info@businessghana.com
The High Atlas Foundation was already in the region when the earthquake hit the High Atlas Mountains. Immediately with the support of its partners, HAF launched a dynamic, multidimensional relief and recovery program to meet the needs of the affected communities.
HAF's immediate relief took the form of food supplies, drinking water, sanitation kits, blankets and warm clothing, temporary shelters, solar energy kits, fuel efficient cook stoves, and trauma triage. Working alongside and in partnership with government authorities and local communities, HAF reached nearly 15,000 families.
The communities in the High Atlas who were helped by your donations, support, and prayers are immensely grateful that people living near and far cared about them and during their darkest times were finding ways to help them emerge from this natural disaster. We witnessed the resilient spirit of the people of Morocco to transform trauma into hope. Through the HAF empowerment process and psychosocial support, earthquake victims articulated their deep-seated hopes and visions into action plans for community rebuilding.
Today with your support, HAF’s partnership with the communities continues with psychosocial healing and empowerment primarily with women evolving into economic autonomy, the installation of water systems for drinking and irrigation, the rebuilding of terraces and planting of income-generating fruit trees, and the construction of housing and community facilities.
In the weeks after the earthquake, Morocco mobilized caravans of aid. HAF’s supporters boosted this effort with individual donations and large grants from corporations and foundations. HAF’s existing relationships of trust with communities in the High Atlas helped us distribute aid with dignity and reach those most in need.
As winter approached, HAF and partners increased its support to communities, distributing over 680 tons of essential aid, reaching more than 87,000 people across hundreds of villages, many of which were hard to access.
This then allowed us to focus on assisting communities to overcome trauma and rebuild their livelihoods.
Earthquake victims needed help moving past the physical and also the psychological obstacles to healing. The loss of life broke the spirits of many people and made envisioning a bright future nearly impossible. HAF brought its vast experience in psychosocial empowerment to earthquake victims in High Atlas communities.
Each HAF workshop is crafted to create a safe and supportive environment where participants can step away from the trauma and feelings of loss in their lives and explore their personal growth, build resilience, and develop essential life skills for a new future.
From October 2023 to August 2024, 4,224 women, men, and children from earthquake impacted areas participated in HAF psychosocial workshops. These workshops were made possible through partnerships with Project Hope, Syrian American Medical Society Foundation, the George Fischer Foundation, and a generous donation from Dr. Majida Bargach.
Intermediate Shelters
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, with donations from supporters like you, HAF built temporary housing, equipping each site with sanitation and solar kits, mattresses and blankets, along with immediate relief not limited to food and drinking water.
HAF built intermediate shelters, solid buildings made with durable materials giving families the irreplicable sense of safety, security and dignity of being in their own homes. HAF built 148 intermediate shelters, in the High Atlas Mountains, providing housing for 202 families.
The earthquake caused significant damage to critical water infrastructure, deteriorating the availability and quality of water for irrigation, drinking, hygiene, and sanitation. Without water for irrigation, agricultural production decreases significantly or totally, contributing to food insecurity, rural poverty, and urban migration, within these farming villages.
Without clean water the risk of waterborne illnesses, and poor hygiene and sanitation outcomes increase. Rehabilitating damaged infrastructure to support individual health and well-being, became essential to the short and long-term recovery of affected communities.
The HAF Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation Program facilitated the reconstruction and betterment of water infrastructure in 19 villages within the Al Haouz and Ouarzazate provinces benefiting 12,597 people.
Agricultural Terraces
Agricultural terracing has been practiced for generations, allowing the steep landscapes of the mountains to be used to cultivate a variety of staple crops, as well as walnut, almond, and cherry trees. The earthquake caused significant damage to existing terraces, disrupting local water supply, and agricultural production and contributing to land degradation.
To support the reestablishment of agricultural practices, and the livelihoods of farming families, HAF has facilitated the reconstruction and expansion of 307 terraces (land parcels), benefitting over 4,000 people.
G2K Morocco’s Resilient Communities
Widrarane is a small village in Aghbar, of the Al Haouz province, four hours southwest of Marrakech, and is home to approximately five hundred people. When the September 8th earthquake struck, the homes and critical water infrastructure essential to the communities' survival were destroyed, and countless were injured.
In collaboration with local NGOs and the support of major donors, HAF was able to provide 145 individuals with psychosocial support, 22 water filters, including Water-Survival boxes, 207 food packages, including infant nutrition, 30 hygiene kits, 250 household items, including mattresses, pillows, sleeping bags, solar panels, stoves, and 41 individuals with intermediate shelters and 34 tents.
Now, with the community strengthened by the physical, psychological, and material support of HAF and its partners, the Widrarane village is able to march forward on their long journey to recovery.
Tanamerte, Aghbar, Al Haouz
Tanamerte is home to over one thousand people in the Aghbar region of the Al Haouz province. The community relied on water and solar energy infrastructure, but this was destroyed during the September 8th earthquake.
With the generous support of donors, the High Atlas Foundation was able to provide 48 intermediate shelters, 2 water filters, 175 food packages, 30 hygiene kits, 408 household items, including mattresses, pillows, sleeping bags, solar panels and solar lamps, and stoves.
HAF was also able to reinforce the community water canals, ensuring that safe and clean drinking water was made accessible to the community.
Arriving in the Aghbar valley you may be fortunate to be welcomed by the infectious smile, firm handshake or warm embrace of Si Larbi Adhar. You are now considered family. A Widrarne local, Si Larbi has been a pillar of strength for his community following the earthquake.
Functioning as an overseer of all 22 villages within the valley, Si Larbi is responsible for liaising between each village, the provincial, regional, and national officials, as well as NGOs including HAF. The success of HAF´s efforts in the valley can be attributed to Si Larbi´s strong leadership, and in turn the respect shown to him by community members.
The Heroine of Immi Oughlad
Immi Oughlad Women
Disclaimer: An alias has been used in this testimony to protect the identity of the individual involved.
Amidst the harsh living conditions and endless challenges, a woman known in the village of Immi Oughlad as “Farah” stands out as a beacon of courage and generosity. With her husband disabled, Farah is the sole provider for her family, working tirelessly under harsh circumstances to ensure that her family’s needs are met.
An unexpected opportunity arose when a Moroccan professor offered Farah financial aid for a better life, she made a selfless choice. Instead of accepting it for herself, she asked that the money be invested in a project to uplift the women and children of her entire village.
Hayat: The Embodiment of Life
Hayat's Photo
In a remote village nestled among the rugged mountains of Morocco lived a remarkable woman named Hayat - her name meaning "life" in Arabic.
Despite facing one of the most harrowing battles one can endure—cancer—Hayat's spirit remained unbroken. Despite the pain and fatigue brought on by her illness, Hayat was on the frontlines guiding her neighbors to safety when the devastating earthquake struck her village, comforting them with words of encouragement and acts of kindness.
Discover more insights
