Solidarity with Morocco: one year of action

Reconstruction support

Rebuilding collective infrastructure and housing is a priority, allowing affected people to return to normal life and employment again.

The Fondation de France is involved in the renovation of collective buildings such as schools, community centers and cooperatives. Horizons FoundationFondation de France and Aromazone have teamed up to re-establish an argan oil cooperative in Taroudant. In regions affected by the earthquake, the Al-Ukhova women’s cooperative will allow dozens of other cooperatives to continue their work and sell argan from the trees. The new building, on a site provided by the local authority, is better adapted to the needs of employees and meets earthquake-resistant building standards.

In Ouarzazate, an earthquake damaged a sports center non-profit organization Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands). The renovation complied with green building and sustainable housing standards. Open daily, it offers sports activities to 200 children aged 3 to 12 years and runs a literacy program for women.

In Ouarzazate, the non-profit organization Marathon des Sables has rebuilt a sports center destroyed in the disaster and now welcomes 200 children every day.

Non-profit organization in the province of Chichahua. Al Jisr built new modular classrooms to replace those destroyed and accepted children from the region where the earthquake occurred. He also equipped institutions that previously lacked sewerage with twelve modular units. This allowed children, especially girls, to access appropriate facilities.

Axel Davezac, CEO of the Fondation de France, and Karine Meaux, head of the emergency department, visited modular classrooms built by the non-profit organization AI Jisr in Tagadirta in the Souss-Massa region.

Maintaining access to education

The High Atlas earthquake made it particularly difficult for girls, who were already in a vulnerable situation, to attend school. Institut national de Solidarité avec les femmes en détresse (National Institute of Solidarity with Women in Distress – INSAF)which fights literacy and school refusal among girls, has stepped up its activities. It covers: tuition fees; rental of premises for a welcome center in Marrakech; engaging psychologists to help them regain their self-confidence; and professors teaching French, English and science topics.

Jadara Foundation has been actively involved in educating vulnerable young people for over 20 years. It helps 100 hundred young high school graduates and students from earthquake-affected areas by providing them with school grants and a comprehensive package of tutoring, coaching, language skills, information technology, etc. until they graduate.

Beatrice Schoenberg Foundation is currently repairing boarding schools damaged by the earthquake in Asni, at the foot of the High Atlas. Thanks to work under the guidance Fondation Architectes de l’urgence (Fondation of Emergency Architects)About 50 young women from destroyed villages will be able to continue their studies.

Providing psychological support

In addition to vital practical assistance, psychological support for affected people is needed so that underlying post-traumatic symptoms can be avoided or treated. This mission was assigned Terra Psiassociation, which has created two mobile teams of mental health professionals who travel to isolated villages in the Al-Hawz region to provide support to people with psychological and traumatic disorders.

In the villages of the Al-Hawz region, the non-profit organization Terra Psy conducts therapeutic workshops for children suffering from psychological and traumatic disorders.

In the Taroudant area. Fondation Amane pour la Protection de l’Enfance (Foundation for the Protection of Children Amane – FAPE) implements psychological and social support programs in 8 villages, covering 250 children, more than 300 women and 350 men. Activities offered to children (drawing and verbalization workshops), women (support groups and counseling sessions) and men (physical activity and group discussions) allow them to express their emotions, share their experiences and recreate social relationships.

Teams from the Amane Foundation and the France Foundation in villages destroyed by the earthquake.

Promoting economic recovery

To take part in the sustainable economic development of agriculture and the food industry, Norsis Foundation developed recovery plans with victims’ families and local technical crews. The latter take into account available inputs, seasons and cycles to provide short- and medium-term income to vegetable and poultry farmers. It supplies families with means of production and small implements, as well as livestock farms.

The Norsys Foundation offers agricultural recovery plans to families affected by the disaster.

Farmers are also trained to acquire new professional skills in production and sales. In the cities of Asni and Uirgan ISRAR coalition comprising thirty civil society organizations, conducted a study to understand the needs of collapsed cooperatives to revitalize the local economy. It trains cooperative members in management, marketing, e-commerce and provides them with the machinery, equipment and supplies needed to improve their productivity.

Copyright photographs: © Sandrine Maximilian, Léa Lacheteau

TO FIND OUT MORE

→ Solidarity with Morocco: six months of action
→ Solidarity with Morocco: 3 months of mobilization to help the most vulnerable people
→ Emergency situations: restoring life in the long term