It began in the dark, in the cold, early hours of a Monday morning.

It happened again in the middle of day, in a place already ravaged by more than a decade of conflict. Two disasters, one on top of another. Chaos.

When powerful earthquakes struck in Türkiye and northern Syria in February this year, the scale of destruction seemed almost unfathomable: more than 50,000 people killed, and millions left injured and without homes and businesses. Thousands of people were trapped under the rubble of their own homes. Roads and bridges were destroyed, communication systems severely disrupted.

Yet in the face of this immense disaster, into its aftermath, the helpers arrived, many of whom were survivors themselves.

People like Yigit, who led the Turkish Red Crescent's disaster response team.

"They were calling their mothers' and fathers' names," Yigit recalls. "They were looking for their brothers and sisters. We tried everything to take care of them. I might also be in shock but we didn't think so much about ourselves.

"We are here for them."

With the support of the international Red Cross Red Cresent Movement, people like Yigit were able to meet the urgent shelter needs of thousands of people in crisis, distributing tents, blankets, sleeping bags and mattresses.

"We were here from the first moment," Yigit says. "We will heal the wounds of this disaster together."

Even as the disaster faded from front pages and TV screens, the work continued.

Across the two countries, Red Cross Red Cresent people mobilised to meet immediate and early recovery needs including food and water, mental and physical health services, cash assistance and protection for vulnerable groups.

None of this would have been possible without a global network of people ready to help, all driven by the generosity of caring donors around the world.

In the chaos of conflict or disaster, something powerful is at work. Something you don't often see in the headlines.

It's people helping people.