Moroccan charities and volunteer organizations have intensified winter aid missions to remote mountain communities as harsh weather conditions continue to isolate villages across several regions of the country.
Over recent days, multiple associations have organized humanitarian convoys toward hard-to-reach areas in the High, Middle and Anti-Atlas mountains, including communities in Al Haouz, Taroudant’s highlands and the Imilchil region. The initiatives aim to help residents cope with freezing temperatures and geographic isolation worsened by heavy snowfall in some areas exceeding one meter.
Most winter relief operations focus on distributing blankets, essential food supplies, winter clothing and logistical equipment needed to withstand severe cold. These civil society efforts complement government measures aimed at mitigating the impact of cold waves and frost in mountainous areas.
For the 2025-26 winter season, Morocco’s Interior Ministry is implementing a support plan targeting more than 2,000 villages across 28 provinces and 243 municipalities, including communities located above 2,500 meters in altitude.
Fawzia Mouden, an official at the Rabat-based Al-Raïd Association for Education and Development, said the severity of winter conditions compels organizations to increase field activities in rural areas.
“Many associations based in cities work to maintain contact with residents in regions facing harsh weather, trying to ease their suffering by providing food and other essential supplies,” she said.
Mouden added that solidarity efforts reflect shared national values, particularly as winter conditions in mountainous areas can become extremely difficult during prolonged snowfall or rainfall.
Her association is preparing another aid mission this week to villages in Al Haouz province, continuing support efforts launched after the 2023 earthquake. She noted that operations are coordinated with local authorities and community associations once roads become accessible and weather conditions improve.
Local partners help identify beneficiaries and determine urgent needs in each village, allowing aid distribution to be organized more effectively, she said.
Ahmed Merzaq, head of the Casablanca-based Rahma Association for Social Works and Solidarity, said winter remains one of the busiest periods for Moroccan civil society organizations.
The association recently organized relief missions to communities in Al Haouz and plans further convoys as weather conditions stabilize, he said.
During winter operations, aid packages prioritize food supplies, winter clothing and equipment suited to cold conditions, while many associations regularly return to the same communities each year.
Merzaq stressed that cooperation between public authorities and civil society plays a key role in addressing the needs of residents in remote mountainous areas, whose isolation worsens during periods of severe weather.
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