 In the bustling town of Asni, the rooftops were once full of activity. Especially in the boarding houses of a girls' education charity where groups would read, chatter, work or sing. Now the rooftops are silent. If they are even there at all. It's been just over two weeks since a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, killing over 3,000 people, tearing buildings apart and exposing inhabitants to the cold nighttime air of the High Atlas mountains. Some of the house mothers of Education For All (EFA) were in their boarding houses, ready for the girls to start of term, when the walls cracked and the bricks fell. The UK charity has been operating a network of six residences in the High Atlas region since 2007, housing young women from poor, remote villages. During the week they live in the accommodation – meals and resources provided – and go to local schools, then return home to their villages and families at the weekend. Years of hard work have gone into building trust with the local communities. Firefighters continue to search for victims under the rubble of destroyed houses following the powerful earthquake (Credit: FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images) In the charity's early days, a respected local elder and member of the committee went from door to door to convince mothers and fathers that their daughter would be well cared for by the house mothers. In more recent years, the houses have had to turn away more girls than they could accept, with numbers reaching around 250 across the six houses. I can personally attest to the care and amazing bonds within the boarding houses, having visited three in Asni for a journalism project in October 2022. The sheer warmth and generosity of everyone I met – and the taste of countless mint teas – has stayed with me since. As have the hopes and dreams of the girls I encountered; future doctors, nurses, teachers, business owners, to){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
In the bustling town of Asni, the rooftops were once full of activity. Especially in the boarding houses of a girls’ education charity where groups would read, chatter, work or sing.
Now the rooftops are silent. If they are even there at all.
It’s been just over two weeks since a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, killing over 3,000 people, tearing buildings apart and exposing inhabitants to the cold nighttime air of the High Atlas mountains.
Some of the house mothers of Education For All (EFA) were in their boarding houses, ready for the girls to start of term, when the walls cracked and the bricks fell.