Help Moroccan orphans and disabled youth
PayPal peacelovehopefoundation@gmail.com
or email us to send a check or money order.
From our director Rashida Faid:
Last year, following the devastating earthquake in Morocco, the UK-based nonprofit *Wheels to Heal* sent a container filled with medical equipment and wheelchairs to help the poor, sick, and physically disabled in Morocco. The receiving organizations were *Sanabil Alwataneya* and another local nonprofit serving underprivileged communities. The shipment, which arrived on November 8, 2023, was a lifeline for many, especially the orphans and the sick in desperate need of assistance.
However, the journey to get the cargo to those in need has been heartbreaking. When the container arrived at the Port of Casablanca, it needed to be cleared by customs, a process that took much longer than expected. By the time we received clearance to pick up the cargo, the fees had become impossible to pay. Maersk, the shipping company, offered a 50% discount, reducing the cost to $2,000, for which we were deeply grateful. However, as an all-volunteer nonprofit, we simply don’t have the financial resources to cover the constantly increasing fees.
Our local nonprofit contact in Morocco tried desperately to reach Maersk, and I personally sent countless emails to customer service and disputes departments. I called Maersk’s offices in the USA, and even had a friend in the UK reach out on our behalf, hoping for a waiver. We’ve begged, but nothing has worked. Meanwhile, the wheelchairs are sitting in the scorching heat, exposed to the harsh conditions of the port, and we fear they may now be rusted and ruined.
The 50 families who were eagerly waiting for these wheelchairs are still in desperate need of help, but we can’t get the necessary support from Maersk. We even reached out to their public relations department, hoping for a miracle, but once again, to no avail. Now, the fees have risen to $5,000, and time is running out. This amount could have provided so much for other children—helping orphans attend summer camps or providing school supplies and clothes for children to return to school.
We are praying for a miracle. We are still holding on to the hope that we can raise enough funds to release the container and get those wheelchairs into the hands of those who need them. If the equipment has been damaged beyond use, we will use the donations to support orphans and the poor children of Morocco in other ways.
*Wheels to Heal* has set up a donation link on their website, and the US-based nonprofit *Love Peace & Hope Foundation* has also created a link to collect donations for Morocco. Please consider helping us bring some hope to these families who are waiting, and help us ensure that this valuable cargo is not lost.