Nearly 3,000 dead, more than 5,000 injured, this is the still provisional toll of the earthquake which struck the heart of the mountainous region of the High Atlas, in Morocco, at the beginning of September. A week ago, 20 Minutes accompanied a team from GSCF, the only French NGO present on the disaster site. After two missions in the isolated villages of the mountains of the Taroudant region, the head of the organization, Thierry Velu, notes that the emergency stage is far from being passed.
What assessment do you draw from these two missions in Morocco?
Given that political relations between France and Morocco are currently tense, we can say that having succeeded in entering the country as a French NGO is already a success.
What must also be emphasized is that the general mobilization of the Moroccan state was up to the task. For example, we were able to see that the authorities had quickly delivered tents so that residents of the most affected areas could find shelter. We arrived to complement and not to fill any gaps and we must continue to work because the needs are colossal.
What are the needs of populations affected by the earthquake today?
We manage requests as they come based on feedback from our correspondents on site or based on the meetings we have had there. This teacher from the village of Adebdi who asked us for school materials for his 40 students or tents for classrooms. With the donations, we will buy this equipment in Morocco to boost the local economy and bring everything directly to the village in mid-October. We also had requests for hats and gloves, in anticipation of the winter which we know is harsh in these mountains.
Even several weeks after the disaster, the situation was still recognized as a humanitarian emergency. In fact, we go beyond our framework by providing school materials or clothing, but we operate on impulse.
There will therefore be other missions in Morocco
Yes, already the one for mid-October which is planned and just financed. We also intend to do others which would be more within our usual scope of action, to provide first aid training or distribute relief equipment. In fact, it depends a lot on the donations that the NGO will receive for Morocco. Participating in the reconstruction is not planned for the moment, due to lack of resources. But if we receive a donation of 150,000 euros to rebuild a school, we will do it.
The GSCF has drawn heavily on its reserves to finance these missions, the risk being that it will not be able to cope with future disasters.