On 8th September 2023 at 11.11pm, the Al Haouz province in the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco, was hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake. Given that Morocco, especially the Marrakech-Safi area is not prone to earthquakes, little preparation or consideration for such an event contributed to the devastation that has followed. The deadliest earthquake in 60 years has seen over 3,100 deaths and further 6000+ casualties, with entire villages displaced. The true scale of destruction is unlikely to be known for some time given that the most affected areas were remote regions, meaning that they have been incredibly difficult for rescuers to reach.

Why do we want to help? We were in Marrakech at the time of the earthquake having spent a week prior travelling the Marrakech-Safi & Draa-Tafilalet regions. During this time, we met a lot of remarkable people who provided us with some truly special memories. We would like to share some of these and hope this will help you understand why this tragedy has touched us to such degree. We will try to keep it brief!

On our first leg in Marrakech, after exploring the Souks, we hiked the Atlas Mountains. Our guide Mustapha, is our age and since becoming a mountain guide in 2019, hikes every day. Impressively can hike Toubkal (a two-day summit for most) in 5 hours! He lives in Imlil, a small village in the High Atlas Mountains now been severely damaged by the earthquake. Throughout the hike, he could not do enough for us. In the heat he found us shade and even provided us with two full meals mountainside when we looked like we needed it. Despite this, we did not see him take a sip of water or have anything to eat all day long! The next leg of our trip was in Ouarzazate, known as the door of the desert. Here, we rode horseback around the Kasbah of Aït Benhaddou before being welcomed into Amine’s house for tea. We chatted about film, football, his family and he shared his art. We have since learnt his house is inhabitable after the damage.

In Ouarzazate we went to a cooking class with an older Moroccan lady, Ghita, and her son Hassan, where we made Couscous. It felt so special to be welcomed into their home, eat lunch with them and discuss our lives over Moroccan tea. Again, we talked for hours. We spoke about everything from childhood stories, language learning, to the quality of hospitals in Morocco. Whilst there were obvious differences in the lives we lead, we realised we had the same humour and the same goals in life. From here, we spent a night camping in the (strangely stormy?!) Saharan desert of Merzouga and were back-up drummers during a traditional Berber (Amazigh) music performance. The last leg of our trip took us back to Marrakech. We arrived at our Riad an hour before the earthquake hit.

Those in our Riad showed us such kindness and compassion, they gave us tea whilst we were all sat out in the streets and reassured us that all would be ok. This was even more remarkable in light of the emotional turmoil they were no doubt experiencing, given that they had family and homes in the mountainous villages affected by the earthquake. What we found the most striking, in the aftermath, is the spirit of those we met. Within hours, those in the Souks had opened their doors and were cleaning up their damaged produce. There were construction workers out on the streets, attempting to fix buildings and clear the rubble. And, as we were walking through Marrakech, locals were warning us to be careful in case buildings or archways crumbled above our heads.

It is safe to say Morocco, and our recent trip, has, and will always have a special place in our hearts. Having returned to the UK and realising how privileged our lives are, we want to help. There are many Moroccans who still require shelter, food, and general necessities following the earthquake. Whilst the news moves on, and our lives continue, it is important to remember that for many people it is not that easy.

The High Atlas Foundation has been directly working with the people and communities most impacted by the earthquake for over twenty-two years. Because of the High Atlas Foundation's wide-ranging network of partners, associations, communities, and cooperatives, they have been able to respond rapidly to the urgent and developing needs of the communities.

We really appreciate any support or contribution you can give, regardless of how big or small, it will really make a difference in assisting the High Atlas Foundation to provide long-term support to the communities that need it.