Since arriving in Morocco on 14 September, AMDA’s two Japanese nurses have been working with Moroccan international health specialist Shifaa Foundation to provide assistance to the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the nation’s southwestern regions on 8 September. The epicentre was in the Atlas Mountains (Al Haouz) located 70 kilometres from Marrakesh, the capital.

On 22 September, with five doctors from Shifaa Foundation, the nurses visited a village near Imintanoute in one of the affected areas. It took the team three hours’ drive to get to the location. Although the impact of the quake seemed relatively light (as there weren’t many collapsed buildings seen in the vicinity), makeshift tents were still visible. After learning that the village lacked medical infrastructure, the team carried out mobile clinic activities. The team offered general medical consultations such as blood pressure and blood sugar tests, while prescribing medicines to whoever that needed them.