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When a devastating earthquake struck Al Haouz in 2023, the remote commune of Aghbar lost not only homes and roads, but also its only rural dispensary, leaving nearly 5,000 inhabitants across 18 villages without access to healthcare.
As part of relief operations in the earthquake-hit region, Basma Foundation for Social Development, a Rabat-based NGO, stepped in to fill that gap.
«To see a doctor, residents had to travel either to Oulad Berhil in Taroudant, around two hours away, or to Asni and Marrakech, which required nearly four hours of driving», Adil Tantane, the Foundation’s general director, told Yabiladi.
Building a temporary lifeline
Faced with that reality came the idea of building a small healthcare facility to respond to the commune’s urgent medical needs. After securing authorization from health authorities in Tahanaout and the commune of Aghbar, Basma Foundation was granted a plot of land where a prefab health facility was erected.
«We equipped it with the help of partner organizations and managed it for months», Tantane said.
Operating from October 2024 until May 2025, the facility provided healthcare services with a resident general practitioner, a gynecologist present eight days a month, a doula, two nurses, a pharmacy manager, and four administrative staff members. «Check-ups and medication were provided free of charge», Tantane said.
While Basma’s dispensary was operational, the Ministry of Health was rebuilding the commune’s clinic that had collapsed during the earthquake.
«Once the construction works were completed and the facility equipped by the ministry, we came to the conclusion that there was no reason to keep our clinic open and that its mission had been accomplished», Tantane shared.
From emergency response to dental care
But while the emergency clinic closed, Basma Foundation saw another opportunity to continue serving the inhabitants of Aghbar, this time through dental care, a service the association realized was deeply lacking in the area.
The idea emerged from observations made during the months the dispensary was operating.
«During consultations and visits, we noticed that many children and women were not taking care of their dental health», Tantane remarked, noting that visiting a dentist required another long and costly trip either to Marrakech or Taroudant.
That observation eventually led to the launch of ISDENTAGH, a project aimed at transforming the existing dispensary into a small dental care facility for the commune.
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In collaboration with students from ISCAE Business School, fundraising efforts soon began to equip the clinic and make the initiative possible.
«We met in April to discuss the project, and we committed to helping provide dental equipment and dental consumables, as well as looking for sponsors and suppliers», Marwa Ait Larbi, president of the ISCAE section of the project, told Yabiladi.
The initiative forms part of the students’ Projet d’Impact Social, a social impact project required as part of their curriculum.
«We worked on fundraising through both financial support and in-kind donations», she explained, adding: «For the larger and more expensive materials, we approached companies and proposed partnerships with the association.»
Now almost fully equipped to begin operations, the small clinic is expected to host regular medical caravans during which dentists will provide primary dental care to the local population.
«So far, the clinic has a fully functional dental care room equipped with a chair, compressor, dental vacuum system, and other treatment and care equipment», Tantane said proudly. The facility is also energy autonomous through solar power.
The association is now focused on securing additional equipment while coordinating with partner organizations to launch the first caravans.
«Our realistic objective is to organize one caravan every two months, depending on the availability of the doctors we will collaborate with», Tantane said.
Currently working on a year-long program of caravans, the foundation plans to request the necessary authorizations once the program is finalized.
«The caravans will provide essential dental care, including initial screenings, cavity treatment, medication, first aid, and urgent basic care, all free of charge», he said, expressing hope that the first caravan could begin operating as early as June.
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Basma Foundation is not planning to limit its work in Aghbar to dental care alone, but also hopes to launch a similar initiative focused on ophthalmology in the future, a commitment that has grown stronger since the earthquake.
«It is a commune that is often overlooked and rarely reached by associations because of how remote and isolated it is. We wanted to go there. In a way, we have developed a commitment to the commune», Tamtane said.
That same sense of commitment is echoed by the ISCAE students. «We are proud to be part of this project and hope to remain involved in it over the long term», Ait Larbi said.
In Aghbar, what began as an emergency response is slowly turning into a more lasting healthcare initiative.
