On March 23rd, 2024, in the old city of Marrakesh, the High Atlas Foundation team organized a psychosocial support workshop in partnership with Project Hope for girls from different villages in the Marrakesh-Safi region living at Dar Moustaqbel to complete their secondary and university studies.

When we arrived at the workshop venue, we found the girls ready to start the workshop. We introduced the organization and its activities, although the girls were familiar with what the organization does through social media. We then started to get to know each other and, one by one, began to melt the barrier between us.

After that, we started talking about that night of the earthquake and where the girls were. A girl in her twenties said, "We forgot about that night, we shouldn't talk about it again."

From her words and how she spoke, we realized that this girl had not been able to get over that night even a little bit. After all, if she really got over it and started living with it, then she would talk about it.

Moments later, she heard her roommates talking about that night; she felt supported and felt it was necessary to talk about how the night of the earthquake went for her and share her feelings with us, so she started talking, and the first thing she said was: “That night my life changed dramatically, I saw a fantastical and terrifying sight.”

The girl was at her parents' house in one of the Al Haouz districts. After finishing dinner with her family in an atmosphere of laughter and fun, she went to the sink to brush her teeth in a place overlooking the balcony of the house, as she saw stones falling from the mountain and a black whirlwind in the sky. This sight frightened the girl and made her freeze in place from the horror of the sight, not understanding what happened. She says: "Oh God, is this the Day of Judgment, are we going to die suddenly, I'm not ready..."

Her family took her out of the house, screaming and saying they were going to die.

The girl remained in a hysterical state of panic and screaming. She didn't stop until her father started reciting some verses from the Quran to calm her down and come to her senses.

After that scary day, the girl could no longer sit in the house alone, especially the balcony of the house, which before the earthquake, was an outlet for her and a place where she could relax and do whatever she wanted on that balcony. Now, it has become a scary and terrifying place for her. It's impossible for her to sit there, even by accident. A drastic change in her life.

When the girl talked, she was scared and could hardly express what she had experienced the night of the earthquake.

But by the time she finished speaking, she started feeling relieved that she had let it all out and shared what she had experienced with her coworkers and staff. She also got some advice that eased her mind.

Our main goal is to listen to our beneficiaries and offer as much advice as possible.

The earthquake really changed the lives and thoughts of many people, making them review themselves and everything they do. The earthquake had negative aspects, the death of people, the destruction of houses, fear, sadness, living in tents. But, on the other hand, there are positive aspects, as this event made people reconcile and remove the grief they carry in their hearts towards each other and become one hand, cooperating, helping, and fearing for each other.