Cash Relief for Morocco Earthquake Survivors

Update: currently delivering funds to survivors in Morocco.

Learn more about our emergency relief work and give directly to other survivors here.

You can send funds directly to Moroccans impacted by the devastating earthquake.

On September 8th, the largest earthquake to hit the region in over 100 years struck Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, with 450,000 people surrounding the Marrakech area estimated to be impacted. Communities near the epicenter in Al-Haouz, Chichaoua, and Taroudant were already among the poorest in the country and now struggle to afford food, medicine, safe shelter, and transportation out of impacted areas.

Our team has delivered cash to 9,000+ people in poverty in Morocco since 2019 and is working to reach survivors as quickly as we’re able.

We expect to reach ~1,450 impacted families with the funding we have now.

• We’ll begin enrolling survivors to receive funds in the next 2 weeks.
• If we reach our $500K goal, we can enroll another 400+ families, and even more if we exceed this goal.
• In parallel with our immediate relief efforts, we’re designing a longer-term recovery program.

Each family will receive ~$200 (2000 MAD), no strings attached.

• Villages will be targeted based on poverty levels and distance from the earthquake’s epicenter, and every household in the village will be enrolled to receive cash.
• To prioritize communities in greatest need, we also plan to coordinate with local governments to identify villages that have been highly impacted or haven’t received aid.
• We determined ~$200 will enable survivors to meet their most immediate and early recovery needs based on local market prices and wages, while helping us reach as many impacted families as possible.
• Survivors will be enrolled via in-person staff, verified remotely, and will receive cash at local cash points.

Most survivors we’ve reached still have access to functioning markets, banks, and local cash-points, but have only received food support or no aid at all. 

• Beyond structural damage and losing family members, survivors are reporting loss of livelihoods and psychological distress as their primary concerns. In some villages near the epicenter, 100% of survivors we spoke to have lost all sources of income after the earthquake.
• 450,000 Moroccans have been impacted by the earthquake; many are women, orphans, or otherwise financially vulnerable and need both immediate cash assistance and long-term recovery funds.

We’ll be updating this page with more information as it comes.

Even before the devastating earthquake, Moroccans were struggling with rising living costs, a global food crisis, extreme weather, and drought. Without a swift response, this will push the most vulnerable families further into poverty.

Jamila Abass
GiveDirectly Country Director in Morocco

If for any reason we are unable to deliver all funds to earthquake survivors, donations will be delivered to other Moroccans in poverty or survivors of the next global emergency.