Bukayo Saka has partnered with a charity to build a container village for victims of the earthquake which killed almost 3,000 people in Morocco in September.
The Arsenal and England forward has joined forces with the children’s medical charity BigShoe to pay for the construction of a container village which will offer refuge for 255 people.
The earthquake, which hit Morocco on September 8, took the lives of at least 2,960 people and struck the Marrakesh–Safi region. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, making it the strongest quake recorded in Morocco’s history and the country’s deadliest since 1960.
Saka has donated 50 containers, each equipped with a sleeping area, kitchenette, bathroom with a washbasin, toilet and shower, as well as power sockets and protective grills in the case of future earthquakes.
“I was shocked when I heard about the terrible earthquake in Morocco, but in the second moment, I knew that I really want to help, and we started to look at what we can do to help the displaced families”, said 22-year-old Saka.
“We found a way to help relatively quickly, and we were able to put a roof over their head and give some comfort and hope to those who have lost everything through no fault of their own.
“The 84 families and, above all, the 89 children in the containers can regain a piece of their everyday lives. In situations where people are fighting for survival, losing their homes or their loved ones, you become even more aware of the privileged situation you live in.”
In November 2022, Saka, whose parents both hail from Nigeria, worked with BigShoe to finance surgical operations for 120 Nigerian children suffering from diseases such as inguinal hernias, umbilical hernias and brain tumours.
