The Pharmacy That Refused to Close

When the February 2023 earthquake struck southern Turkey, it shattered entire communities across Hatay Province. Homes collapsed, businesses disappeared overnight, and thousands of families were forced to flee.

For Ibrahim, the earthquake destroyed nearly everything he had built over two decades.

After graduating from university, Ibrahim returned to his hometown and opened a pharmacy, serving his community for 19 years. But on February 6, 2023, the earthquake reduced both his home and pharmacy to rubble. He also lost his aunt and cousin in the disaster after agonizing waits for rescue.

Yet even in the middle of grief, Ibrahim continued serving others.

When he returned to the remains of his pharmacy, he found shattered shelves and broken windows. For 10 days, he worked nonstop distributing whatever medicines could still be salvaged to families in desperate need.

Choosing to Stay

Like many Christian families in the region, Ibrahim faced immense pressure to leave permanently after the disaster. Instead, after relocating his family to safety, he returned to continue helping his community recover and to rebuild.

With support from Shai Fund’s livelihoods initiative, which helps Christian families restore businesses and remain rooted in their ancestral homeland after disaster or displacement, he reopened his pharmacy in September 2024. 

The reopening was not easy. Ibrahim faced major financial and logistical obstacles, from securing a new location to hiring staff and rebuilding inventory. But within months, the pharmacy was serving hundreds of families every month.

A Business Restored and Growing

The pharmacy quickly exceeded expectations.

In its first month alone, the business surpassed projected turnover, generating more than $13,000 in September 2024. By January 2025, monthly turnover had grown to over $26,000.

From September 2024 through October 2025, the pharmacy served more than 15,800 indirect beneficiaries, including customers and suppliers, while directly supporting 21 family members and employees each month.

Today, the pharmacy provides stability Ibrahim’s own family and community — creating a ripple effect of economic recovery inside a region still struggling to rebuild.

Restoring Livelihoods, Preserving Communities

Ibrahim’s story reflects the wider impact of Shai Fund’s livelihood work in unstable regions.

Nearly three years after the disaster, many international aid organizations have moved on. But recovery for local Christian communities is far from complete. Rebuilding livelihoods is about more than economic survival: it is about preserving communities, sustaining religious freedom, and giving families a reason to remain in the places they have called home for generations.

Through livelihood grants supporting pharmacies, salons, barbershops, food businesses, and other small enterprises, families are regaining independence and rebuilding hope one business at a time.

For Ibrahim, reopening his pharmacy is proof that even after immense loss, communities can rebuild.