Al Haouz Province - Morocco Earthquake Assistance

On Friday, September 8, Morocco was struck by an earthquake at magnitude 6.8, the strongest to hit the country in 120 years. As of today, September 9, over 2,000 people are dead, and thousands more are injured and missing. Residential areas, critical infrastructure, and historic sites have been severely damaged throughout the country.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Al Haouz province of Morocco, where my home town, Tameslouht, is located. Al Haouz is largely rural and its population of around 500,000 lives very modestly. The earthquake has devastated my community in a way that is truly hard to wrap my mind around. Families I know personally have lost immediate and extended members, while others remain missing. Many are experiencing homelessness because their houses collapsed in the earthquake, or their homes are in such dangerous condition that they may collapse at any moment and cannot be occupied for the foreseeable future. As of right now, these families are relying on the local community's help for food and temporary shelter.

As many of you know, when I lived in Tameslouht, I was active in numerous local and regional organizations. Several of these organizations have partnered with the local city council in Tameslouht and are coordinating province-wide efforts to provide affected individuals with tents, blankets, water, food, and personal hygiene products. They are familiar with the Al Haouz province and are able to get supplies to many of the remote areas of the region.

The main organization that we are working with is called Friends of Schools, run by my close friend, Mr. Azeddine Izyan. Mr. Izyan serves as the President of Friends of Schools, and will serve as my contact throughout this process.

The goal of this GoFundMe is to assist with these efforts on the ground. Our goal of $5,000 USD is estimated to provide 50 local families with these essentials. No donation is too small, and all donations will go directly to these local organizations to purchase supplies and be distributed to families in need. All money received will be deposited into my personal bank account first, then transferred via Xoom to Mr. Izyan and the Friends of Schools. They will withdraw the money and use 100% of the funds for the tents, blankets, water, food, and personal hygiene products for survivors. They will also be the ones traveling to and delivering the supplies to affected areas throughout the Al Haouz province. I can personally attest to the integrity and trustworthiness of their work.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for supporting my community.