Monday, 18 September 2023
An academic at the University of Nottingham is raising money to support children affected by the earthquake in Morocco.
Urgent search and rescue operations are still underway in the Al Haouz province in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake caused mass devastation earlier this month, killing at least 2900 people.
Many homes have been destroyed and thousands of families have been left homeless without food. Moroccan authorities have also said that it could take five or six years to rebuild some of the affected areas.
Dr Tarik Oumazzane, Assistant Professor in Middle East and North African Studies at the University of Nottingham is from Morocco and is helping young people and families affected by the earthquake. He’s planning to provide an open kitchen that will serve hot meals every day to people from the worst affected areas. The kitchen will be a community-centred place where people can come for support. Dr Oumazzane is also raising money to help school children return to education so that they can begin to restore their lives.
With such a severe earthquake, we need to consider what we can do right away to reduce the suffering of the impacted communities. The open kitchen, in my opinion, is the best option for providing food, water, and other requirements. We also need to consider what would happen to children whose schools have been damaged. To help them in returning to school, I think it's essential to put up a temporary classroom.
The initial fundraising target is £7000, which will be enough to set up an open kitchen and a temporary classroom in one of the affected villages in the Atlas Mountains.
Story credits
Istock images
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…