About half a million people lost their jobs during the Corona pandemic in Morocco, which doubled the economic burdens that become increasingly difficult during the month of Ramadan, due to the high prices of goods.
Most charitable initiatives in the month of Ramadan are limited to providing food aid, “breakfast meals”, or food baskets, but the conditions left by the Corona pandemic in most countries led to many citizens leaving their jobs.
Various aids
As part of charitable efforts in Morocco, the “Baqi Al Khair” association launched an initiative to break the fast for fasting people and distribute food baskets, in addition to the clothes it provides for orphaned children in many areas.
Suleiman Faraj says that the initiative for the month of Ramadan provides about 300 iftar meals to fasting people, and also provides food baskets to poor and needy families.
Thousands lost their jobs
And he added, in his speech to “Sputnik”, that thousands of people lost their jobs due to the conditions imposed by the Corona pandemic in general in the country, which makes the assistance provided important.
He explained that the initiative was launched three years ago, and during the month of Ramadan, aid is provided to poor and needy families, according to what is donated by citizens who are keen to help the poor during the month of Ramadan.
In the framework, Rahima Al-Afaqi, a member of the initiative, added that the initiative provides aid to needy families from April 1 to May 1, in line with efforts made to help families affected by the Corona pandemic.
600 meals a day
She explained that the initiative provides 300 breakfast meals and 300 dinner meals daily during the month of Ramadan, and also provides food baskets and vouchers in many areas.
“Baqi Al Khair” is a Moroccan initiative to help widows, orphans and needy families
She pointed out that aid is provided to widows, orphans, needy families according to priority, in addition to the homeless. Pointing out that the value of the food basket is 400 Moroccan dirhams, and that about 650 families have benefited from the initiative.
According to Rahima, one meal is worth 32 dirhams, prepared by about 20 volunteers of both sexes, along with the association’s organizers.
So far, the initiative has provided more than 250 vouchers worth 250 to 500 dirhams, in addition to 100 in-kind baskets containing various foodstuffs.
Aid all year round
The association is active in providing various assistance to orphaned children throughout the year, and provides assistance to widows and divorced women.
Many associations are active in Morocco during the month of Ramadan, launching dozens of initiatives across the country to provide food aid to thousands of families.
Economic repercussions
The economic repercussions of the Corona virus and drought in Morocco caused the loss of more than 430,000 jobs in 2020.
In the context of the repercussions, the number of the unemployed rose to about one and a half million, according to an official report of the High Commission for Planning for the year 2021.
The number of unemployed people in Morocco in 2020 reached 11.9 percent, recording the highest increase compared to 2019 among the youth group, as the crisis caused the loss of more than 430 thousand jobs.