Morocco’s empowerment program offers lessons for Venezuela’s earthquake recovery efforts
On July 13, authors Yossef Ben-Meir, Fatima Zahra Laaribi, and Kaitlyn Waring reported on how an empowerment program in Morocco became a key component of earthquake recovery, offering insights for Venezuela as it faces its own disaster aftermath.
Two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck northwestern Venezuela on June 24, only 39 seconds apart. The earthquakes were among the strongest to hit the country in more than a century, with the death toll reaching over 2,200 and more than 11,000 people injured. Rescue teams continue to search through the wreckage as Venezuela’s economic and political challenges complicate recovery. While international aid has provided food, water, shelter, and medical support, the authors say another question is emerging: how to address the emotional trauma experienced by survivors.
The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in Morocco faced a similar challenge after the September 2023 earthquake in Al Haouz province. The organization turned to its existing IMAGINE empowerment methodology, originally designed to help women build self-agency and clarity about their futures. According to Ben-Meir, Laaribi, and Waring, "Having trained facilitators became the key to HAF’s earthquake response. When any disaster strikes, an organization’s ability to help depends heavily on who it was before the moment. For HAF, much of the trust-building and training work required was already done and put into practice. This enabled HAF to immediately deliver 100 psychosocial empowerment workshops that reached more than 4,000 women, men, and children across the earthquake-affected communities."
The IMAGINE model, developed by the Empowerment Institute, was adapted for post-disaster needs. Activities such as the SADEEQA support system exercise and body-focused sessions were modified to address immediate concerns like hygiene and trauma expression. Storytelling became a central component, allowing participants to process grief and other longstanding issues. The authors said, "Sometimes what emerged from the workshops had nothing directly to do with the earthquake at all. A young woman used the space to talk for the first time about her marriage, in which her husband and in-laws mistreated her and left her living alone in a tent. Older wounds, including childhood sexual harassment and years of emotional abuse, surfaced among the fresh grief of the disaster."
The authors emphasized that the main lesson from Morocco is the importance of preparedness and established psychosocial support systems. Material aid is essential, but organizations in Venezuela are also pairing emergency support with psychosocial and child protection services, recognizing that survivors need space to express grief before planning for the future. The authors said, "An equally important takeaway is that HAF’s methodology worked in crisis because it was tested, trusted, and staffed with trained facilitators for years before. While existing psychosocial infrastructure in Venezuela may be scaled back under the broader issues facing the country, it is likely to be the crux of recovery efforts in the months and years ahead."
Organizations on the ground in Venezuela are combining emergency relief with psychosocial support and child protection services, according to World Vision Group.