Walter Finch
A GROUP of Good Samaritans in Cadiz province have launched an urgent appeal to provide direct assistance to the victims of the devastating earthquake that has rocked Morocco.
The earthquake, which struck on September 9, was one of the strongest to hit the country in recent years, with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale.
A number of international emergency teams are already on the ground, providing crucial aid such as food and shelter in the coming weeks.
Led by CEO James Stuart, the Califa Group in Vejer has decided to launch a fundraising campaign to focus on the longer term needs of the affected communities.
“These are our neighbours just across the water, and a number of our employees are from Morocco,” Stuart told the Olive Press.
“So we feel an immediate need to help them as best we can.”
With many of the villages situated 2,000 metres above sea level, they will require urgent help long after the initial rescue efforts have concluded.
These hardest hit areas are far from the tourist routes and lack access to electricity and running water.
“These are stunning, spectacular villages where the houses are built organically out of mud and sticks, perched on the sides of the hills,” Stuart said.
“So they need to be repaired at the end of each rainy season in the spring, otherwise the houses fall apart. So the earthquake must have devastated them.”
The group’s primary objective is to assist in clothing and fulfilling basic needs for families in the remote mountainous regions.
“The winters are tough in the Atlas Mountains,” Stuart said.
“Already by mid-October the temperatures can drop to 10 degrees, and at night it can fall to zero in some places.”
They have set a target to raise €4,800 through their GoFundme page, which Califa employees will deliver personally to Morocco to buy what they need.
Currently, the death toll stands at 2,862 people, with another 2,500 injured. These numbers are expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.
The Califa Group’s fundraising campaign is just one of many initiatives launched to help the victims of the earthquake in Morocco.
Islamic Relief has launched a £10 million appeal to assist the people of Morocco, while other organisations and individuals have also set up fundraising pages to provide aid to those affected by the earthquake.
READ MORE:
- Marbella firemen and rescue dog Rasty head to Morocco to help search for survivors following catastrophic earthquake
- Spain mobilises relief aid for Morocco as earthquake death toll rises above 2,000
- Is Spain due a mammoth earthquake? What the Morocco disaster means for neighbouring Andalucia
