On September 8, 2023, an unprecedentedly violent earthquake struck Morocco, causing 3,000 deaths and leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. Two years later, Fondation de France continues its commitment alongside those struck by the quake, especially the most vulnerable. The call for donations raised 11.4 million euros. Fondation de France has already devoted more than 5.9 million euros to implementing 66 initiatives across the affected Moroccan territory.
During the first months, Fondation de France’s priority was to ensure access to basic needs: sheltering the population, providing equipment to face the cold, and distributing food and hygiene products. Two years later, its support focuses on four priorities: supporting reconstruction, reviving economic activities, preserving access to education, and providing psychological support. Read on for a report of ongoing initiatives made possible by donor generosity.
Key Takeaways
- Two years after Morocco’s 2023 earthquake, Fondation de France has supported 66 initiatives with more than €5.9 million committed to long-term recovery.
- Reconstruction focuses on seismic-resistant building practices, revitalizing irrigation systems, and restoring essential community infrastructure.
- Economic recovery efforts empower youth and women through digital training, traditional craft development, and cooperative rebuilding.
- Access to education is being restored by rebuilding destroyed boarding schools, classrooms, and learning environments across isolated regions.
- Psychological support programs help more than 1,200 children and many orphaned youth process trauma and rebuild emotional stability.
- Collaborative, locally driven initiatives ensure reconstruction is sustainable, culturally rooted, and designed with residents.
Support Recovery in Morocco
Supporting Reconstruction
Approximately 60,000 homes were destroyed by the earthquake, particularly in the provinces of Al Haouz and Taroudant. Fondation de France supports initiatives that prioritize strengthening local artisans’ skills and promoting good construction practices resistant to seismic activity, with a priority on rehabilitating collective buildings such as schools, economic centers, and community gathering places.
In the Taroudant region, located in the southwest of Morocco at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, the NGO Migrations & Développement works to repair or build infrastructure necessary for irrigation and water supply, essential for daily life and the local economy. At the same time, it supports residents in developing their skills, particularly in administrative and financial management. It also offers training in the Amazigh language, spoken by a large part of the population, which plays a central role in maintaining social cohesion and cultural identity.
In the Amizmiz region, south of Marrakech in the High Atlas, the organization Amal Biladi is constructing about twenty noualas, small 18 m² houses made of raw earth, designed with anti-seismic techniques to better withstand earthquakes. At the same time, it is building a “House of Stars” in memory of children who died in the earthquake. This space, conceived as a place for collective healing, will host artistic, cultural, and linguistic workshops for children, meeting times, as well as training and conferences for residents in areas such as eco-construction, agroecology, and ecotourism.
Supporting Economic Recovery
To contribute to a sustainable recovery of local economies, Fondation de France supports initiatives that strengthen young people’s access to employment, highlight traditional skills, and promote women’s autonomy.
In Taliouine, in the province of Taroudant, the organization Forum des Initiatives des Jeunes allows about twenty young people, more than half of whom are women, to take training courses in digital technology and media, including communications, digital marketing, audiovisual production, and journalism. These courses allow them to acquire technical skills in growing sectors. At the same time, they participate in workshops dedicated to employment and entrepreneurship. The program also provides personalized support through individual follow-ups and group sessions to help each young person with their project. Finally, meetings with professionals are organized to expand their networks and facilitate entry into the workforce.
In Taroudant, the organization Tiwizi was created by seven women’s cooperatives from different villages to rebuild their main cooperative, damaged by the earthquake. This site is used to process argan oil, an important traditional activity in the region. With the support of Fondation Horizons, Fondation de France, and the company Aroma-Zone, the renovated cooperative has become both an economic center and a place of sharing: cultural and mutual aid activities are organized there to strengthen social bonds among women in the region.
Preserving Access to Education
The earthquake destroyed school infrastructure in rural and peri-urban areas of the High Atlas, worsening inequalities in access to education, particularly for girls and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In Asni, for example, in the mountainous High Atlas region, school residences managed by the organization Amis des Écoles, where children from remote villages were housed, were completely destroyed. To replace them, two boarding schools are under construction. They will be able to accommodate up to 550 children and provide meal services for nearly 1,000 students. These facilities are essential in this isolated area, where transportation is very limited.
In the rural commune of Ijoukak, in the province of Al Haouz, the organization Marrakech Entr’aide is rebuilding a school that serves many children in situations of extreme hardship. The organization also plans to purchase school furniture (desks, chairs, blackboards) so that students can study in dignified and favorable learning conditions.
In the province of Taroudant, the organization Migration & Développement deploys a caravan for support and psychological assistance for children.
Providing Psychological Support
Beyond material aid, psychological support is also essential to mitigate the effects of trauma. The organization Kane Ya Makane supports around 1,200 students aged 6 to 12 in five rural schools. It organizes artistic workshops designed with psychologists, including drawing, theater, and movement expression. These activities allow children to express their emotions, regain a sense of security, and gradually rebuild.
In Douar Shems’y, in the province of Al Haouz, the organization AMESIP (Moroccan Association for the Aid of Children in Precarious Situations) supports nearly 150 children who became orphans due to the earthquake. It provides comprehensive care supervised by facilitators and mental health specialists, including tutoring, artistic workshops, sports activities (basketball, martial arts, athletics), and digital literacy introductions. These activities recreate a structured and safe environment while addressing mental health in a playful and collective way.
Supporting Collective Initiatives
In the regions of Al Haouz and Souss-Massa, Fondation de France supports projects led by consortia of local actors, including NGOs, nonprofits, local authorities, and researchers. The goal is to co-create concrete solutions with residents to meet daily challenges: water, education, health, employment, and reconstruction, notably through collective work sites and choices of materials.
The Tadamon program, in the Souss-Massa region, illustrates this approach. Coordinated by the organization Migrations & Développement, it brings together five local organizations around shared priorities: access to water, agricultural recovery, education, and economic development. In Ifghrane, a solar pumping system was installed to provide the village with drinking water. The program has also rehabilitated private water sources, dug two wells, and restored water wheels and irrigation channels.
In the Siroua Massif, the organization Migrations & Développement installed water points for livestock.
In Al Haouz, the organizations Care Maroc and IECD (European Institute for Cooperation and Development), with support from the French Development Agency (AFD) and Fondation de France, encourage the resumption of economic activities through entrepreneurial support for 660 people: needs mapping, business creation training, technical and psychosocial assistance. To allow women with young children to return to their occupations, a preschool program is planned for 160 children, including the equipping of ten childcare centers, training of educators, and implementation of extracurricular activities.
To Our U.S. Donors—Thank You
We want to thank all U.S.-based donors whose generosity made it possible for us to support Fondation de France’s emergency campaign in Morocco. Your gifts enabled not only immediate aid after the earthquake, but also contribute to long-term support that ensures a stronger, more resilient recovery for the affected communities.
Support Recovery in Morocco
Originally published by Fondation de France
