Rayan Oram: Morocco showed the world what true community spirit is in their efforts to save tragic boy in well – Hayley Matthews

As I sat watching the devastating story of trapped, helpless, little Rayan Oram, I couldn't believe it.

Bystanders watch as emergency teams work to rescue five-year-old Rayan Oram from a well shaft in the remote village of Ighrane in Morocco (Picture: Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)

My heart sank as I watched the video footage of this helpless boy, lying trapped after falling down a 32-metre-deep well in Morocco. I can't even imagine the terror that he went through or the absolute gut-wrenching heartbreak and despair if his parents.

The camera footage of little Rayan, huddled up with his eyes closed, covered in dust as he lay trapped at the bottom of the well, was one of the most difficult images I've ever seen on the news.

The hundreds of constructions workers, helpers and locals who gathered to help was so encouraging to see. However, I'm just lost for words that all their efforts ended up being in vain.

The parents will need a lot of support, love and kindness over the next months and years to come.

I'm not a Christian or follower of any religion. However, when something like this happens I always ask “if there's a god, then why let something like this happen?” Some say “everything happens for a reason”, yet I fail to see any reason for such devastation.

How does a community recover from the pain caused by such a catastrophic event? I don't know if they can.

What I do know is that it puts things in perspective for me, and I'm sure it’s done the same for a lot of people. For me, it's brought home what’s really important.

Life is unpredictable. There's no point in moaning about the small irrelevant things like roadworks, queues, busy cafes taking too long to bring your coffee, or how when it arrives it's in the wrong size of cup because you asked for a big cup not a small one!

I want to shake people moaning about tiny things and remind them how precious life is. So as truly awful as this catastrophic accident has been and as much as it has shaken the world, it might just bring the self-obsessed a little closer to humanity.

It should truly make us all look at our priorities. Our children, no matter what part of the world they're in, are such precious little beings. They are our world.

When something so awful happens, it leaves me feeling very sad and wanting to ask “why?” and "can anything half-positive be learnt from it?"

If what happened to little Rayan has given me anything to feel good about (as incredibly hard as it is), it's restored my faith in humanity. The amount of locals who put all their efforts into saving this little boy should open our eyes to the fact that local communities are something to be cherished. Good neighbours and kind locals are worth their weight in gold.

It's been such a sad story to follow and things will never be the same for a lot of people who were close to Rayan. However this seems a very strong community. A community that wasn't afraid to step up when a five-year-old needed them, when his family and friends were in desperate need of support.

How lovely that Morocco could show the world what a solid, strong and determined community looks like. I'm just so sorry it wasn't the ending they'd all worked so hard for.

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