Supporting the Reconstruction
Rebuilding community infrastructure and housing is a priority so that the affected populations can return to normal life and resume their activities.
Fondation de France is focusing on rebuilding community buildings such as schools, community centers and cooperatives. In particular, Fondation de France has joined forces with the Horizons Foundation and the Aroma-zone company to rebuild the “Al Oukhowa” women’s cooperative in Taroudant, which produces argan oil. The new building, located on land donated by the local authorities, will be better suited to the needs of the employees and will comply with anti-seismic standards. This reconstruction will enable a dozen other earthquake-damaged cooperatives in the region to continue their activities, selling their harvests of argan nuts there.
In Ouarzazate, the earthquake damaged the sports center of the Marathon des Sables Association. Its reconstruction followed eco-construction and sustainable housing criteria. The center offers sports activities for children aged 3 to 12 and runs a literacy program for groups of women.
In the province of Chichaoua, the Al Jisr Association has built nine modular classrooms to replace the destroyed buildings. It has also equipped schools left without sanitary facilities with twelve modular units. This gives pupils, especially girls, access to adequate facilities.
Preserving Access to Education
The earthquake has particularly weakened girls’ access to education in the High Atlas region, who were already in a vulnerable situation. The INSAF (Institut national de solidarité avec les femmes en détresse), which fights against illiteracy and girls dropping out of school, has stepped up its actions: covering school fees, renting a reception area in Marrakech, recruiting psychologists to help girls regain their self-confidence, and teachers to provide courses in French, English and scientific subjects.
The Jadara Foundation, which has been working for the education of vulnerable young people for over 20 years, is supporting 100 young graduates and students from earthquake-affected areas by providing scholarships and comprehensive support (tutoring, coaching, linguistic and IT support, etc.) until they graduate.
Providing Psychological Support
In addition to essential material aid, providing psychological support to affected populations is essential to prevent and treat post-traumatic symptoms. This mission has been entrusted, among others, to the Terra Psy association, which has set up two mobile teams of mental health professionals who travel to the remote villages of the El Haouz region to support people suffering from psycho-traumatic disorders.
In the Taroudant region, the Fondation Amane pour la Protection de l’Enfance (FAPE) provides psychosocial support to 250 children, over 300 women and 350 men in eight villages. The activities offered to children (drawing workshops and debriefing groups), women (talking circles and psychological support sessions) and men (physical activities and group discussions) enable them to express their emotions, share their experiences and rebuild community ties.
Contributing to Economic Recovery
To contribute to sustainable economic development in the agricultural and agri-food processing sectors, the Norsys Foundation works with affected families and local technical services to draw up recovery plans. These take into account the production factors that can be mobilized, the season and the duration of cycles to ensure short and medium-term income through vegetable production, poultry rearing, etc. It provides families with inputs, small equipment, and as livestock for breeding activities. Farmers are also trained to acquire new professional production and marketing skills.
In the communes of Asni and Ouirgane, the ISRAR coalition, made up of thirty civil society organizations, a study has been carried out to identify the needs of the affected cooperatives in order to revitalize the local economy. It trains cooperative members in management, marketing and e-commerce, and provides them with machinery, equipment and materials to improve their productivity.
