Many initiatives are being launched in Belgium for the victims of last Friday night's devastating earthquake in Morocco. The Red Cross stresses that the primary need is for financial aid to support local relief organisations. "As long as the country itself has enough food and emergency relief supplies available, it is better to organise and support this aid locally" the organisation says.
Last Friday night, an earthquake measuring 6.8 struck Morocco. The epicentre of the earthquake was to the southwest of Marrakesh, more than 2,000 people have been killed and at least another 2,000 injured.
Belgium’s various governments announced nearly 6 million euros in emergency aid for Morocco on Saturday, but you too can help.
Financial aid first, relief goods only later
"In the first hours and days after such a disaster, it is important first to support initiatives of local relief workers with financial aid," emphasises Sofie De Jaeger, international cooperation manager at Red Cross-Flanders.
"They are on the ground and are best-placed at this moment to know what exactly the local population needs. As long as the country itself has enough food and emergency relief items available, it is better to organise and support this aid locally."
That is why Red Cross Flanders has opened a bank account number where donations can be made. Donations can be made via the Red Cross-Flanders website or to the account number BE53 0000 0000 5353, stating "earthquake".
Red Cross-Flanders itself is already releasing 200,000 euros to provide first aid in Morocco. The funds will be used to support the Moroccan Red Crescent teams, who are on the ground coordinating all aid with local authorities, in the rescue operation and search for deceased under the rubble.
SOS Children's Villages
SOS Children's Villages has also launched an appeal for donations for the earthquake victims. The organisation has been providing support to children and families in Morocco for over 40 years, with projects in five locations, including Aït Ourir, near Marrakech. From that local anchoring, the organisation's local teams are now preparing plenty of emergency aid.
The organisation is concentrating on children and families in the most vulnerable situations. Initially, it wants to offer temporary shelter to families who lost their homes and distribute emergency aid kits with food, water and hygiene items. In the longer term, SOS Children's Villages also wants to help affected families get their lives back on track.
Donations can be made via the SOS Children's Villages Belgium website or directly via SOS Children's Villages Morocco's GoFundMe page.
Local initiatives
Those who prefer to support local initiatives in Morocco itself can, for instance, donate to the Moroccan food bank . The aid organisation not only collects and donates food, but on Saturday, for example, it launched a first operation: 3,000 beds and 3,000 blankets were collected for the affected population.
You can also donate to local initiatives in Belgium. In Brussels, for example, you can do so via the website of Karama Solidarity , a Belgian charity that also provides help on the ground, or via the website of charity Human Smile .