Support High Atlas community earthquake resilience

Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of incredible donors, we have raised nearly 110,000 GBP in 96 hours across our 2 crowdfunding campaigns on GlobalGiving and PayPal.

What we did today

• Six vehicles were dispatched from our Marrakech office with in-kind material donations garnered through our social media campaign, along with supplies we’ve procured. These resources were strategically allocated to cover a range of affected villages, including Talat n Yassin, Imegdal Centre, and Ijoukak.

• A strong aftershock of magnitude 4.6 struck earlier this morning, inducing panic and blocking roads with fallen rocks. This led to a delay in the delivery of our aid to Ijoukak. Fortunately, our team members remained unharmed. However, subsequent reports indicated that more homes had collapsed.

• One of our plant nurseries in Imegdal (see images) has transitioned into a site for setting up tents for people who lost their homes throughout the entire commune. Additionally, this location now serves as a central spot for receiving supplies from travelling volunteers. These items are distributed thoughtfully according to what the affected surrounding villages need, with oversight provided by Hamid, a resident of Imegdal and committed member of the MBLA team (see image).

What we learned

• Local knowledge and an ethos of care for place and people matters during disasters. Hamid has worked with MBLA and GDF for over adecade, managing a nursery he helped to found. In the process of aid distribution he is guiding, Hamid can draw on the skills, care and deep local knowledge of the landscape and communities honed in the allocation and distribution of tens of thousands of medicinal plants, fruit and nut trees to his region over a decade (see images). We are confident that some of the medicinal plants—like wild thyme and lavender—that Hamid cultivated, distributed and helped to replant out in the landscape will also help to nourish Imegdal communities during this emergency.

• Our livestock expert has consulted with the Delegation de Santé of Al Haouz about contamination risks and potential epidemics. Deceased animals that have not yet been removed, in combination with rains, will increase the risk of contamination. We are now planning to include this issue in our relief strategy as well as providing veterinary care alongside SPANA working animal charity. We will also be purchasing livestock fodder to send in future expeditions.

What we will do next:

• Our team also collated urgent supplies for Mejjat- a village which has received no aid since the earthquake hit. Based on their input we have collected large amounts of blankets, clothes, water, food and baby formula to be sent to them tomorrow. 

• We are currently also formulating a volunteer code of conduct and allocation mechanism to ensure that the right help reaches the right places and communities are protected.

Our deep gratitude for your support!

Images: See report text and captions below.

Source, cover image and following two images: MBLA Instagram, mbla.morocco, 12 Sep 2023 Source, plant nursery images: MBLA website, https://www.mblaassociation.org/where-we-work/.