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Livelihoods already devastated by the COVID pandemic and now mother nature deals another blow to Moroccan family.
Omar is the sole provider supporting his 2 young children, wife and elderly mother. He has not been able to find work because jobs in Morocco are very scarce now. It is getting increasingly difficult to make ends meet and earn credit with local merchants.
As if things weren't bad enough, recent torrential rainstorms have caused severe damage to the little mud house they all share. Water and mud poured in from the collapsed roof and crumbled walls. It is still early spring and more storms are inevitable. Urgent repairs must be made to keep the house in tact and the family safe. Living there is quite dangerous because the house is saturated and soggy.
Omar has worked as a tour guide in Morocco for over 10 years. In 2019 he had the courage to venture out on his own and start his own business which took nearly a year and all the money he had. In February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic shut the world down he learned he was awarded the necessary licenses to operate his tour company. It has now been over a year without any work or income and his life savings are gone. People are not traveling. With the uncertainty of the pandemic and available vaccines, borders remain closed and very strict restrictions and curfews in place. There is little prospect of tourists returning to Morocco any time soon. Officials claim that tourism is unlikely to rebound until at least 2023. Because Omar was "self-employed" when the pandemic broke out he is not entitled to any governmental financial assistance whatsoever. And now this terrible flooding damaged his home and he has no means to repair it.
As a tour guide, Omar has given so much to so many to ensure their safety, security and delight as he transported them around Morocco making lifetime holiday memories. Please consider helping this family with any donation amount you can to fix the house and prevent further catastrophic damage to the property or their lives. The images and videos I've seen of raging rivers of mud are so scary I can't imagine how people living through it must feel trying to keep their loved ones safe from harm.
Repairs are estimated at the equivalent of $7,000 USD to remove and replace the roof and shore up the crumbling walls replacing everything with lasting and waterproof materials, essentially a secure patch job to make it safe. Building a new house is actually cheaper in the end. It would cost $10,000 USD to tear down the house and build a new one.
But that's not the extent of it. The family is food insecure during this time, too, and their electric bill this month was quadruple the typical charges - $150 USD, which is an enormous sum in Morocco.
I know this family would be so grateful for any help they can get. Wondering where to get money for food let alone house repairs has to be very unsettling.
Your donations go a long way:
If you can manage it, consider donating $100 (or more) and collectively we can raise the money to raze a roof.
$15 at the local souk will buy enough food to feed the family for a week.
$30 will ensure they have the cooking gas needed to prepare food for a month.
$20 gets a 3 month supply of necessary medicine
$10 buys an internet card or school supplies so the kids can continue attending remote learning classes for school.
$5 secures potable water from the local well
Thank you for caring! Much love to you and yours. We're all in this together no matter where we are in the world.
Omar is the sole provider supporting his 2 young children, wife and elderly mother. He has not been able to find work because jobs in Morocco are very scarce now. It is getting increasingly difficult to make ends meet and earn credit with local merchants.
As if things weren't bad enough, recent torrential rainstorms have caused severe damage to the little mud house they all share. Water and mud poured in from the collapsed roof and crumbled walls. It is still early spring and more storms are inevitable. Urgent repairs must be made to keep the house in tact and the family safe. Living there is quite dangerous because the house is saturated and soggy.
Omar has worked as a tour guide in Morocco for over 10 years. In 2019 he had the courage to venture out on his own and start his own business which took nearly a year and all the money he had. In February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic shut the world down he learned he was awarded the necessary licenses to operate his tour company. It has now been over a year without any work or income and his life savings are gone. People are not traveling. With the uncertainty of the pandemic and available vaccines, borders remain closed and very strict restrictions and curfews in place. There is little prospect of tourists returning to Morocco any time soon. Officials claim that tourism is unlikely to rebound until at least 2023. Because Omar was "self-employed" when the pandemic broke out he is not entitled to any governmental financial assistance whatsoever. And now this terrible flooding damaged his home and he has no means to repair it.
As a tour guide, Omar has given so much to so many to ensure their safety, security and delight as he transported them around Morocco making lifetime holiday memories. Please consider helping this family with any donation amount you can to fix the house and prevent further catastrophic damage to the property or their lives. The images and videos I've seen of raging rivers of mud are so scary I can't imagine how people living through it must feel trying to keep their loved ones safe from harm.
Repairs are estimated at the equivalent of $7,000 USD to remove and replace the roof and shore up the crumbling walls replacing everything with lasting and waterproof materials, essentially a secure patch job to make it safe. Building a new house is actually cheaper in the end. It would cost $10,000 USD to tear down the house and build a new one.
But that's not the extent of it. The family is food insecure during this time, too, and their electric bill this month was quadruple the typical charges - $150 USD, which is an enormous sum in Morocco.
I know this family would be so grateful for any help they can get. Wondering where to get money for food let alone house repairs has to be very unsettling.
Your donations go a long way:
If you can manage it, consider donating $100 (or more) and collectively we can raise the money to raze a roof.
$15 at the local souk will buy enough food to feed the family for a week.
$30 will ensure they have the cooking gas needed to prepare food for a month.
$20 gets a 3 month supply of necessary medicine
$10 buys an internet card or school supplies so the kids can continue attending remote learning classes for school.
$5 secures potable water from the local well
Thank you for caring! Much love to you and yours. We're all in this together no matter where we are in the world.