Hello friends,
Sophia* was studying at a university in Morocco and making plans for the future when her life came to a startling halt.
When her family found out that she's a lesbian, they forced her to marry an older man to "save the honour" of the family. Horrified, Sophia ran away and had to live on the street.
Thankfully, she found a group of activists who help homeless lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender people. This group (who wishes to remain anonymous for their own safety) provided temporary shelter for Sophia. But in Morocco, where it's illegal to be gay, there are so many other people like Sophia in urgent need of help.
That's where you come in. If All Out members raise enough money, our partner group can launch Morocco's first shelter for LGBT people.
With your help, our partner group will be able to run a safe, secret place for homeless LGBT people to live; a place where people like Sophia can escape trauma and violence, and receive the medical and psychological help they need to get their lives back on track.
Being gay is still a crime in Morocco, punishable with up to 3 years in prison. Our partners work fearlessly to help keep people safe. Since they started their work in 2013, they've been able to help 48 people like Sophia.
But their resources are incredibly limited. Right now, they're forced to hide people in the apartments of staff and volunteers. A secret shelter would give Sophia and so many other homeless LGBT people the safety and privacy they need to survive.
In February last year, we received a call for help from an LGBT shelter in Warsaw, Poland. In just a few days, All Out members chipped in enough to keep the shelter open. With your help, we can do the same in Morocco.
Thanks for going All Out,
Matt, Sarah, Mathias, Leandro, Pamela, Yuri, and the rest of the All Out team.
*Name changed
