Project title: Emergency aid for remote villages in Morocco
Project locations: Places in the villages destroyed by the earthquake in the provinces of Taroudant, Al-Haouz and Ouarzazate around the epicenter: Amzmiz, Sidi Hsaïn, Iala Azziza, Aït Moussa, Imndounit municipality with the villages of Aït Argues and Aït Gassa, Addouz, Inaden, Azgour, Tougga el Khair Anougal, El Khomss, Fiyil, Taddart, Akhfarga, Tajgujite, Addig, Taoutnekht, Tamlakoute and Indioute
Target audience: 250 families with more than 5000 people in the earthquake zone
Project period: Several distribution campaigns by three church teams from France and Morocco between November 2023 and May 2024
Project budget: US$ 100,000 funded by World Relief
On September 8, 2023, Morocco experienced the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the country, measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale, in the High Atlas Mountains. The Ministry of the Interior reported over 2,960 deaths and 5,674 injuries on September 27, primarily in the provinces of Al Haouz, Taroudant, and Ouarzazate. The earthquake completely destroyed many homes and village buildings.
Since November 2023, three teams from Moroccan churches and France have brought food, tents, cooking utensils, medicine, clothes, heaters and water filters to villages in the Atlas Mountains near the epicenter that were badly damaged by the earthquake.
A pastor told us: „Like other social actors, our Moroccan church also wants to play an important role in providing humanitarian aid and supporting the victims of the earthquake that shook our country. We know the importance of humanitarian work in such crises and the great value of giving and Christian charity.”.
The earthquake hit many remote and vulnerable areas where there are almost no roads, and initially it was impossible to provide aid. We set out from the Souss Massa region towards Taroudant, while others went to the Al Haouz region.
I will never forget the day we were at home and felt the ground shake, the walls sway to the left and right, and heard a terrible roar that completely blew our minds away.
God sent us to a village that had been completely destroyed, where more than thirty-four people had lost their lives. At that moment, they were still trying to rescue those trapped under the rubble, and the smell of corpses was slowly rising. The survivors hadn't yet grasped what had happened or what was going on. They had lost everything, some their entire families. Some had lost their mothers, some their children. It had been a long, hard day.
Our commitment to the people in the affected regions of Taroudant and Hawz remains unwavering. Through collaboration among church teams and joint planning, we aim to have a lasting impact on the lives of those affected, thereby fostering the independence and resilience of the village communities.
May the Lord bless you for your generous donations, through which the Lord is glorified among hundreds of residents. We sincerely thank you for your continued support, which makes initiatives like this possible.”
