Tadamoun AlHaouz - Solidarität

Frieda's emergency aid project provides direct assistance to those affected by the earthquake in Morocco. Frieda is working on the ground with local partner organisations.

The earthquake in the Atlas Mountains on the night of 8 September 2023 is the strongest earthquake in Morocco to date. It reached a value of 6.8 on the Richter scale and was felt far beyond the earthquake zone in the country. However, the Al Haouz region was hit the hardest. The High Atlas mountain range is known for its tectonic activity. The neighbouring rural and urban areas have suffered the greatest losses and damage: Taroudant, Azilal, Marrakech, Ouarzazate and Chichaoua. Over 3,000 people have died, 5,000 others have been injured and over 2.8 million people have been affected by the earthquake. 

The earthquake in Morocco on 8 September 2023 is still having an impact years later. The traces of the destruction are still visible in many places in the affected villages in the Atlas Mountains. Most of the schools and houses have not yet been rebuilt. Routes to school have become longer and in some cases more dangerous and there is a risk that girls will be married off at an early age instead of continuing their education.At the same time, however, reconstructed buildings or various measures for the rehabilitation of damaged buildings can be seen today.

Frieda's partner organisations, Architecture et développement Maroc and Open Village, continue to campaign for education for girls and women's rights as well as against early marriage and gender-based violence through prevention and awareness-raising workshops. Children can take part in sporting and psychosocial activities and receive educational support. 60 women and 400 children receive psychosocial support.

In addition, two further multi-purpose rooms are being built in two villages together with the affected population and simple repair work to secure damaged buildings is being clearly documented and this product will then be made available to affected people. The technology is based on traditional construction methods and locally available materials. The buildings are earthquake-proof and adapted to the local climatic conditions.

The new rooms are used for tutoring and language lessons. The rooms can also be used by local women's and youth organisations and benefit a total of over 360 families and more than 2,000 people. 

What has been achieved so far

In the first year and a half after the earthquake, the affected population was supported with food and hygiene packages, medical, psychological and psychosocial counselling and care. This improved the social, psychological and medical well-being of the population affected by the earthquake. 71 families also received financial support. 

The prevention and sensitisation workshops, the topics of which were defined in close cooperation with the community leaders, reached almost a thousand people, adults and children The specific needs and problems of the individual villages were identified in these workshops. For example, school education for girls, longer distances to school, early marriage, gender-specific violence and women's rights were discussed;

So far, three multi-purpose rooms have been built as part of the project. The technology is based on traditional construction methods and locally available materials. The buildings are earthquake-proof and adapted to the local climatic conditions. The construction sites were also "school construction sites", which enabled the villagers to acquire the necessary skills to subsequently build or repair similar buildings themselves;