Poverty in Morocco - Need for Charity Association & Food Distribution to the Poor

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A 2020 report issued by the Morocco’s High Planning Commission (HCP), the United Nations and the World Bank revealed that the coronavirus pandemic has driven up Morocco’s poverty rate from 17.1% percent in 2019 to 19.8% in 2020. Official statistics issued by the HCP in May 2020 stated that 33.33% of Moroccan families had lost their source of income after many businesses were forced to close due to quarantine measures.

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The HCP, the United Nations in Morocco and the World Bank believe the repercussions of the health crisis will ultimately push over 1 million Moroccans into poverty in the coming years. Omar Kettani, an economics professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat considers that the expansion of poverty is Morocco’s greatest challenge.

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The pandemic has exacerbated this trend by:

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• Halting economic activity in certain sectors, leading to mass layoffs.

• Leading to a reduction of the number of working hours, which leaves thousands of families with limited income.

• Creating damage to the unregulated sector, which affects job opportunities.

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The impact of the pandemic on families who rely on income generated by family members who were employed in the hospitality and tourism industry in Marrakech is severe. Many are starving and go without a nutritional hot meal for days on end, often just relying on donations of bread from local bakeries, or irregular food parcels.