion centers and hospitals in coordination with branches of universities, institutes and relevant departments in hospitals and health facilities to quickly respond to the need.

Private universities have launched a relief campaign in solidarity with the people affected by the earthquakes, which also impacted multiple regions in Syria. The drive includes fundraising along with the collection of food, medicine and blankets as well as free medical treatment for injured people.

Many universities in Istanbul are setting an example of solidarity, as well. In the aid campaign launched with the support of the Red Crescent's Gungoren branch in the Davutpaşa campus of the university under the coordination of the Yıldız Technical University Rectorate, 22 trucks of supplies were sent to the earthquake victims in the region.

The cash donations made to the Red Crescent's Güngören branch with the cooperation of the rectorate have exceeded TL 22 million ($1.17 million) with the support of students, employees, institutions, organizations and businesspeople.

An online interpreting group was also established at the university to act as translators for rescue teams from abroad. A team of 22 people from Boğaziçi University went to the disaster area on the second day of the earthquake. Likewise, two minibuses sent to the region by the university with aid will bring displaced earthquake victims and their families to Istanbul.

Istanbul University announced that the supplies brought by the citizens to the Topkapı Disaster Relief Tent were sent to the region in cooperation with the AFAD and Fatih Municipality.

A team of 19 people consisting of faculty members of Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa's Faculty of Engineering, employees of the university's Disaster and Emergency Search and Rescue Unit Coordinator and volunteers, also set off for the southern provinces.

On the other hand, within the scope of the campaign initiated by the university, the Avcılar campus's Student Cultural Center, the Büyükçekmece campus's coordinator office and Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty's medical building were determined as aid collection centers. Two trucks of humanitarian aid have already been sent to the region from these centers.

Marmara University's 220 student clubs have collected 15,300 boxes of humanitarian aid in the campaign they carried out with the encouragement of the rectorate.

The aid, consisting of basic needs, was delivered to the authorities of the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports to be sent to the earthquake zone with nine trucks.

The 20-member Marmara University Search and Rescue Team, consisting of university staff and Civil Defense Club students, went to Hatay on the first day of the earthquake to carry out search and rescue and aid activities.

More than 300 students and more than 100 staff took part in the sorting, packaging and transportation works of the aid organization at Istanbul Medipol University.

The donations, consisting of generators, food parcels, hygiene kits, baby products, clothes, heater products and shelter materials, set off for Kahramanmaraş and Hatay in two trucks organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Turkish University Sports Federation.

While a volunteer aid team of 100 people, consisting of doctors working at Istanbul Medeniyet University's Faculty of Medicine and hospital, works in the region, a joint aid campaign has been organized by the AFAD and the Turkish Red Crescent in the parking lot of the library building of the university.

In the aid campaign launched at Ibn Haldun University in cooperation with the AFAD and the Red Crescent, one truck of aid material packed by a volunteer team of 150 students was sent to the region approximately 40 hours after the earthquake under the coordination of Başakşehir Municipality.

Online training on earthquake and psychological support for mental health professionals is being provided to those who want to voluntarily provide psychological support in the region.

Likewise, Turkish students living in Europe and international student associations operating in Türkiye are also collecting in-kind and cash aid for the victims.