HEC Paris and other universities mobilized after Morocco earthquake

With a message of solidarity to all its students and, above all, an appeal for donations launched by 12 associations from several schools, HEC Paris and the university community are actively mobilizing to help the Moroccan populations affected by the earthquake of September 8, 2023, and are already thinking about the future of education in these disaster areas.

^{Auteur/Author of this article: Frédéric Voirin}

A magnitude-7-earthquake struck Morocco on the night of Friday September 8 to Saturday September 9, 2023 leaving more than 2,900 people dead and thousands injured. From one day to the next, hundreds of people were left homeless, without access to drinking water, and deeply destitute. HEC Paris and the inter-university student community are mobilizing to help these victims as best they can, in parallel of the emergency measures put in place by Morocco and the international aid that is coming in.

Support from the entire HEC Community

The entire HEC Paris community wishes to express its sadness and deep solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts are especially with our many students of Moroccan origin - there are almost 200 of them, representing our 3rd largest foreign community at HEC - as well as with our staff and alumni currently in Morocco.

HEC Paris teams have been actively working since Saturday September 9 to ensure the well-being and safety of our Moroccan students, particularly in terms of psychological support, financial assistance and emergency aid. Our staff are looking after the 96 Moroccan students on full-time programs (83 Grande Ecole, 7 Specialized Master/Master of Science, and 6 MBA) and the 80 students on part-time programs (71 EMS, 8 EMBA France and 1 EMBA Qatar).

At the same time, the HEC Alumni teams are mobilizing and readjusting their actions according to changing needs. The HEC Alumni Chapter Morocco club has also set up an initiative to provide financial support to victims on the ground. Hamza Laraichi (H.04), President of Chapter Maroc, explains: "Many of you are willing to help in one way or another, and we thank you for your messages of support. We are also sharing details of the special fund set up within the Central Bank of Morocco". (Details available at the end of this article).

And our student populations also mobilized very quickly and brilliantly. "The morning after the earthquake, we woke up with a determination to take action and not just sit on our hands", says Camelia El Alami, a determined young L3 student and President of HEC Maroc.

“The day after the earthquake, we woke up with a determination to act"

More than 12.000 euros raised by students in just a few days

In these particularly difficult times for Moroccans, everyone's mobilization remains crucial, and every gesture can make a difference to help on the spot, and will have a direct impact on the lives of those affected.

At their level, HEC students are not to be outdone. Far from it! Indeed, in collaboration with the HEC Monde Arabe and HEC Africa student associations, the HEC Maroc student association launched a funding campaign the day after the tragedy, with the help of a dozen other Moroccan student associations based in France, including Sciences Po Maroc, ESCP Maroc, Centrale Maroc, Assas Maroc and Essec Maroc, as well as outside France.

Camelia EL ALAMI, President of HEC Maroc, explains: "Thanks to our experience with Moroccan associations at our previous universities, notably the Warwick Moroccan Society, we have been able to extend our collaboration outside France, notably in England (Imperial, Warwick and UCL) and Switzerland (EPFL). We have also joined a group of 200 students from the Moroccan diaspora, based in the USA and Europe (Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy) but also in China, Hong Kong and Costa Rica". This international student network has enabled them to coordinate various solidarity initiatives for Morocco: charity events, collections of physical donations, psychological support.

Thanks to this rapid outpouring of solidarity, the mobilized students have already succeeded in gathering over 350 donations, raising more than 12,000 euros. Collectively, they say they are "very proud of this spontaneous fund-raising campaign, having passed the 10,000-euro mark in just a few days".

But beyond this immediate pride, the students hope that this initiative will encourage other people and public organizations to help the earthquake victims. The students conclude with this very important reminder to the general public: "Mobilize your resources and friends if you can help, and above all, don't cancel your trip to Morocco". The economy of Morocco is indeed deeply rooted to tourism.

"We've raised over 12.000 euros in a few days, but please keep donating and do not cancel your trips to Morocco"

^{© Frédéric Voirin}

To complete this online student fundraising campaign, the HEC Maroc association has set up a stand in front of the restaurant on the HEC Paris campus to collect donations, which will be donated to several Moroccan NGOs working to help earthquake victims.

Funds to feed the victims and rebuild schools

The funds of this student fundraising campaign are collected under the aegis of the El Baraka Angels association, chaired by Selwa Zine, and the Banque Alimentaire du Maroc, chaired by Naziha Belkeziz, as well as One Hand, a small-scale humanitarian association operating in rural areas. All funds raised by the Moroccan student associations will be donated to these organizations.

Camelia El Alami, President of HEC Maroc, explains that she immediately sought out contacts with well-known associations active in the field. "El Baraka Angels and the Banque Alimentaire very quickly came to the fore because of their willingness to provide short- and long-term support to the victims of the earthquake". One Hand, for its part, will be working in rural areas to provide locally-targeted aid.

These donations will be used to provide emergency assistance to local people in distress, to distribute food supplies and blankets to the victims, and to help rebuild or renovate schools in areas severely affected by the earthquake.  

"These donations will be used to distribute food and blankets, and to rebuild schools".

If you would like to make a donation to help the victims of the Moroccan earthquake, you can make a contribution to

The specific funds for the aftermath of the earthquake in Morocco, launched by royal decree. All information is available here: https://www.hecalumni.fr/page/maroc

The student charity fund set up by HEC Maroc to benefit El Baraka Angels and the Food Bank of Morocco

or via the network of students from the arabic world

Donate to help the victims of the earthquake in Morocco