On our visit to Marrakesh in May 2023 my friend Alison and I met some wonderful, friendly people. Idriss was one of them. 25 years old, always smiling each time we saw him, chatty, welcoming and with his whole future ahead...

On 8th September, the earthquake, with an epicentre in the Atlas Mountains, stopped everything in its tracks. Idriss was in Marrakesh that evening, but drove hurriedly towards the village outside the city where his family lived. The roads became impassable and he ended up abandoning his car and walking 3 miles to reach the family home in Tikht, which now lay in ruins.

Hearing the news of the earthquake early on Saturday, we had reached out to the people we met on our trip but sensed that something was wrong with the lack of reply from Idriss. My heart sank immediately when he replied a few days later that he'd lost his family and their home.

He had spent hours that day and night digging through the rubble with his bare hands until he located his 12 year old sister among the ruins. Sadly, both Idriss' mother and sister lost their lives in the earthquake that night and their family home, along with the entire village of Tikht, is now completely destroyed.

It's almost impossible for any of us to really relate to the scale of this disaster. Two weeks on, the international news coverage has all but finished and the promises of further aid have not yet materialised. The remaining community in Tikht are left without services or sanitation, there is no counselling or support for trauma, women lack basic sanitary products and children have been left as orphans….

Although we only met him a few times, we are totally devastated for this young man and the pain and sadness he is now suffering. Our paths must surely have crossed back in the Spring for a reason.... After a lot of reflection the last couple of weeks, it became very clear that everything we are lucky to enjoy on a daily basis makes us very fortunate and privileged indeed compared to some. So it seems the right thing to do, to try to give back to someone who, right now, just needs support, compassion and some kindness.

We really want to help Idriss, his father (who is recovering from his injuries) and 15 year old brother to start rebuilding their lives, whether they choose to stay close to their Berber community in Tikht or move elsewhere in Morocco to start afresh.

So we have started this GoFundMe page with an aim to give back to this family in their time of need. It's our goal that any funds we can raise will benefit Idriss and his family directly and possibly even the wider community of survivors from Tikht. Before the weather turns colder, we really hope they can be moved out of the temporary tented structures on the hillside and into proper accommodation where they can start to put this nightmare behind them.

Talking to Idriss, he finds it hard to believe that it could ever be possible to start again when you have literally nothing left at all. We really want to help change that and are determined to make a difference.. and show there can be some hope for the future.

If you feel you are able to help us with any contribution to our fundraising, then honestly any amount will be gratefully received. We will keep donors updated on how funds are used. Thank you for reading our story and for your support. x