Building on unwavering dedication and in-depth knowledge of the terrain and its constraints, Al Haouz NGOs continue, today, its targeted actions to help disaster-stricken populations.

   The Tamounte Association for Women and Children Development, an NGO in the municipality of Ouirgane (62 km south of Marrakech), is a concrete example of this ongoing wave of solidarity.

   In a statement to MAP, President of the Association, Houria Ait Nasser, stressed that Tamounte, which means "together" in Amazigh, played a key role in allowing rural women, in the aftermath of the earthquake, to meet in a friendly and caring space and to continue to generate income through manufacturing traditional carpets and local products.

   "Created in 2016 thanks to the will of the village’s women to have a place of exchange and learning, this organization offers, in addition to literacy courses, training workshops in weaving or knitting for the women of the village," she added, emphasizing the importance of preserving and transmitting the ancestral know-how of the typical carpets of the region.

   For her part, the treasurer of the Association, Kenza Fenjiro, said that the education of children is one of the major actions of Tamounte, by offering better learning conditions and a place of expression and development that allows this category to be better equipped for the future.

   She highlighted the continued mobilization of civil society, at local and national levels, alongside local authorities and various stakeholders, to best meet the expectations and concerns of the most vulnerable categories.

   The Afaq Association, also based in Ouirgane, has set its sights on another important and vital aspect: ensuring an adequate supply of drinking water, by mobilizing technical and human resources to drill wells to pump water from underground water tables.

   "This rural community does not suffer anymore from a lack of access to drinking water, thanks to the efforts of local associations that work closely with public and private partners," the president of the Association, Mohamed Ayt Diouan, pointed out.

  Other initiatives have flourished in recent months, thanks to the USAID-funded Marrakech-Safi Inclusive Social and Economic Development Program. Within this framework, seven NGOs have benefited from technical and financial support, allowing them to implement development projects aimed at contributing to improving the living conditions of the region's populations.

   This is the case of the "Khotwa" Association of Marrakech, which has supervised a network of entrepreneurship coaches made up of 40 young people, supported more than 100 women from various areas of the Al Haouz province and created six new women's cooperatives.

   For its part, the "Kholoud" Association for Development, Education and Communication in Youssoufia hosted listening sessions, psychosocial support and life skills training for more than 400 women affected by the earthquake, in the localities of Ankal, Azkour, Amghras and Amizmiz.

   In good and bad times, local NGOs continue to stand as a shining example of resilience and commitment, by placing communities at the heart of reconstruction efforts.