The context
On Friday, September 8th, 2023, a devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, with its epicenter in the rural Atlas Mountains. It was the deadliest earthquake the country has experienced since 1960, claiming an estimated 3,000 lives and affecting more than 300,000 people.
People for People immediately mobilized, joining forces with Sheltersuit Foundation and Winning Wheels (Netherlands and Morocco). Together, we created an active network of companies to provide humanitarian aid—coordinating donations, logistics, and field operations. Within a week, we shipped over 20,000 relief supplies to the affected areas, including sleeping bags, blankets, socks, thermal clothing, rain ponchos, heaters, and flashlights.
A little over a year later…
In January 2025, three members of the People for People team returned to Morocco, partnering with SOS Children’s Villages to reassess the situation on the ground. We conducted a thorough needs assessment across 9 villages in the Al Haouz region—still heavily impacted by the earthquake—and identified a pressing need for functional educational facilities and classrooms.
During our visit, it became clear that the local reconstruction efforts have been slow to reach the more remote mountainous areas. The further we traveled from major towns, the worse the infrastructure remained.
Many schools continue to struggle. According to UNICEF, approximately 100,000 children were affected by the earthquake, with many still experiencing disruptions to their education due to damaged or destroyed schools, yet to be rebuilt. Infrastructure in remote mountain villages, including educational facilities, remains severely damaged, impacting the resumption of regular schooling. In some cases, teachers are living in temporary relief units installed by the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).
Our mission: building relief housing units
Our crisis response work in Morocco and Turkey – after the earthquakes in 2023 – revealed an urgent, ongoing need—many people are still living in tents, even months or years after a disaster. In response, we began exploring the most effective shelter solutions.
In early 2024, we partnered with Better Shelter to receive training in deploying their innovative, durable relief housing units—designed to provide safety, dignity, and a longer-term solution for displaced communities.
In June, we will be on the ground in Al Haouz, installing these shelters in key locations where the need remains high.
During our recent needs assessment, we engaged with 9 local associations and cooperatives to discuss current challenges and assess their capacity to manage the relief units sustainably—ensuring accessibility, accountability, and long-term usability.
Together with our local partner SOS Children’s Villages, our dedicated People for People team, the Better Shelter relief housing units, and school equipment generously donated by our partners, we aim to restore learning environments so children can return to school with dignity and hope.
Stay tuned for updates on the mission and how you or your company can get involved!
