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Join on Telegram The United Moroccan American Association of Cleveland Ohio (UMAACO), which focuses on providing community service to Moroccan expats living in the Greater Cleveland area, has worked strategically to provide aid to the areas of Morocco still in need after the 6.8 magnitude earthquake on September 8.
A community amidst Challenge
Morocco World News spoke with current UMAACO President Othmane Benafan, who recounted his move to the United States nearly twenty-two years ago at 18-years-old. Originally from the northern Moroccan city of Tangier, Othmane found that navigating life abroad was difficult. He faced homesickness, loneliness, and hardships in adapting to life in the United States. He joined UMAACO, which was established in order to foster a community for other Moroccans in a similar situation.
The organization aims to create an easier assimilation process for Moroccan-Americans. With a majority of new members being young students, the organization assists newly-abroad Moroccans navigating legal processes, societal expectations, and other technical processes. The organization provides a sense of community and mentorship to its members in job searches and banding together when a member is ill or struggling.
Avoiding Diaspora through Cultural Celebration and Tradition
UMAACO emphasizes not only integration into American society, but also the need to keep Moroccan culture alive and strong by educating the youngest members of their organization. Events are facilitated such as educational outreach programs – summer camps for children, language classes in both classical Arabic and Darija, meals and picnics, and celebration of holidays such as Ramadan where members come by the hundreds to celebrate as a community.
The vitality of keeping language and culture alive can be helpful in founding a strong community of Moroccans abroad. These communities are vital not only in cultural preservation and exchange, but also in responding to disasters and communities in need.
Moroccan-American Relations
As well as finding pride in their own Moroccan identity, the organization emphasizes the value of Moroccan-American friendship. With long-standing ties of alliance and friendship, UMAACO aims to continue to nourish relations between Americans and Moroccans. This is done by recognizing the two societies’ differences in education, society, culture, and language.
The balance seems to be held well by the organization when engaging with American society; Moroccan and US flags are waved at parades on behalf of UMAACO and they participate in conventions that allow them to showcase their traditional meals and colorful clothing. Its establishment in Cleveland as well allows UMAACO to serve their own Cleveland community.
Aiding their Community from Abroad
President Benafan described the news of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake as shocking and heartbreaking to the Moroccan community in Cleveland. “It was a shock, disbelief. You are sitting in your home watching this happen,” he said. “People lost homes, people lost loved ones.” Messages between members of UMAACO were immediately coming in, and Mr. Benafan said: “We were all in sync, thinking the same way… Let’s do something, Let’s help, the entire community came together.”
UMAACO’s approach in providing aid prioritized strategy and timing. The first step after organizing the members was reaching out to family members, getting in touch with media outlets, and organizations that had knowledge and a good establishment in Morocco to liaison between the US and Morocco. By gauging what kind of aid was needed, the organization determined that food, bedding, sanitary products, and emergency supplies were being provided to the affected areas.
UMAACO is therefore tackling the logistics and challenges of providing longer-term aid. The next step and need is to establish communities, support business owners who lost their businesses, create sustainable structures, and provide necessities to the affected areas in the mountains as a tough winter approaches.
The key is to anticipate the assistance needed, says Benafan, in a timely and meaningful fashion. UMAACO is standing alongside several local, nonprofit and government organizations based in Morocco. Several members of UMAACO will work alongside these organizations in Morocco as the next step is targeting projects like rehousing, and rebuilding schools, playgrounds, and necessary infrastructure.
UMAACO is currently raising money as part of their aid strategy, stating, “we are with the Moroccan people, just like we were with the Turkish people and Syrian people, and other people right here in Cleveland when they need help.”
