The joint work of the three main Caritas organizations in the region has made it possible to provide humanitarian aid and begin to rebuild the livelihoods of the most remote populations. Cáritas Española has so far mobilized 480,000 euros in response to two emergency appeals launched by Caritas Morocco, in coordination with the international confederation Caritas Internationalis.

Caritas, September 5, 2024: The year that followed the devastating earthquake of September 8, 2023 in the Moroccan Atlas region was marked by an unprecedented mobilization of the three main Caritas organizations in the country: Caritas Morocco, Caritas Rabat Diocese and Caritas Marrakech Parish. Their joint work has made it possible to assist more than 40,000 people during this time and to lay the foundations to start rebuilding the livelihoods of the most remote affected populations.

Projects deployed so far in the region have prioritized the distribution of essential supplies such as food kits, blankets, hygiene products, access to water, sanitation facilities, and temporary and resilient shelter for displaced families.

During this time, it has also been possible to provide medical and psychosocial support to nearly 4,500 people, guarantee access to water to 1,500 people and facilitate the schooling of more than 230 children, among other activities. The programs have been developed mainly in rural communities in the provinces of the High Atlas (Al Haouz, Ouarzazate and Taroudant) located about 200 km south of the tourist city of Marrakech.

“One of the key elements of our intervention has been to respond to the regions farthest from urban centers, where few organizations could reach and where in fact we have been the only ones,” explains Jesuit priest Alvar Sanchez, secretary general of Caritas Morocco, in his assessment of activities, on the first anniversary of the worst earthquake recorded in the region since 1900.

After the earthquake of great magnitude (6.8 on the Richter scale) that severely shook a large part of the Maghreb country, Cáritas Española activated an emergency campaign to channel the solidarity of citizens and collaborate in the response.

Thanks to this fundraising campaign, 480,000 euros have been allocated in recent months in response to the two emergency appeals launched by Caritas Morocco in coordination with Caritas Internationalis. It has also provided technical support in the institutional strengthening of Caritas Morocco and in the needs assessment with a view to formulating the first humanitarian response programs. “Thanks to this collaboration, we were able to make a good situational overview at a time when the reality was very fluid”, Sánchez says.

After a year of intense work, the Secretary General of Caritas Morocco underlines the enormous human capital that this natural catastrophe has brought to light. “This balance sheet illustrates not only the resilience of the communities of the Moroccan Atlas, but also the fraternal cooperation between sister Caritas without whose generosity it would not have been possible for all these actions to see the light of day. We are very grateful.

The great challenge ahead is to provide affected people with the opportunity to regain control of their lives. “While we continue with the emergency humanitarian response, we are beginning to lay the groundwork for people to regain their livelihoods. To this end, we are putting in place initiatives to support the livelihoods of families, especially women, to help them generate income and regain a degree of autonomy,” he says.