Nesrine Abou El Fadel was in Marrakesh that night, but Adasil, the mountain village where her school and students were located, was closer to the epicenter. So the Arabic and French teacher returned there to look for the children.
He discovered that All 32 students, ages 6 to 12, died.
“I went to the city and started asking about my children: “Where is Somaya? Where is Yusef? Where is this girl? Where is this child?” he says. The answer came a few hours later: “”They’re all dead”.
“I imagined holding the class attendance sheet in my hands and crossing off the names of one student after another until I had crossed off 32 names; Now they are all dead,” he told the BBC.
Children were among the nearly 3,000 people killed in the He the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Morocco, This happened on the afternoon of September 8th.
The hardest hit areas were south of Marrakech, where many mountain villages were completely destroyed. Adasil was one such place. Nesrine remembers learning what happened to 6-year-old Khadija.
Rescuers found the girl’s body next to the body of her brother Mohamed and two sisters Mena and Hanan. During an earthquake, everyone was in their beds, probably sleepingand they all went to the same school.
“Khadijah was my favorite. She was very sweet, smart, active and loved to sing. She came to my house and I liked to study and talk with her,” says the teacher. The teacher describes her students as “angels,” children who are respectful and eager to learn.
Despite the struggle against poverty and a crushing cost of living crisis, children and their families they thought that Going to school was “the most important thing in the world.”
“Our last lesson was on a Friday afternoon, exactly five hours before the earthquake,” the teacher recalls.
“We were learning the Moroccan national anthem and planned to sing it in front of the whole school on Monday morning.”
Despite her calm voice, Nesrin still suffers from trauma. He still cannot comprehend what happened to his students and school. “I’m awake; ‘I’m still in shock,'” he says.
“People consider me one of the lucky ones, but I don’t know how to continue living my life”.
Nesreen loved teaching Arabic and French to the children in this village because of Amazighwho mostly speak their mother tongue, Tamazight.
“It was very difficult for them to learn Arabic and French, but the children were very smart and spoke almost fluently in both languages,” he recalls.
He now plans to pursue a teaching career and hopes that the authorities will rebuild the Adasil school, which collapsed during the earthquake.
A total of 530 educational institutions were damaged to varying degrees, with some completely collapsing or suffering severe structural damage, according to official statements.
The Moroccan government has temporarily suspended classes in the most affected areas.
“Maybe one day, when the school is rebuilt and the classrooms are open again, we will be able to honor these 32 children and tell their story,” laments the teacher.
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Source: La Opinion
Alfred Hart is an accomplished journalist known for his expert analysis and commentary on global affairs. He currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker, where he provides readers with in-depth coverage of the most pressing issues affecting the world today. With a keen insight and a deep understanding of international politics and economics, Alfred’s writing is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the world we live in.