11.20.08
Economy Affecting Businesses’ Charitable Donations
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11.10.08
Saudi Arabia gives Morocco $100 mln in flood relief
RABAT, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has given Morocco $100 million in flood relief after flash floods made thousands of people homeless, Moroccan officials said on Tuesday.
In October, floods caused by the most rainfall in 35 years killed 28 people and left thousands homeless, the interior ministry said.
(Reporting by Lamine Ghanmi; Editing by Catherine Bosley)
www.reuters.com
Saudi Arabia Gives $100 Million Toward New Morocco Disasters Fund
11-4-08 11:13 AM EST RABAT, Morocco (AFP)–
Saudi Arabia has given Morocco$100 million towards a new fund to counter the effects of natural disasters, an official source said Tuesday in Rabat. In heavy storms and flooding at the end of last month, 28 Moroccans were killed and 200 houses destroyed in various parts of the country. Two industrial zones were flooded in the port of Tangiers. The gift from Saudi King Abdallah was aimed at “attenuating the effects of the bad weather in Morocco,” the source said. Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has thanked the Saudi monarch and has decided on ” the creation of a special fund to combat the effects of natural catastrophes,” the official MAP news agency said. Besides the Saudi gift, the fund will be financed by 1.1 billion dirhams ($128 million) from the Moroccan public. The money will be spent on rescue operations and aid to victims
11.04.08
A rural weaver gains business skills and market exposure
Abdelati Nejar was born in 1959 in Tamslouht, Morocco, a small town near Marrakech, known for its pottery and textiles. He became a weaver’s apprentice at age seven. At age 21, he began selling his weavings wholesale to bazaars in Marrakech. However, as tourist traffic to Marrakech slowed, shops began placing more emphasis on price rather than quality. The fierce price competition of the 1990’s drove Abdelati out of the market, and he lost the majority of his sales outlets.
His prospects took a turn for the better when he learned of a USAID program to aid artisans. Through the program, he participated in three Nomadic Craft Caravan events that exposed him to larger markets and helped expand his business.
At the events, rural artisans showcase their work to potential buyers. Select artisans also participate in valuable on-site training sessions covering a range of topics designed to help their business grow, including product display, sales techniques, product development, costing and pricing, and future planning. Abdelati’s revenue from the three fairs totaled $1,385 — four times more than his average monthly sales.
Abdelati’s superior quality and leadership skills were immediately apparent during the Caravan events, and USAID offered to help him prepare for the international export market. As a result, Abdelati’s weavings made their U.S. debut at the New York International Gift Fair in August 2005. Abdelati’s orders totaled $1,705. He filled and shipped the New York orders within two months, and then went straight back to work — to develop his spring collection for the next New York fair.
Abdelati has big plans for his weavings and the export market. He intends to expand his production line by hiring other local weavers in Tamslouht. He also plans to hire someone to handle international orders through the internet. With the experience and exposure he received through USAID, Abdelati is now well on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming an international exporter.
Business-savvy coop transforms women’s lives and livelihood
Known as Morocco’s liquid gold, argan oil is a prized commodity for Berber tribes. Increasingly coveted by Parisian chefs, the aromatic oil is used as a seasoning and is said to have medicinal properties. The oil is extracted from the almond-shaped seed kernel of the argan, a fruit that resembles a peach, through an arduous process involving intense manual labor. The people of Tazarine live from the sale of argan oil, traditionally harvested by Berber women. In 2002, USAID helped a group of women establish a cooperative that changed their lives. USAID first provided financing to help the coop build a facility and purchase modern machinery for oil extraction. USAID then saw an opportunity to use the oil as a magnet for tourists in Morocco’s southern region. But there was much to be done if the cooperative wanted to entice tourists. First, the oil was packaged in used water bottles. Second, the coop was virtually invisible from the road. Third, prospective buyers had little information about the product. USAID first helped to diversify the produce line and purchase attractive, cost-effective containers for different oils. Then, USAID installed a sign directing passers-by to the coop along the main road. The coop’s location in the highly-visited Agadir region made it an ideal tourist spot. Finally, the coop built a large display explaining the extraction process and daily life in the coop. An area map informs visitors about nearby attractions. Their argan oil now commands a higher selling price and a larger clientele. With more business and with new bottles and labels, the coop now sells one liter of culinary oil for $43, up from $18. The cosmetic oil, a brand new product, sells for $65 per liter. The coop’s success has empowered its 44 members, giving them confidence to plan for the future. “With the coop, I feel my life is full,” said its president Aïcha Boumhati. “I feel it’s given me some direction.”
A literacy class helps a woman become an entrepreneur
Rachida was born in 1973 in a rural Moroccan village. She is married and has four children. Her husband is a seasonal agricultural worker who earns about $75 per month when he works. She once described her life as a tapestry woven from dashed expectations and frustrations, but also hope.
Her optimism was well founded. When USAID offered a literacy class in her village, Ain Jdid, she immediately recognized that a world of opportunity was suddenly within her grasp. The class signaled a new beginning for Rachida — if she took classes, she would be able to read and write, add and subtract, and acquire skills that were always reserved for others. When she first learned how to write her name on a slate, and then on paper, she was overjoyed. Although Rachida and her classmates endured taunts from some villagers as they walked to school each day, they ignored them and found pride in their accomplishments.
The course went a step beyond providing basic literacy training to the women of Ain Jdid. Those who performed the best on the final exam were also offered support in starting a business — a farm animal cooperative. Armed with their newly acquired numeracy and literacy skills, and with technical assistance from USAID, they started a successful business. Their example gave rural women a new image – that of independent female entrepreneurs who could manage their own businesses and daily affairs. They were no longer mere field workers.
Rachida now purchases and sells farm animals through the coop and earns enough income to support her family. More importantly, she can share the joy of learning with her school-aged children and help them with their homework.
As a testament to the program’s success, now even some of the men in the village who had taunted Rachida and her classmates want to attend literacy classes.
Rachida is confident about the future. She says her new skills have given her more than just an income. “Through this program, we women have paved the way to a new life,” she said.
Dormitories help rural girls get access to middle school education
Since she had no family living near the closest middle school and high schools to her home, Souad was afraid she would be unable to finish her education. The schools were located dozens of miles away from her home, and she had no way to get there each day. In addition, her family could scarcely afford the school fees she would have to pay.
When Souad learned about a boarding program in Tighassaline, central Morocco, supported by USAID and run by a local group, the Rural Girls Scholarship Committee, she jumped at the chance to continue learning. The organization runs a dormitory for academically gifted middle school girls who cannot afford to continue studying. It provides scholarships for boarding, lodging, academic support, and a small grant to cover books and fees. Souad applied, was accepted, and was able not only to complete middle school, but to continue on to high school.
When Souad finished middle school, the organization’s director invited her to continue living in the dormitory so that she could complete her high school education. In return, he asked her to tutor the younger girls and help them with their homework. Souad was grateful — her family would never have been able to afford other boarding alternatives.
“I feel that I have been given a wonderful opportunity, and I know that opportunities in life don’t come twice. I have succeeded in middle school and I don’t want to lead the same life as my mother. I know that education has changed my life. My interests are different from those of my sisters and I have learned to make my own decisions and judgments.”
With tears in her eyes, Souad thanked USAID and its partners for having given her the opportunity to complete her secondary education. “I want you to be proud of me,” she said. “And I want to do something for girls and women later on.”
In July 2005, Tighassaline proudly graduated the first cohort of scholarship students who completed three years of middle school. USAID’s assistance is helping to increase the number of girls benefiting from scholarships, fill the dorm to capacity, and help more girls like Souad finish their schooling.
Pilot projects support water conservation by drastically reducing soil erosion and pollution
Pollution and destructive agricultural practices threaten Morocco’s limited water supply. The projected doubling of the country’s population over the next thirty years will worsen the problem, causing demand to go up and supply to fall. This, along with continued drought and soil erosion, has added to the urgency of managing Morocco’s water more efficiently.
USAID implemented three pilot projects to show Moroccans that protecting the environment does not mean less income. First, USAID built a chromium-recovery plant that connected sixteen tanneries in Fez using pipelines. The tanneries had severely polluting the Sebou River by dumping the chromium used to cure hides. USAID worked with the recovery plant in Fez to reduce chromium concentrations by more than 90%. The recycled chromium is sold back to tanneries, making the plant financially self-sufficient.
Next, USAID built a financially self-sustainable wastewater-treatment plant in Drarga, where raw sewage had compromised residents’ health and severely contaminated the aquifer from which the village draws its water. The plant provides compost and treated wastewater to farmers for purchase, and for use in irrigation, taking pressure off the aquifer.
In the Nakhla watershed near Tetouan, USAID implemented a program to prevent soil erosion and silting of the reservoir by introducing innovative farming techniques such as the planting of 160,000 income-producing trees, and stabilizing 1.5 kilometers of ravines using check dams and gabions. USAID introduced wood-conservation mechanisms, including importation of goats and bees, which provide alternative sources of revenue instead of cutting down trees for income, as well as better stoves which reduce the usage of wood for heat. These techniques have prolonged the life of the reservoir by fifteen years.
Pilot projects support water conservation by drastically reducing soil erosion and pollution
Pollution and destructive agricultural practices threaten Morocco’s limited water supply. The projected doubling of the country’s population over the next thirty years will worsen the problem, causing demand to go up and supply to fall. This, along with continued drought and soil erosion, has added to the urgency of managing Morocco’s water more efficiently.
USAID implemented three pilot projects to show Moroccans that protecting the environment does not mean less income. First, USAID built a chromium-recovery plant that connected sixteen tanneries in Fez using pipelines. The tanneries had severely polluting the Sebou River by dumping the chromium used to cure hides. USAID worked with the recovery plant in Fez to reduce chromium concentrations by more than 90%. The recycled chromium is sold back to tanneries, making the plant financially self-sufficient.
Next, USAID built a financially self-sustainable wastewater-treatment plant in Drarga, where raw sewage had compromised residents’ health and severely contaminated the aquifer from which the village draws its water. The plant provides compost and treated wastewater to farmers for purchase, and for use in irrigation, taking pressure off the aquifer.
In the Nakhla watershed near Tetouan, USAID implemented a program to prevent soil erosion and silting of the reservoir by introducing innovative farming techniques such as the planting of 160,000 income-producing trees, and stabilizing 1.5 kilometers of ravines using check dams and gabions. USAID introduced wood-conservation mechanisms, including importation of goats and bees, which provide alternative sources of revenue instead of cutting down trees for income, as well as better stoves which reduce the usage of wood for heat. These techniques have prolonged the life of the reservoir by fifteen years.
http://www.usaid.gov/stories/morocco/fp_morocco_environ.html
10.16.08
Ronaldo et Zidane combattent la pauvreté à Fès
LE REPORTER
Dimanche, 12 Octobre 2008 13:57 Rédaction
Les amis du footballeur Zine Dine Zidane et ceux de Ronaldo joueront dans le complexe sportif de Fès, le 17 novembre prochain.
Cette rencontre est programmée, à l’initiative du Fonds des Nations Unies pour le Développement (PNUD) dans le cadre de la lutte contre la pauvreté. Il s’agit de la 6ème édition de ce qui est appelé « match contre la pauvreté ».
Les deux stars mondiales du ballon rond, Zidane et Ronaldo, inviteront, en leur qualité d’ambassadeurs de bonne volonté du PNUD, une pléiade de joueurs internationaux à se joindre à eux pour un match contre la pauvreté, le premier qui se jouera en dehors du continent européen.
Pour cette première au plan arabe et africain, le choix des organisateurs a été porté sur le Maroc qui dispose de tous les atouts sur le plan des infrastructures, de la logistique et de l’organisation, à même de garantir la réussite d’un tel événement humanitaire et sportif de portée internationale. Les cinq éditions précédentes ont été organisées respectivement à Bâle (2003), Madrid (2004), Dusseldorf (2005), Marseille (2006) et Malaga (2007).
Le Match contre la pauvreté est un événement qui a un grand impact médiatique, comme l’attestent les chiffres relatifs à la précédente édition organisée à Malaga (Sud de l’Espagne). Laquelle a été retransmise en direct par des chaînes de télévision de plus de 40 pays et couverte par quelque 300 journalistes appartenant à 73 organes médiatiques.
