Van is not on the headlines anymore but the people affected by the earthquake are still living in terrible conditions. Cold weather and severe lack of food are the main problems of earthquake victims who are still trying to survive in summer tents or in nylon tents they put up by their own means.

The two main earthquakes in the area have also changed the lives of a great number of children who are now supposed to work as hard as adults to provide the bread and butter for their families on streets.

Like many other things, education has also been suspended in the area since October 23. Schools in Van and Erciþ also became not useable following two main earthquakes in the area where regular classes will reportedly resume on December 5. However, the conditions in the area, where most of the buildings were collapsed or greatly damaged, show that this date could be put forward to oncoming weeks or even months.

As earthquake victims are doomed to be forgotten while thousands of them have migrated to other provinces, BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) Commission of Local Governances has issued a circular letter to announce that all BDP mayors will alternately conduct works in the area, visit people and produce solutions to their problems.

The letter, which has also been conveyed to all provincial organizations, municipalities and deputies, notified that the organization also needed some volunteers to be involved alternately in aid-storing, registering, distributing and information processing processes. Woman volunteers are particularly needed underlined the letter.

The alternate duty of mayors begins today with Diyarbakýr Mayor Osman Baydemir and Yeniþehir Mayor Selim Kurbanoðlu. The program of BDP mayors will last till 26 January 2012.