ActionAid is partnering with a local organization, ES Maroc, to distribute supplies in one of the worst-hit areas. The communities in Setti Fadma and Oukaymiden in the hard-to-reach Atlas Mountains, have expressed the need for blankets, mattresses, solar rechargeable lamps, hygiene kits, and food. ActionAid is working with ES Maroc in the distribution of essential relief items, supporting the most vulnerable families.
Halima Begum, ActionAid UK CEO, said:
“Right now, we are concerned for families living out in the open and afraid to return home. There is a risk of aftershocks in Morocco, which could cause landslides and damage to homes and infrastructure in the region in the weeks to come. Our priority is to get safe shelter to women and girls who are now exposed and without any form of privacy.”
Tifawt Belaid, Senior Programme Manager with ActionAid Denmark, said:
“We are especially concerned about women and girls who are showing such resilience and need safety and support as they cope with such dramatic challenges. To make matters worse, heavy rain is expected in the affected areas, increasing the risk of landslides further and leaving hundreds of thousands of people exposed to the elements.”
Ismaïl Iftissen, ES Maroc President, said:
“People have been spending nights in the cold and need tents, mattresses, blankets and warm clothing. Unfortunately, the prices of basic commodities have now gone up due to the high demand, making it even harder for those affected to afford them. Together with our partners, we have begun distributing some items.”
Oussama Chakkor, Country Coordinator, Alianza por la Solidaridad, said:
“Our main challenge is how to go beyond the first response. The temporary shelters are in a precarious condition, with only some basic provisions. There are no latrines or showers. We must think about how to rebuild their lives as soon as possible.”
ENDS
A collection of content related to the earthquake, unique to ActionAid, can be accessed here: https://stories.actionaid.org/?c=64698&k=a1b17d5dbe
Spokespeople available:
Halima Begum is the CEO of ActionAid UK. She speaks English and is currently in Marrakech, Morocco.
Sara Almer is the Humanitarian Director at ActionAid International. She speaks English and French and is currently in London, UK.
Oussama Chakkor is the Country Coordinator of Alianza por la Solidaridad-ActionAid Spain. He speaks Arabic, French, and Spanish and is currently in Marrakech, Morocco.
Tifawt Belaid is a Senior Programme Manager with ActionAid Denmark. She speaks English, French, and Moroccan Arabic and is currently in Rabat, Morocco.
Kirsten Sutherland is the Humanitarian Program Coordinator at Alianza por la Solidaridad-ActionAid Spain. She speaks English and Spanish, currently in Seville, Spain.
For media requests, please email Jenna.Farineau@actionaid.org or call 202 731 9593.
About ActionAid
ActionAid is a global federation working with more than 15 million people living in more than 40 of the world’s poorest countries. We want to see a just, fair, and sustainable world, in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity, and freedom from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice and gender equality and to eradicate poverty.