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
* 229,000 + pounds of food, produce, and kitchen equipment distributed
* 2.1 million + hot meals provided
* 46 local restaurant partners