Rönesans is a world-leading project development and construction group, building for a better society.
Primarily in Turkey and the Netherlands, but also in other European countries, CIS countries, the Far East, and the Caribbean,
we operate as a main contractor and investor in the construction, real estate, health, energy, and petrochemistry sectors.
As the Rönesans family, we are working hard to heal the wounds of our homeland during this incredibly challenging time. We share the deep sorrow of those who have lost their loved ones in the earthquake disaster that has affected millions of our fellow citizens.
Alongside emergency humanitarian aid, we are working to produce sustainable solutions to meet earthquake victims' immediate and long-term needs, and we are in constant contact with public institutions and organizations.
Our brave search and rescue team, which set out at 05:00 on the morning of the first earthquake despite the fact that they and their families have also been deeply affected, have carried out active search and rescue operations for more than 195 hours, pulling 189 citizens, including 23 children, out of the rubble. Furthermore, with over 2,000 Rönesans volunteers, as well as our construction site, hospital, project, and center teams, which have provided shelter for 4,078 people and served 819,000 meals along with our business partners who support all our activities, we strive to meet the needs of all earthquake victims.
On the first day of the earthquake, we dispatched over 100 vehicles and equipment, including cranes, excavators, loaders, JCBs, Bobcats, generators, containers, lighting towers, 28 emergency need trucks, and two mobile kitchens to the region. In addition, we opened Malatya Erman Ilıcak Science High School and Malatya Darende Bekir Ilıcak Vocational High School to earthquake victims and worked with UCIM to support unaccompanied children. We assigned volunteer psychologists who have been working 24-hour shifts at Adana City Hospital to create psycho-social and post-traumatic support mechanisms.
We have made the first installations for a container city to provide temporary shelter in the area next to Malatya Erman Ilıcak Science High School. While we have hosted 1,150 people here so far, this container city will accommodate 1,000 more earthquake victims once completed. In addition, we are continuing our preparations for a second container city consisting of 1,500 containers in order to provide long-term living space for approximately 10,000 people.
We have opened our shopping mall and hospital projects in the region for the use of all people affected by the earthquake. In addition to the essential relief items provided by Rönesans, we have directly delivered 203 trucks of emergency supplies to earthquake victims, including those collected by our employees and citizens at the shopping mall.
Our Gaziantep City Hospital construction site has met the shelter and basic needs of over 1,000 citizens, and we have offered dormitories to the families of our employees at our construction sites in the region and at our city hospital facilities which have earthquake isolators. We have also transferred 51 of our employees with their families to the guesthouse in Ankara upon request.
Kahramanmaraş Piazza Shopping Mall has become the region's central base for distributing aid to citizens. We have set up tents here to provide shelter to 1,000 earthquake victims and meet their basic needs. In addition, this week, we launched a children's tent where children can play games and watch cartoons.
We have been fully mobilized since the first moment of the initial earthquake, addressing urgent issues and critical humanitarian needs while conducting successful search and rescue operations. Now, we are preparing to take steps to find long-term sustainable solutions for the earthquake victims and our citizens in the region.
At Rönesans, we are constantly working to support anyone affected by this disaster; we stand in solidarity with our great country and its courageous people during these distressing times. We will overcome these adversities together.
Compass is a program that will significantly reduce the anxiety of young university graduates about the future and will act as a bridge between education and business life. Started in May 2016, Compass is a social responsibility project organized by the Rönesans Education Foundation to provide job opportunities within Rönesans. After completing applications, evaluations, and interviews, the first Compass year ended with 100 young people starting work in November 2016. The program, which will be held for the seventh time this year, aims to employ more of our young friends within Rönesans with increasing momentum every year. Compass is a program that assists young people seeking answers to the question "What will I do when school is over?" by providing them with jobs according to their university departments.
What are the Compass Program's aims?
Rönesans aims to support young people in their first steps in business life with its administrative, educational, and guiding sustainability principles. Targetting sustainable growth, Rönesans with the Compass program aims to enable young people to develop competencies in the workplace before starting their careers. Compass also helps young people to adopt the Rönesans business culture and effectively transition into their working lives. As a result, the 'work experience' factor, the biggest problem of every new graduate looking for a job, is not a problem for young people applying to the Compass program. Pusula aims to be a permanent solution for young people who will shape their careers by gaining work experience and adding Rönesans to their résumés.