A 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Morocco that occurred on Sept. 8 continues to have widespread impacts in the Marrakech region where more than 2,900 people have already been killed and over 5,500 injured.
New York City residents have launched fundraisers on GoFundMe, all vetted by its Trust & Safety team, to help the people of Morocco. GoFundMe also has a centralized hub with all verified fundraisers related to the Morocco earthquake.
Below are fundraisers created by New Yorkers and a summary of their goals.
THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO NEEDS YOU
Yas AP, of Queens, is a first-generation Moroccan-Jamaican who spent every summer while growing up visiting family in Morocco. Half the proceeds from fundraiser will be sent to orphanages and the other half will be distributed to the Casablanca neighborhoods where his family live to purchase food, blankets, and clothes for anyone in need. Receipts will be provided, according to the fundraiser. The fundraiser has a goal of $1,500.
Morocco Earthquake Relief fund
This is a team fundraiser comprised of businesses, musicians, and entrepreneurs who work in the hospitality industry. They aim to support the people in the remote villages in the High Atlas Mountains, which is close to the earthquake’s epicenter and three hours away from Marrakesh. The earthquake has left many in the High Atlas Mountains without homes, food, clean water, and medical care. The donations will go toward food, tents, mattresses, medication, and hygiene products. The group consists of Moroccan Curators, Abdelhamid Bousaadi, Abdelilah Lendani, Rabaa Rahmouni and Sara Morsli. They will be sharing actions, costs, and invoices in Instagram accounts and donors can also reach out to get the full summary. The fundraiser has a goal of $250,000.
Marrakech and Moulay Brahim earthquake
Zahira Bryant, of Brooklyn, shared that her hometown is in Marrakech and that seeing images of her people in the tragedy pushed her to reach out to everyone she knew to help. Bryant said that she has been in touch with a close friend and pharmacist to see how best any funds raised can be used to support those in need. The fundraiser aims to first help women and children. The fundraiser has a goal of $30,000.
Operation Al Haouz Morocco Earthquake Relief Fund
Alecia Cohen, of Brooklyn, is the owner of Travel Exploration Morocco, a travel agency specializing in cultural tours, Jewish heritage tours, and customized trips to Morocco. Cohen created the fundraiser to help provide immediate aid to mountain villages and local communities in the Al Haouz Region. The fundraiser will be contributing funds directly to those in need via grassroots on-the-ground efforts. The fundraiser has a goal of $50,000.
Layla Kabli, of Brooklyn, is organizing this fundraiser to support families with funds that a group of Moroccan scholars based in the United States and NGOs will direct to impacted people. The fundraiser has a goal of $50,000.
