Urgent Earthquake Response in Morocco

Thank you for taking time to read this four-month progress update on ActionAid's response to the September 2023 earthquake in Morocco and how we are continuing to support communities affected by various challenges.

ActionAid's interventions encompass capacity-building workshops, infrastructure development, humanitarian aid distributions, coordination activities, and partnerships.

ActionAid conducted capacity-building workshops in December aimed at empowering 31 community leaders, specifically women and girls, from multiple villages. These workshops covered essential topics such as interpersonal communication, mediation, legal protection, and women’s rights.

ActionAid collaborated with a local partner to construct 14 bathrooms in several villages that were destroyed by the earthquake. Committees were formed in Tifirt and Taghzoute to ensure the proper functioning and management of these units by residents themselves. Tents were distributed to 27 families at the end of December, so that families have a safe and warm place to stay as the winter progresses.

Future plans include the construction of additional bathroom units and the distribution of more tents.

ActionAid's Humanitarian head of programs, Josepha D., share more about the the response and how ActionAid has been working alongisde local partners to assess needs of people in Morocco following the earthquake:

"We've been focusing on the needs of women and girls. We want to make sure that they are not left behind. The needs that we've identified are facilities for water and sanitation and dignity kits- so, making sure women have access to products for their periods and they can have dignity in accessing these. We are also working beyond the effects of the earthquake, beyond the affected populations in the rural areas. We are looking into city settings to see how migrant communities have been affected by the earthquake."

Previous Months’ Updates

In November, training sessions on psychosocial protection were conducted for 32 women, and food kits were distributed to 86 families in multiple villages.

October's interventions included needs assessments, meetings with women leaders in camps, dignity kit distributions, and multiple aid interventions in Tifirit village, benefiting numerous families through food and dignity kit distributions, infrastructure development, and community engagement.

Thank you for your support during this critical time as we continue to work with community partners to address humanitarian needs through programs and develop long-term programming to help the regions build back better.