Moroccans in eastern Europe poured for the fifth day to the borders with Ukraine giving food, shelter, and supply to their compatriots who found themselves caught up in the Russian offensive.
At least 8,000 Moroccans are among the hundreds of thousands of civilians who have been queuing at border crossings in Poland, Hungry, Romania, and Slovakia seeking refuge from the threats of missiles and bombs in Ukraine.
Omar El Majdoubi, 25, felt compelled to volunteer on the Polish border after seeing images on social media that showed Polish people helping more Ukrainians than they did foreigners.
"I decided to act and help my brothers and sisters," he said, El Majdoubi, 25, who for the last three days drove back forth from Krakow to Korczowa border post to bring back Moroccans who needed shelter.
El Majdoubi alongside his two friends provided assistance to those just entering the border with food and information. Some, he said walked over 17 kilometers in the cold without food or water to reach the border.
" Just speaking Darija to those just arriving can put them at ease," he said.
As a result of his videos helping refugees, he received many messages from Moroccans who were stuck at the Polish border.
In Hungary, Achraf Ezzallat, a Moroccan residing in Hungary is working with the Association of Moroccan Students in Budapest to assist Moroccans arriving in Budapest.
Working alongside the embassy as volunteers is the best option when resources are limited, he said in a statement.
His main objective, along with that of his association, is to provide aid to Moroccan refugees as well as facilitate the process for Moroccans entering Budapest.
He stated that the embassy provided him with information on how they would aid Moroccans in refugees from Ukraine with food, lodging, and administration work.
"Everyone is trying to host people coming in and the embassy is doing the same by providing hotels and accommodation," Achraf said to Hespress EN.
He gave accounts of a few people in Budapest that have hosted fellow Moroccans and provided accommodation for a week or more, according to the dates of their flights home.
Achraf detailed accounts of the refugees and described it as "horrible and terrifying."
"Some people were wearing dirty clothes, some lost their belongings along the way, some people came without money, as the Ukrainian currency is not available in Budapest," he described.
In addition, Achraf spoke about how many refugees crossed into Slovakia, where they were registered, and have decided to cross into Hungary, resulting in an absence of accommodations in Budapest since they are not registered in the country.
"Both the embassy and volunteers are doing a great job, I am very proud," Achraf said.
He recounted the case of a Moroccan girl in Karkov who had gotten lost while trying to find shelters amid the bombing of the East-European country.
Due to her lost and confused state, she became "shocked" and traumatized when the bombing started.
He recounted that the minute she arrived in Hungary, she started crying for over an hour due to the shock.
Although people are happy about escaping Ukraine, there is no denying the traumas that people are experiencing. Achraf recalled an incident when someone jokingly said, "I think there should be a mass therapy session."
To which Achraf stated that "even though we are all laughing now, we know we will suffer the consequences later," referring to the collective traumas that the refugees have experienced.
As part of a message aimed at Moroccans and Arabs alike, Achraf said: "People have the same way of thinking. When we think as a group it's easy to find solutions to a problem and overcome anything."
"However, when people start thinking individually and for selfish reasons, it will lead to crisis," he said. "I know people are scared and confused but the more we act as a collective, the better the situation will be. Sometimes, It's better to follow the crowd," he further stated.
Moroccan expatriates from Ukraine have created a collective to provide support to Moroccans in Ukraine amid escalating tensions between Kiev and Moscow.
In an interview with Hespress EN, Sara Bourial, one of the members of the collective, gave accounts of people stranded on the Polish border for 3 days with very little food and water. "It is -5 degrees out there," she said devastatingly.
In response to a question about what the embassy does to support its citizens, Sara pointed out to Hespress EN that there are very few resources available at the embassy.
"People have been very critical towards the embassies but they are doing their best," she said further adding that," the embassies in Europe are smaller to cater to a small Moroccan population in Europe, so they are doing the best they can with their capabilities."
" The situation is Genuinely heartbreaking, we are very limited in what we can do except for liaising with embassies to provide support to the Moroccan people."
However, she stated that "Although the situation is very grim, I believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel."
"It's a non-ending tunnel but I'm hopeful. The solidarity from Moroccans all over the world is heartwarming and we're not going to rest until all of our Moroccan countrymen are safe," she concludes.
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