The earthquake was the hardest to hit Morocco in over a century, destroying buildings and causing rockslides that made roads impassable. Striking late at night as many families were already asleep, the quake killed more than 2,900 people and injured countless more.
The epicenter was in an area dotted with villages spread across the Atlas Mountains, about 50 miles south of the historic city of Marrakech. In the first days after the quake, WCK used helicopters to do comprehensive aerial assessments of the country’s mountainous central region. Flying in, these helicopters brought thousands of meals to isolated communities. Flying out, they evacuated people who were injured and needed medical attention, bringing them to cities to receive treatment.
In the weeks following, WCK partnered with local organizations and built two Field Kitchens that cooked thousands of meals every day. We also distributed kitchen kits to dozens of villages. These kits included large cooking equipment and food kits of produce and dry goods. With these, Moroccans living in the hardest-hit regions of the Atlas Mountains are once again able to cook meals for themselves.
By the numbers
pounds
of food, produce, and kitchen equipment distributed
hot meals
provided
local restaurant partners
Reaching isolated communities
By land and by air, WCK’s teams arrived in hard-to-reach areas with food and water in hand.
Quickly reaching impacted communities
Within one week of the earthquake, WCK teams provided more than 55,000 meals while conducting comprehensive aerial assessments of the country’s mountainous central region. Our teams established Relief Kitchens and organized with local partners to ensure meals reach anyone in need.
A response powered by locals
Cooking from two Field Kitchens and working alongside dozens of restaurant, catering, and NGO partners, WCK served 700,000 meals in the first month of the response. Our teams worked closely with local Moroccans and adapted to every challenge, making sure we got food to anyone in need.
Volunteer: Meryem
Meryem is a local student who helped our team provide meals to families in some of the villages hit hardest by the earthquake. Moroccan volunteers with local knowledge of the impacted region supported our efforts as we identified communities in need.
Location: Tinmel
WCK scouting teams reached the village of Tinmel in the High Atlas Mountains, where many residents were living in makeshift camps after the earthquake. We met with camp leadership to better understand the community’s needs and how WCK could best support them. In addition to homes, Tinmel’s historic 12th century mosque was one of the buildings badly damaged during the quake.
Partner: Amal Center
The Amal Center has made thousands of filling sandwiches for families impacted by the earthquake. We flew the sandwiches to the communities most in need of support. This Marrakech-based nonprofit empowers women to become financially independent through culinary training.
It’s a pleasure to collaborate with World Central Kitchen on this and we’re grateful for their logistics capabilities that can deliver food to places that are inaccessible by road.
Nora Fitzgerald Belahcen
Founder, Amal Center
