Empowering Women for Post-Earthquake Recovery & Resilience
Our psychosocial and empowerment program supports women in their post-earthquake recovery and resilience by addressing the trauma of the devastating earthquake.
The disaster left families grappling with intense emotions of helplessness and grief. Recognizing women’s pivotal role in their families and communities, HAF has launched an empowerment program to inspire their personal and communal resilience.
“I cannot forget the look on Fatima’s face as she bitterly expressed that she and her children were traumatized by the loss of everything and the fact that they couldn’t change their reality.” - Fatima, participant of the psychosocial empowerment workshop in Ijoukak
What the program does:
The program in October, adapted from our existing IMAGINE initiative, involved 36 full-day workshops with 279 women in 9 earthquake-impacted villages to provide them with psychoeducational content and exercises, address disaster-related reactions,and teach them coping and self-care strategies. | Its primary objective is to create a safe space with women that is conducive to fostering trust to allow them to collectively heal, process their trauma, manage stress, and destigmatize their emotional responses and behaviors by validating the significance of their experiences. |
“My involvement in this initiative has not only given me a deeper appreciation for the strength of the human spirit but has also highlighted the significance of continued efforts to support these communities on their journey to recovery and healing.” - Houria Chouhab, HAF’s Psychological & Empowerment Trainer
Empowered women significantly contribute to rebuilding their communities. This initiative alters the future trajectory of disaster relief by initiating a shift to community-based participatory strategies for addressing mental health challenges, with an emphasis on a highly marginalized demographic: women living in rural areas.
Here’s how you can support this project:
Read more about HAF’s work with women across Morocco here.
Donate to our earthquake relief efforts on Global Giving now & this Giving Tuesday, November 28, to have your impact amplified.