Support High Atlas community earthquake resilience

This past week, we undertook several interventions and focused on planning in preparation for upcoming weeks. Here is a summary of the progress made during this week:

Tiniskt Visit:
On Thursday, September 28th, our team, accompanied by dedicated members of Muslim Care Malaysia, visited Tiniskt and the plant nursery in Imgdal, the basecamp of villagers from Ourigh. Our primary goal was to distribute essential supplies to the villagers and assess their ongoing needs.

Distribution in Demnate:
Our commitment to making a difference extends beyond Tiniskt. On Friday, September 29th, our team carried out a distribution in Commune Ait Tamlil in Demnate. We provided critical resources, including food supplies, flashlights and solar projectors, to 30 families. This initiative was made possible through our partnership with Cooperative Imiri and Cooperative Demnatna, who have been invaluable in helping us assess the evolving needs of the community.

Visit to the Zerkten School Complex:
Our team had a fruitful visit to the Zerkten school complex alongside the Association des Amis du CHU to assess the needs in this area. During this visit, we witnessed the distribution of monthly allocations to support widowed mothers residing in some of the 35 villages within the rural commune. Additionally, the team had the opportunity to observe the prefabricated temporary classrooms, which are being used to replace some of the 555 schools that were destroyed in the earthquake in Al Haouz Province.

Understanding the Experience:
This trip allowed us to gain a profound understanding of the challenges faced by the people of Demnate. In Douar Taslent N’Ait Mgoun, almost half of the families have lost their homes to the earthquake and have had to create makeshift camps in a flat area of the Douar. In Douar Imziln, we extended our support to widowed women, recognizing their unique struggles and offering a helping hand.

Through the unwavering support of our GlobalGiving donors, we continue to make a positive impact on the lives of those affected by the earthquake. Thank you.

As most of you know, our organisation transformed its focus overnight from social and ecological justice to disaster relief. Here's an overview of our work during the past three weeks in response to the 8th September earthquake.

Fast Field Team Deployment
We were able to provide assistance across all our working hubs in the High Atlas region, as well as other communities, thanks to the agility and unwavering commitment of our team members and partners, including Moroccan Biodiversity and Livelihoods Association (MBLA). We are now reorienting our High Atlas Cultural Landscapes Program to focus on helping communities find their feet again, whilst upholding core programme values of maintaining cultural practices, local biodiversity and sustainable ways of living.

Coordinating Supplies and Support
We are not only mobilising our own resources, but also organising donations, volunteers and visits with other organisations to combine efforts. We have come up with an efficient system of skill and resource based allocation to get the communities the help they need. We are lending our expert knowledge and field team in the High Atlas to medical organisations like Aerial Recovery and Association de Amis du CHU, animal aid organisations like SPANA, international organisations like Hope Aid and Mercy Malaysia and many others to deliver effective interventions.

Evolving Interventions
We have provided blankets, tents, mattresses, hygiene products, sanitary napkins, baby formula, food, water and water storage tanks, medicines, shoes, clothes, electric cables, lights and batteries to many communities which had received little aid. We are still providing these essentials to underserved communities and are constantly updating the status and needs of varied locations in the High Atlas.

In communities where urgent needs have been met, we have started the next phase of action by building toilets and temporary homes, providing livestock fodder and cooking supplies so that communities can start returning to a semblance of normalcy. All our distributions are based on a careful needs assessment and distribution strategy carried out with inputs from local village committees (jemaa).

Long Term Strategy
We are also keeping in mind long term rebuilding in all our efforts, including a focus on gender and mental health, waste reduction, restoration of traditional livelihoods and minimal disruption of children’s routines and schooling.

We are partnering with a coalition of other organisations and experts to assist with different components of this action plan, such as architects who are leaders in the field of earthquake resistant traditional housing, associations working on children’s schooling, psychologists and more.

Reliable Information and Assistance
We have also been providing select media outlets and international aid agencies with updates from the ground to ensure respectful and responsible documentation of the situation and a community led approach to relief efforts. This has helped us ensure that sensitivity and service are at the forefront of any coverage and foreign assistance.

Fundraising for the Future
With our GlobalGiving donors’ unwavering support, we've raised nearly $67,000 for urgent relief till date! We have also secured and continue to seek funding for a comprehensive long term plan that includes rehabilitation and rebuilding once urgent needs are met. Thanks to all our incredible partners and donors we're committing to making an impact both in the short term and long term.

Thank you for being here.