11.02.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:05 pm by nadia
RABAT, Morocco, Nov 01, 2007 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) — INTC | charts | news | PowerRating — In a country known for mesmerizing mystique and a multicultural history that dates back to at least 8,000 B.C., Intel Corporation is using computers and Internet technology to help bring Moroccos 33 million people into a modern digital age ripe with opportunity.”Morocco is at a crossroads in its economic development,” said Intel Chairman Craig Barrett, who unveiled several projects aimed at extending digital inclusion to all Moroccans during his first visit to the North African nation. “Technology can help accelerate the countrys economic prospects, and Intel is collaborating with Moroccos government and its people to help enable this transition.”
Barretts two days in Morocco conclude the Africa portion of a worldwide “Expanding Whats Possible” tour focused on digital accessibility and education. Intels announcements include a joint project with the Department of Telecommunications and Information Technology (D.E.P.T.I.) to develop public Internet access centers, and with the Ministry of Education to train thousands of teachers and donate computers to Moroccan schools.
Earlier this week, in his role as chairman of the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Development, Barrett took part in the Connect Africa Summit in Rwanda to explore ways to bring the benefits of technology to people to the African continent.
Helping to Drive Access to Education Barrett also visited a classroom at one of two rural Moroccan schools benefiting from new computers and broadband Internet access.
“It was an extraordinary thing like we were connected to the exterior world,” said Asmae Wahabi, a French teacher at Saad Ibn Abi Al Ouakass school in Ain Aouda, where Intel installed 250 Intel-powered Classmate PCs and Internet connectivity and trained teachers on the effective use of technology to teach children. “The students, and especially the students that are from underprivileged families, had this occasion to access knowledge, so now nothing is holding them from pursuing progress to succeed. It is going to give them a chance for a better future.”
The computers are part of an agreement signed today with Moroccos Ministry of Education to donate 1,000 Intel-powered Classmate PCs for primary schools over the next few years. An affordable, full-featured laptop, the Classmate PC supports project-based learning by enabling teachers to share information and student work with the entire class. Intel and Moroccos Ministry of ICT also installed a new WiMAX network at Saad Ibn Abi Al Ouakass School. The long-range wireless technology is a cost-effective way to deliver high-speed Internet access to rural communities.
Barrett, a former university professor, also toured the Institut National Des Postes et Telecommunication, an engineering university in Rabat where Intel implemented a computer lab designed around multi-core processor technology.
The lab will enable hands-on training in the latest computing technologies to better prepare university students for entering the workforce.
Intel has trained 4,500 teachers in Morocco and aims to train 25, 000 by the end of next year through the Intel Teach program, which focuses on integrating technology in the curriculum to help teachers better educate children. The efforts coincide with the goals of the Ministry of Educations program called GENIE which is the French word for genius.
Intel also plans to launch an online version of the Intel Teach program in Morocco next year.
Using Technology as a Tool to Engage and Connect People Working with Moroccos new government, Intel launched an initiative today in Ain Aouda, a rural village about 30 km south of Rabat, dedicated to providing computers and Internet access for all Moroccans. It focuses on extending digital inclusion to underprivileged areas and creating new opportunities in a country where an estimated 46 percent of the population cant read and write. Intel and D.E.P.T.I. have started the initiative called Al Morchid (in English, “the advisor”) with a pilot of four shared-access centers.
The centers, patterned after Internet cafes, are models for the governments plan to build a national network of Al Morchid “e-spaces” where all Moroccans can easily take advantage of vital ICT resources, including high-speed Internet access, technology training and access to e-government services.
Morocco is one of a few countries in Africa to offer government services entirely online such as custom clearance and tax declarations.
Other participants in the Al Morchid initiative include Meditel, the local telecom operator providing the Internet connectivity; Post Maroc, a state-owned mail service provider that will offer its services through the centers; and Nortis, a telecom company that will be involved on an ongoing basis.
“This initiative will help us bridge the digital divide and allow low-income citizens to access e-government services while creating new opportunities for young entrepreneurs to launch their own businesses and create new jobs,” said Taieb Debbagh, general secretary of D.E.P.T.I.
Through its World Ahead Program, Intel strives to improve education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and government services in developing countries worldwide by accelerating access to computers, connectivity and localized Internet content. Additional information is available at www.intel.com/changingtheworld and www.intel.com/intel/worldahead.
About Intel
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/773576/
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Posted in Uncategorized at 4:04 pm by nadia
RABAT, Morocco, Nov 01, 2007 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) — INTC | charts | news | PowerRating — In a country known for mesmerizing mystique and a multicultural history that dates back to at least 8,000 B.C., Intel Corporation is using computers and Internet technology to help bring Moroccos 33 million people into a modern digital age ripe with opportunity.”Morocco is at a crossroads in its economic development,” said Intel Chairman Craig Barrett, who unveiled several projects aimed at extending digital inclusion to all Moroccans during his first visit to the North African nation. “Technology can help accelerate the countrys economic prospects, and Intel is collaborating with Moroccos government and its people to help enable this transition.”
Barretts two days in Morocco conclude the Africa portion of a worldwide “Expanding Whats Possible” tour focused on digital accessibility and education. Intels announcements include a joint project with the Department of Telecommunications and Information Technology (D.E.P.T.I.) to develop public Internet access centers, and with the Ministry of Education to train thousands of teachers and donate computers to Moroccan schools.
Earlier this week, in his role as chairman of the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Development, Barrett took part in the Connect Africa Summit in Rwanda to explore ways to bring the benefits of technology to people to the African continent.
Helping to Drive Access to Education Barrett also visited a classroom at one of two rural Moroccan schools benefiting from new computers and broadband Internet access.
“It was an extraordinary thing like we were connected to the exterior world,” said Asmae Wahabi, a French teacher at Saad Ibn Abi Al Ouakass school in Ain Aouda, where Intel installed 250 Intel-powered Classmate PCs and Internet connectivity and trained teachers on the effective use of technology to teach children. “The students, and especially the students that are from underprivileged families, had this occasion to access knowledge, so now nothing is holding them from pursuing progress to succeed. It is going to give them a chance for a better future.”
The computers are part of an agreement signed today with Moroccos Ministry of Education to donate 1,000 Intel-powered Classmate PCs for primary schools over the next few years. An affordable, full-featured laptop, the Classmate PC supports project-based learning by enabling teachers to share information and student work with the entire class. Intel and Moroccos Ministry of ICT also installed a new WiMAX network at Saad Ibn Abi Al Ouakass School. The long-range wireless technology is a cost-effective way to deliver high-speed Internet access to rural communities.
Barrett, a former university professor, also toured the Institut National Des Postes et Telecommunication, an engineering university in Rabat where Intel implemented a computer lab designed around multi-core processor technology.
The lab will enable hands-on training in the latest computing technologies to better prepare university students for entering the workforce.
Intel has trained 4,500 teachers in Morocco and aims to train 25, 000 by the end of next year through the Intel Teach program, which focuses on integrating technology in the curriculum to help teachers better educate children. The efforts coincide with the goals of the Ministry of Educations program called GENIE which is the French word for genius.
Intel also plans to launch an online version of the Intel Teach program in Morocco next year.
Using Technology as a Tool to Engage and Connect People Working with Moroccos new government, Intel launched an initiative today in Ain Aouda, a rural village about 30 km south of Rabat, dedicated to providing computers and Internet access for all Moroccans. It focuses on extending digital inclusion to underprivileged areas and creating new opportunities in a country where an estimated 46 percent of the population cant read and write. Intel and D.E.P.T.I. have started the initiative called Al Morchid (in English, “the advisor”) with a pilot of four shared-access centers.
The centers, patterned after Internet cafes, are models for the governments plan to build a national network of Al Morchid “e-spaces” where all Moroccans can easily take advantage of vital ICT resources, including high-speed Internet access, technology training and access to e-government services.
Morocco is one of a few countries in Africa to offer government services entirely online such as custom clearance and tax declarations.
Other participants in the Al Morchid initiative include Meditel, the local telecom operator providing the Internet connectivity; Post Maroc, a state-owned mail service provider that will offer its services through the centers; and Nortis, a telecom company that will be involved on an ongoing basis.
“This initiative will help us bridge the digital divide and allow low-income citizens to access e-government services while creating new opportunities for young entrepreneurs to launch their own businesses and create new jobs,” said Taieb Debbagh, general secretary of D.E.P.T.I.
Through its World Ahead Program, Intel strives to improve education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and government services in developing countries worldwide by accelerating access to computers, connectivity and localized Internet content. Additional information is available at www.intel.com/changingtheworld and www.intel.com/intel/worldahead.
About Intel
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/773576/
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10.01.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:10 pm by nadia
27/05/2007
The Moroccan government has published the findings of the first comprehensive survey conducted on literacy in the country. Illiteracy levels have dropped from 43% in 2004 to 38.45% in 2006. El Habib Nadir tells Magharebia about the programme responsible for the progress.
Interview by Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 27/05/2007
Morocco released the results of its first nationwide survey on literacy recently, uncovering some positive results. Data indicate illiteracy levels have dropped from 43% in 2004 to 38.45% in 2006, an improvement that could boost Morocco’s placement in international rankings. El Habib Nadir is Director of the responsible agency, the National Campaign Against Illiteracy, a bureau under the Secretary of State for Literacy and Informal Education.
Magharebia: You recently (April 26th) carried out a significant national survey on literacy in Morocco. What makes it significant?
El Habib Nadir: The study is significant because it is the first of its kind. This is the first time that Morocco has carried out such an exhaustive survey on the illiteracy phenomenon in Morocco, as well as on school enrolment and participation.
The study had multiple objectives: to provide reliable data on the state of illiteracy, of non-schooling and reduced schooling; to identify the principal factors underpinning these phenomena; to create a profile and identify the needs of target groups in the fields of illiteracy and non-formal education; and finally, to gain insight into the negative impact on both adults and children of a lack of access to education by examining attitudes and behaviour.
The ultimate aim is to apply knowledge of the reality of the situation by setting up programmes and action plans which focus on our target groups.
Magharebia: What are the most salient findings of the survey?
Nadir: Several statistics have proved significant. The drop in the illiteracy rate in the population aged 10 years and older from 43% in 2004 to 38.45% in 2006 marks a decrease of 4.5% over two years. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the government’s strategy and approach. This outcome is due in part to the very widespread increase in the number of people receiving assistance from literacy programmes these past few years. To illustrate this point, the number of beneficiaries over the last 4 years (2002 to 2006) was more than 2 million, which is the same number of people who received support during the 20 years preceding 2002 (1981 to 2001)… the rate of change has greatly improved.
Another key statistic concerns non-schooling: today only 15% of children between 9 and 14 years old are entirely outside the school system. This situation has also been improved by government efforts to make schooling more generally available.
The drop in illiteracy rates has been more noticeable in women than in men.
[Also] notable are the illiteracy rates amongst workers and employees in certain fields of activity: 60% in agriculture, 30% in the trades, 27% in the service industry and 22% in public administration and the local community sector.
Magharebia: How does the government intend to eradicate illiteracy in light of the survey results?
Nadir: Bearing in mind these encouraging results, which show our present strategy and approach to be effective, current efforts should be pursued to consolidate the gains indicated and to increase the pace of concrete change. We must target specific populations and zones for intervention. One general direction suggested by the survey is that we need to carry out research in order to secure help from as great a number of partners as possible. The National Initiative for Human Development (NIHD, launched by the king in 2005) would also be an appropriate place to look for support in the development of an effective and integrated action plan.
Magharebia: What schemes are underway to combat these issues?
Nadir: Currently, we are working with 4 action plans in the field: a general programme, managed by staff working in national education; a public services programme, managed by various Ministries (Islamic Affairs, National Development, Fisheries, Justice, Agriculture, Youth); a civil society programme, run in partnership with NGOs; and a private enterprise programme targeting employees within that sector.
At present, more than 670,000 beneficiaries are enrolled in the various programmes across the country.
For more information you can consult our official website: www.alpha.gov.ma.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 4:07 pm by nadia
16/09/2007
Morocco rings in the new school year with new initiatives designed to increase civic knowledge and participation and to promote math and science in an effort to create “10,000 engineers”.
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 16/09/2007
Close to seven million Moroccan pupils returned to school on September 13th to kick off the 2007/2008 academic year, themed “family and school: working together to make good citizens”.
Teacher Majid Abdellaoui indicated that the goal behind this year’s theme is for students to develop critical thinking, socialisation, respect for democratic values and human rights and civic activities and education, as well as to teach students about rights and responsibilities to help them become responsible involved adults.
Family participation in schooling has also taken on a new dimension. In order to give parents a greater role of the success their children’s schooling, the Ministry for National Education plans to share educational concepts with them and to collect their expectations, suggestions and reactions.
According to the national education minister, the government has increased educational entitlements for the 2007/2008 academic year, particularly in state- and privately-funded pre-school education, which will see an increase of 9.5% compared with last year.
Primary enrolment is up 1.3 % over last year to 3,983,940 pupils. Lower-tier secondary (Junior High School) enrolments are up 6.4 % to 1,486,777 students and higher-tier secondary (High School) enrolments are up 9.5% to 733,555.
These increases have been made possible by a number of measures, particularly the construction of 51 new primary schools, 16 of which are in rural areas, 155 education units, 99 junior high schools of which 75 are in rural areas and 18 high schools of which four are in the countryside.
Meanwhile, curriculum managers have said that the beginning of the school year would be marked by the publication of new course books for the baccalaureate, the integration of the Amazigh language for the first time into the fifth year of primary education and the preparation of new teaching programmes for secondary education. The revision of the teaching structure is characterised by a desire to steer more pupils towards science and technology in order to meet the country’s need for more engineers and technicians.
As part of the “10,000 engineers” initiative, the national education ministry introduced the mathematics B stream into technical schools this year. Preparatory courses for the grandes écoles (higher education professional schools) have also been increased with the opening of three centres in Laâyoune, El Jadida and Taza, while existing centres will be launching 13 new preparatory courses, taking enrolment from 5,691 to 7,276 this year.
Elsewhere, high schools and junior high schools, along with 75% of primary schools, will benefit from additional IT equipment, provided under the “Génie” project, to which one billion dirhams was allocated for the purchase of 104,000 computers and for the training of 230,000 professionals.
Hind Benlhabib, who leads the information systems department at the education ministry, said that with the “Génie” project being launched and run by the prime minister’s office, teaching will take a real leap forward. “The project has three components: infrastructure, teaching content available on the machines, and human resources training in the use of new technologies,” she said.
A number of secondary education establishments will receive IT equipment this year, and nearly 2,000 multimedia room managers will be made available. These rooms will be set aside to train pupils in IT and information and communication sciences. They will also be used to introduce teaching staff to information technology.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 4:05 pm by nadia
30/09/2007
The number of people enrolling in Morocco’s institutions of higher learning is on the rise, benefitting from programmes to encourage students and to lessen their financial burdens.
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 30/09/2007
The number of university students in Morocco is up 8% year-on-year, with 289,000 students enrolled in higher education courses for the academic year 2007-2008 compared with 267,000 the previous year. The students attend a wide variety of universities, schools of higher education and technical colleges. Some 90,000 new baccalaureate holders opted to enrol in universities this year.
The Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Scientific Research says the 2007-2008 academic year is seeing a number of new initiatives aimed at boosting higher education. The main focus is on building up infrastructure, with a new university in Beni Mellal and four new higher education institutions: two business and management schools in Fez and Mohammedia, a higher institute of technology in Berrechid and a school of engineering in Khouribga.
Another new feature is an increase in the number of courses, 47% of which are vocational. These include courses in social work run jointly by the Ministry of Social Development and the State Secretariat for Vocational Training. The number of places in medical schools has been increased by 66% over last year in an attempt to reach a training target of 3,300 doctors per year by 2020.
University professor Taoufik Guerradi told Magharebia that officials plan to raise standards in higher education to address the needs of the labour market with regard to social and economic affairs. “Take the teaching of economics, for example. Previously, private schools used to corner the market on specialist administration, management and marketing courses. Now, however, universities are offering courses in these areas and are competing with the private sector,” he said.
Measures being taken to improve social and cultural facilities for students include efforts to expand the capacity of university residence halls as part of the process of opening up the sector to private operators. Two construction projects are underway to alleviate the shortage of student accommodation. The number of students receiving grants will also rise by 5.5% this year.
Another key measure this year is the creation by the Central Guarantee Fund under a programme called Education Plus to underwrite bank loans given to students enrolled in private institutions and schools of higher education to fund part or all of their enrolment and tuition fees. In the past it has been nearly impossible for students to get funding from banks or loans for higher education. The director of training and higher education, Abdelhafid Debbagh, says that this innovation is part of the framework agreement signed on May 8th by the government and representatives of private academic and training institutions to open up access to student loans. All the country’s banks have a stake in the new fund. Loans, which must not exceed 100,000 dirhams ($12,500), can only go towards enrolment and/or tuition fees charged by private-sector institutes or schools of higher education.
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08.27.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:21 pm by nadia
Aïcha is an 11-year-old girl living in Morocco who has done something no other girl or woman in her family has accomplished. She is the first female member in her family to attend school. She is in the fourth grade.
Her sister Meryem, at 16, is one of the 60 per cent of girls in Morocco who, a decade ago, could not have imagined entering school.
Times are changing for Aïcha. Having enrolled at the age of seven, she is doing very well and has successfully passed every grade. Despite the expense of sending their daughter to school here in Morroco, Aïcha’s family has decided that illiteracy for their child would be far more costly.
It takes community to keep girls in classrooms
Aïcha goes to a school that was built in her village. The year she entered school, the community, with UNICEF assistance, installed village water sources. Having water closer to homes meant that women and girls spent less time carrying it. A young female facilitator of women’s literacy classes also encouraged the installation and use of modern household stoves, reducing the time spent collecting wood, and thus providing more time for classwork.
The school director helped Aïcha’s enrollment, accepting her into the school even though she did not have a birth certificate. He also helped her parents to get all their children officially registered.
The school provides meals through another government programme. At first the community distributed sandwiches in the dusty school yard. Later, it gave out more substantial meals. As a result, Aïcha’s stomach no longer rumbles and she remains alert and attentive in class.
Dreams and determination
Other factors threaten Aïcha’s education in spite of the child-friendly environment created in school. This year, the long-awaited rain fell to turn parched land into luscious fields of green. Lucky for Morocco. Worrisome for Aïcha.
Abundant fields mean that all family members need to help by working the land, caring for the house and minding the younger children. She has already seen many of her friends absent from class.
Aïcha may face many obstacles but she is determined to finish school, even if it means getting up earlier to help with daily chores. She wants a better life than her mother and elder sister who work from dawn to dusk. In Morocco, the legal age for a girl to marry is 15, but school has shown her a different way. Aïcha wants to delay marriage and become a teacher.
The primary school has given her much more than dreams. The reality is that her life, and the life of the community, has been enriched by coming together to make literacy and numeracy possible for girls and boys. By offering health services and adult literacy classes, the students and their parents are receiving the support they need for the future.
The teacher, trained in health care by UNICEF and the Moroccan health and education ministries, monitors the children’s hygiene, watches out for symptoms of illness and encourages parents to take their children to the health centre located about 20 kilometres away.
Aïcha has a long road to travel if she is to fulfil her dream of becoming a teacher, but she is not making the trip alone. Her family and community helped pave the way by joining the Moroccan Government, UNICEF and its other partners to build a learning environment for girls and boys.
The formula was simple: Erect a safe, clean building. Add education, water, sanitation and health care. Then top it off with children.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/morocco_18015.html
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Posted in Uncategorized at 8:18 pm by nadia
A humanitarian group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will finance over 100 open heart surgeries under a one-year program for treatment of Morocco’s needy cardiac patients, Emirates News Agency reported on Sunday.
The program was launched in accordance with an agreement between the Emirates World Heart Group (EWHG) sponsored by the UAE Red Crescent and Morocco’s Health Ministry and Sheikh Zayed Hospital.
Under the program, which gives Morocco a special attention this year, more than 100 open heart and catheterization surgeries will be conducted, while 500 patients will be screened and treated and 150 paramedics will be trained.
The one-year UAE-Morocco program will also involve prominent international cardiologists from the UAE, Morocco, France, Switzerland, Canada, the United States, Egypt and Argentine.
The nonprofit EWHG brings together some of the world’s high profile heart surgeons and provides a multiprogram in heart care to needy patients around the world.
Working with local and international medical staff under the sponsorship of the UAE Red Crescent, EWHG has conducted surgical and training programs in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan and Bahrain.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6248308.html
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08.24.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:44 pm by nadia
23 August 2007
RABAT, Morocco — Latifa, more than seven months pregnant, awaits a prenatal consultation with her gynaecologist in a spacious, breezy meeting room in the National Hospital for Maternal Health Orangers in Morocco’s coastal capital. As the 22-year-old shifts in her chair, she chats with a neighbour, who has also come for a pre-natal check up. The atmosphere is relaxed, with none of the hurried intensity of many maternal hospitals. Nearby in another waiting room, women watch a video on natural births and baby care.
Asked how many times she has come here for pre-natal exams, Latifa reaches into her bag and pulls out a small, official-looking blue booklet. “This is my fourth and final visit before giving birth,” she beams.
The blue book provides medical documentation
The booklet documents all pre- and post-natal visits and includes information on previous pregnancies and notations about complications or medications, among other things. In addition to documenting her maternal health history, the booklet contains general information on pregnancy and motherhood.
The booklet, provided by the Ministry of Health, was developed with assistance from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. Most women of reproductive age using the public health system now have one of these little blue books.
Latifa, who is pregnant with her first child, is satisfied with the care she is receiving at the national hospital, which she says has better services and more sensitive staff than private clinics. “Private clinics in this country want to give you a C-section whether you need one or not. Here the services are free and the quality is very good.”
In a nearby office another pregnant young woman, named Keltoun, is finishing her third pre-natal consultation. Dr. N. Boulehanni, her doctor, has worked in this facility for five years. Taking off his glasses, and leaning back in his office chair, he explains that the main services offered by the hospital include prenatal consultations, gynaecological exams and emergency obstetric care.
Slow but steady progress in reducing maternal deaths
This facility is the main centre for obstetric care in the entire country. Every day, on average, personnel deliver 23 babies. Although some require Caesarean sections or other interventions, most are normal births. During the past four years, health workers recorded only two maternal deaths. Both were rural women suffering from severe haemorrhage who arrived too late to be saved.
Two deaths in four years is a vast improvement compared to the past. At 220 deaths per 100,000 live births (2004 figure), maternal mortality in Morocco is still considered high, but the rate was 50 per cent higher 15 years ago. Other indicators are showing signs of progress as well. Since 1990, skilled attendance at birth has increased from 40 per cent to 60 per cent, and perinatal care has risen from 50 to 80 per cent.
UNFPA has played a critical role in improving maternal health in Morocco. “The Fund has improved our capacity to handle obstetric emergencies,” says Dr. Boulehanni. “This has helped us cut back on maternal deaths and prevented a lot of pregnancy-related ill health.”
Dr. Radouane Belouali, the UNFPA programme officer in charge of maternal health, attributes the high death rate country-wide to the number of maternal deaths in rural areas, where services are poor, or non-existent.
“We still have very uneven access to quality reproductive health services in many rural areas,” says Dr. Belouali. “But UNFPA, working with the Ministry of Health, is putting a lot of resources into training rural midwives so they can recognize complications and refer women to regional hospitals or clinics for appropriate care.”
But here in Rabat, Latifa, who has finished her last examination before giving birth, feels confident that all will go well. “We know it’s a baby girl,” she says proudly. “My husband and I are both delighted that I am having a normal pregnancy and that I will deliver in this hospital with such wonderful facilities.”
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=992
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Posted in Uncategorized at 9:43 pm by nadia
The current UNFPA country programme in Morocco focuses on providing services to nine of the country’s poorest provinces. These provinces are home to 4.2 million people, with two thirds of them living in poor, underserved rural communities.
The role of UNFPA is twofold, explains Dr. Belouali. First it aims to improve the quality of emergency obstetric care, and second, to train staff – doctors, nurses and midwives – to deliver quality services in underserved areas and refer complicated pregnancies to a higher level of care.
Morocco still has a difficult road ahead in improving maternal health services in remote, rural provinces, but the Government has launched a major national initiative for human development, supported by a consortium of major donors. At the core of this ambitious plan is more investment in human health, including reproductive health, education (especially for girls) and micro-finance schemes designed to generate jobs.
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08.14.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:03 pm by nadia
Des congressmen rencontrent le Premier ministre
L’accord relatif au Millenium Challenge Account qui sera signé dans quelques semaines entre le Maroc et les Etats-Unis a été au centre des discussions hier à Rabat entre le Premier ministre, Driss Jettou, et une délégation de congressmen américains. « Nos discussions avec la délégation américaine ont porté sur le renforcement des relations entre nos deux pays notamment en ce qui concerne l’accord relatif au Millenium Challenge Account qui sera signé incessamment.
Cet accord vise à renforcer les efforts fournis par le Maroc dans le domaine du développement humain », a déclaré le Premier ministre.
D.Jettou s’est dit « extrêmement heureux de voir aboutir cet accord qui vise à appuyer des secteurs importants comme l’agriculture, l’artisanat et la pêche ». Et d’ajouter que les deux parties ont examiné également les possibilités de renforcement de l’appui fourni dans le cadre de l’USAID (Agence américaine pour le développement international) et plus particulièrement le volet relatif aux micro-crédits.
L’accord de libre-échange entre le Royaume du Maroc et les Etats-Unis a été également au menu. Il a été question, selon Jettou, « de discuter comment tirer le meilleur parti de cet accord dont les retombées bénéfiques sur le Maroc se font déjà sentir en termes d’investissement dans les domaines de l’offshoring et de l’industrie automobile ». Pour sa part, la congresswoman, Nita Lowey, qui conduisait la délégation américaine s’est montrée enthousiaste par rapport aux opportunités de coopération entre les deux pays.
« Nous sommes venus écouter et discuter comment travailler ensemble pour aider le Maroc à relever les défis du développement. Nous allons continuer à supporter les efforts du Maroc ».
En outre, Mme Nita Lowey a indiqué que les Etats-Unis allaient continuer à aider le Royaume que ce soit dans le cadre de Millenium Challenge Account ou des projets initiés par l’USAID.
Elle s’est dite impressionnée par les retombées positives des micro-crédits octroyés par l’Agence américaine de développement international. « J’ai pu constater comment des crédits permettent à des familles entières de développer leur condition et de lutter contre la pauvreté ».
Il est à signaler par ailleurs que la visite de la délégation américaine (elle comprend outre Mme Nita Lowey, six congressmen et plusieurs hautes personnalités, notamment des experts et conseillers) survient après que le directoire en charge du programme du Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) ait entériné, lors d’une réunion tenue jeudi 9 août, le programme Compact en faveur du Maroc. Ce Compact MCC, étalé sur cinq années, octroie au Royaume une enveloppe de l’ordre de 697,5 millions de dollars.
Et ce, en guise de soutien pour la lutte contre la pauvreté, mais aussi pour appuyer les efforts en matière de développement économique.
Abdelwahed Rmiche | LE MATIN
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