Entire villages destroyed, thousands of people who lost everything. The testimony and commitment of Caritas Morocco for the victims of the earthquake. The support of Caritas internationalis and the Italian Church which has already allocated 300 thousand euros
«The needs are enormous: food, clothes, tents and even hygiene kits and blankets for the cold of the night. There are entire villages destroyed.” So declares Father Oscar Arturo Padilla, director of Caritas Rabat, who yesterday visited Amizmiz, a small city in Morocco, about 50 kilometers from Marrakech, and some small towns in the mountains of the area.
Shortly after the earthquake that hit the central area of Morocco on the night of Friday 8 September, the priest went from Rabat to Marrakech, where yesterday a meeting of some parish Caritas was held and a celebration presided over in the Church of Martyrs of Marrakech by Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, Archbishop of Rabat and President of Caritas Morocco.
In the early afternoon yesterday, a small Caritas delegation led by Father Padilla visited Amizmiz and some small towns in the mountains that it was possible to reach. “The visit was touching, these people have lost everything and I fear it will take months to restore their lives.” After Amizmiz, the delegation continued towards the mountains to arrive at a small village on the slopes of the mountain, of about 60 people. The earthquake caused the fall of rocks that blocked the main road, but the inhabitants created an alternative access route. «As soon as they saw us they hugged us. They felt completely left out. The helplessness, tiredness and worry were clear in their eyes. All the houses were destroyed by the earthquake. Some found some tents to spend the night, but the fragility of the tents that were supposed to shelter them was evident.”
The delegation is finding motorcycles to reach other areas and villages that cannot be accessed by car. In the next few hours, aid such as generators, clothes, first aid kits, food, medicines and tents will be sent.
Charity International and the General Secretariat of Caritas for the Middle East and North Africa are in constant contact with representatives of Caritas Morocco and the Caritas network is mobilizing to provide support and economic support to the humanitarian response.
«We are deeply close to the people who suffered this devastating earthquake. Since the first moments after the earthquake, we have been in close contact with our colleagues at Caritas Morocco and are moving quickly to provide what people need. Thanks to everyone who supports our work. We couldn’t do it without you!”, declared Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Alistair Dutton.
Also there Caritas Ambrosiana has mobilized for a fundraiser, the proceeds of which will be used to finance emergency interventions, in the short term, then rehabilitation and reconstruction, in the medium and long term. Caritas has instead chosen not to initiate direct collections of material aid, and not to encourage them – unless the request comes from Caritas in Morocco -, to prevent problems and opacity in the distribution chains, and to prevent goods coming from abroad have depressive effects on local economies.
«We will make our closeness felt – confirms Luciano Gualzetti, director of Caritas Ambrosiana – to communities that have had to suffer the impact of a catastrophic natural event, and who in many cases already lived in harsh contexts. We also invite citizens and faithful of the diocese of Milan to demonstrate their generous, fraternal solidarity.”
The Italian churchthrough the Episcopal Conference, has already allocated 300 thousand euros from the 8×1000 funds for immediate aid.