Dear colleagues,
Earlier this year we announced the Third Subsistence Marketplaces Bottom-Up Immersion Conference taking place in Morocco next year; we will be in communication in a few weeks with more details. Today we write to you in response to the unimaginable human tragedy unfolding in Morocco. On Friday, September 8 the country was hit by an earthquake with a 6.8 magnitude resulting in the loss of thousands of lives and the displacement of countless others. Amid aftershocks, survivors are in need of all manner of support, including water, food and shelter.
One of our partners who participated in this year’s Subsistence Marketplaces Conference, Amal Zniber, runs a non-profit organization, Amis des Ecoles, in the same area in Morocco most affected by the earthquake (more information about the organization is provided below). Among other initiatives, Amis des Ecoles supports local communities through the distribution of emergency aid. In response to the recent tragedy the organization is collecting donations. Donations can be made through this link: https://amisdesecoles.org/en/donations/ and are tax deductible for US taxpayers, as permitted by law.
We thank you for considering this request.
Sincerely
Delphine, Aronte, Samanthika and Madhu
The Third Bottom-Up Immersion Subsistence Marketplaces Conference Team (https://cba.lmu.edu/smi/immersionconference2024/)
Amis des Ecoles means “The Friends of the Schools” in French. Amis des Ecoles is a non-profit organization based in Morocco. Its mission is to promote dignity, equity and respect for all, especially school
children and women in remote rural areas of Morocco.
Amis des Ecoles provides resources to children, women and their families in the most remote areas of Morocco. It is particularly active in the high mountains, in the Al Haouz region, which was the center of the earthquake. Amis des Ecoles assesses the immediate needs of communities in high mountain villages and channels resources to ensure that basic needs are met in times of crisis. Today, Amis des Ecoles is on the ground bringing food, tents, flashlights and cots to victims in the high mountains. And they need our help.
Since 2006, Amis des Ecoles has renovated 380 classrooms, installed 420 toilets, built 152 water wells, planted 8,736 trees, set up 30 libraries and distributed 26,000 books. Amis des Ecoles built two houses in Asni – Dar Taliba and Dar Talib. These houses were intended to house youth from the remote mountains and allow them to attend school when there was no school in their village. The houses were to have housed youth starting this fall. The two houses have now collapsed.
https://amisdesecoles.org/en/eng/