Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
October 17, 2009

Welcome Home Ashley Hollenbeck '06 ~ Back from Peace Corps in Morocco.
Ashley, an environmental studies major, joins recruiter Catherine Swanson to share her Peace Corps experience. First ten students to RSVP careerdc@pacificu.edu can enjoy lunch with Ashley and Catherine Tuesday October 13th in the UC Fireside Lounge.

Ashley Hollenbeck '06 served as a Peace Corps volunteer working for the Tamga Site of Biological/Ecological Importance (SIBE) located in the Azilal Province of Morocco. She worked with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Water/ Forests, and a local NGO addressing the issues of environmental education, waste management, and ecotourism. Hollenbeck designed a curriculum guide to use in classrooms and clubs throughout the region and trained teachers on how to implement environmental awareness in their schools.

The exploitation and overuse of natural resources is a growing problem in Morocco, particularly in rural areas. As an Environmental Studies major, Hollenbeck is no stranger to conservation and restoration. She believes that educating youth will help ensure the survival of native plant and animal species essential for community members future livelihood and quality of life.

Transporting and planting over 1,400 trees with only two weeks notice established Hollenbeck's credibility with the local community. She distributed a mix of Carob, Cyprus, and Eucalyptus trees to 40 farmers in the outlying agricultural area and helped school children plant the remaining trees on school grounds of five local schools. Hollenbeck's next challenge is to bring her environmental awareness curriculum to the classroom. She needed resources to encourage both students and teachers to participate in the curriculum.

Hollenbeck provided each participant with a small kit of school supplies including crayons, markers, colored pencils, water colors, scissors, glue, erasers, pens, pencils, etc. Hollenbeck hoped this simple gesture provided an incentive for teachers to diversify their curriculum to include environmental education components.

Moroccan teachers face a shortage of school supply resources. Many teachers purchase supplies out of their own pocket due to the lack of funding and resources. In response to this need, Hollenbeck mobilized family and friends to help in gathering supplies. She adds, "There have been many people who have expressed interest in helping out while I am working over here, and I think I have figured out a way for people from home to contribute in a small way if they wish to."

Pacific students, staff, and faculty supported Ashley's environmental education project in Morocco by donating new and used school supplies for Hollenbeck's sister, mother, and grandmother delivered during a summer visit to Morocco.

Ashley joins Peace Corps recruiter Catherine Swanson for a noon program October 13th in the UC Fireside Lounge. First ten students to RSVP careerdc@pacificu.edu can join Ashley and Catherine for lunch prior to the official program. Posted by Career Development Center (careerdevelopmentctr@pacificu.edu) on Oct 8, 2009
http://www.pacificu.edu/news/detail.cfm?NEWS_ID=6907&CATEGORY_ID=21
-------------------------------------------

Blind musician brings a taste of Morocco to Wiltshire
Monday 12th October 2009 By Victoria Ashford

The sound of Moroccan drums could be heard in Bradford on Avon on Saturday as a cultural concert and workshop was held at the Wiltshire Music Centre. Blind mulit-instrumentalist Hassan Erraji, from a village south of Marrakech, visited the centre off Ashley Road, introducing Moroccan dance and music to Wiltshire residents. Mr Erraji and his team of folk dancers and percussionists held a workshop for families in the day, before performing a concert in the evening.

Kate Schwiezer, of the music centre, said: “It went really well. There was dance, drumming and storytelling all focusing on the traditions of Morocco and north Africa. “Hassan is from Morocco so he came over with lots of traditional instruments that many people wouldn’t have seen or heard of before.”

Audiences were taken to roaring campfires in the heart of the desert, then to the cool atmosphere of the Atlas Mountains and back to the busy hubbub of the souk, through storytelling and music.

The workshop and concert are just two events in Wiltshire Music Centre’s world music programme for autumn and winter. Keith Nimmo, artistic director at Wiltshire Music Centre, said: “We’re thrilled at the way we’ve been able to further develop our world music programme this year, not only through exceptional performances such as these, but also through our outreach projects and closer collaboration with cultural organisations and communities throughout the county.” http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/4676974.Blind_musician_brings_a_taste_of_Morocco_to_Wiltshire/
-----------------------------------------------------------

Moroccounveils national computerisation programme.
2009-10-12

The Moroccan government and banking institutions signed agreements on Saturday (October 10th) to implement a national IT initiative worth 5.2 billion dirhams, MAP reported. The "Maroc Numeric 2013" plan will reportedly add 27 billion dirhams to the GDP and create 26,000 new jobs. The strategy envisages nationwide access to high-speed internet, an e-government programme and computerisation of SMEs.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2009/10/12/newsbrief-02
-------------------------------------------

Morocco sets slashing mother, infant mortality as priority, Minister
Rabat

Slashing the rate of maternal and infant mortality is a national priority as evidenced by the 2008-2012 action plan, Health Minister, Yasmina Baddou said here late Friday. Baddou, who was speaking at the 14th National Congress of Neonatology, recalled her ministry's action in protecting mother and child health, particularly through the promotion of breastfeeding, the fight against childhood diseases and malnutrition and increasing immunisation rates. She deplored that despite "Safe Motherhood" programme, which aims to reduce the rate of infant and maternal mortality, the north African country continues to register high rates of death among mothers and infants for "unacceptable and preventable" causes.

The Minister announced the upcoming creation of at least one intensive care unit dedicated to newborns in each region of the country. Baddou stressed in this meeting, organized by the National Association of Neonatology, that the health ministry is preparing a national strategy on newborns' healthcare and on the control system of death among them. Several national and foreign experts in child health are taking part in this conference held under the honorary chairmanship of Crown Prince, Moulay El Hassan. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco_sets_slashin/view
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco touts renewable energy potential.
2009-10-11

Electricity from renewable energy sources will reach 18% by 2012, Energy Ministry official Yahya Zniber said Friday in Brussels, MAP reported on Saturday (October 10th). Morocco has the wind, solar and hydro-electric capability required to become a crossroads of energy exchanges between Africa, the Middle East and Europe, Zniber told attendees at the renewable energy conference. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2009/10/11/newsbrief-05
--------------------------------------------

From Colleen Daley
Brussels: Interview with Moroccan youth
Brussels: Interview with Moroccan youth

Belgian newspaper De Standaard spoke with several youth who were born and raised in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek - about hate, police, their neighborhood and the riots which occurred there…...
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2009/10/brussels-interview-with-moroccan-youth.html
---------------------------------------------

New Report Just Published Tissues in Morocco

Euromonitor International's Tissues in Morocco report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2002-2007), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market – be they new product developments, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2012 illustrate how the market is set to change.

Product coverage: boxed facial tissues, pocket hankerchiefs.

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares and brand shares.
http://www.live-pr.com/en/new-report-just-published-tissues-in-r1048334293.htm
---------------------------------------------

Annual Moroccan-American Coalition wraps up with marked will to unite .
By Souad Adlani Washington

The 4th annual convention of the Moroccan American Coalition (MAC), held over last weekend under the theme "Connect, Inspire, Grow", wrapped up late Sunday in Washington, in an optimistic tone, coupled with a clear will to unite the voice of the Moroccan-American community. Aware that unity is strength, the organizers of the two-day meeting, as well as participants from different regions of the U.S., underscored the importance of endeavouring to better know one another and to make efforts in a context of alliance.

Aziz El Madi, co-director of the Boston-based "Volunteer Morocco" association, thinks the 4th MAC Convention is an "important" initiative, and believes the coalition should include other Moroccan associations. He told MAP the meeting has progressed in terms of organization and participation, emphasizing that the ultimate aim of such an event is to connect and unite Moroccans in order to promote joint projects developed by Moroccan NGOs and associations in the U.S.

This viewpoint is shared by Yanouri Ahmed, co-chairman of the MAC Convention, who says the Moroccan community has "come a long way" in recent years. Yanouri, who comes from Dallas, where the Moroccan community has "a good reputation," stresses that the Moroccans living in the U.S. aspire today to achieve key gains like other communities that have already succeeded in having a great influence, and even impacting the course of American politics. "These communities provide an example that if we are united, we can achieve great things for the Moroccan community here (in the U.S.) and in Morocco," he argues.

Mohammed Bourdi, Vice-Chairman of the association Moroccan American Society for Life Sciences, and researcher at the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that the Moroccan community is becoming more organized and more visible, especially in terms of objectives. He stresses the need for initiatives that can bring together scientists from Morocco across the United States.

For Nadia Serhani, founding member and SG of the Morocco Foundation, an organization recognized of public utility by the U.S. government, continues in the same course by highlighting the communication and networking as one of the major challenges facing the Moroccan community. The MAC conference, Serhani stresses, had the merit of bringing together Moroccans of diverse backgrounds from around the United States. The 4th Convention of the MAC is in fact an expression of the contribution of twenty Moroccan associations established in various American states.

Founded in 2006, MAC is a communication and cooperation channel aimed at addressing issues related to the common interests of the Moroccan community in the U.S. and to strengthen their identity and attachment to the motherland.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/home/annual_moroccan-amer/view
----------------------------------------------

A Legislated Victory for Women in Morocco .
Maati Monjib October, 2009

In the June 2009 local elections, women entered the municipal councils in force for the first time in Moroccan history. Some 3,406 women were elected, making up over 12 percent of the total winning candidates, compared to less than 1 percent in 2003. Women made up 16 percent of the overall candidates, compared to less than 5 percent in the last elections in 2003.

These results reflect a strong desire on the part of the political elite to correct the huge gender imbalance within elected institutions more than a social and cultural development in Moroccan society at large. Nearly all (98 percent) of the women elected won within the districts set aside for women, in accordance with a change in law that took effect in January 2009. The number of women elected in the regular districts was a mere 71, or only 0.3 percent of the total number of winning candidates. Women still occupy a low status in the realm of Moroccan mass politics, as shown by objective measurements by international institutions; the UN Development Program Gender-related Development Index for 2008 placed Morocco in the unenviable position of 146 out of 158 countries.

Does this mean that the government decision to strengthen women’s presence in the Council of Deputies in 2002, and in municipal councils in 2009, is insignificant? Certainly not. Women’s visible presence in politics may well have a long-term modernizing and democratizing impact, as citizens gradually grow accustomed to seeing women managing public affairs.

Uneven Progress
Moroccans who want to change gender relations are turning to politics partly because other strategies have not worked so far. Despite the prominent role of women in pushing for Moroccan independence, whether in the nationalist movement (such as Malika al-Fassi, who struggled for Moroccan self-rule and signed the independence charter in 1944) or in the ranks of the resistance (such as Fatma al-Sakim, who played a pivotal role in the Moroccan resistance movement after the French colonial power forced Sultan Mohammed V into exile in 1953), women disappeared from political life during the first four decades after independence. Though educational and economic factors also can have a positive effect on women’s status, this impact appears to be slow-acting and limited. In any case, Moroccan women’s economic independence remains difficult to achieve, with their rate of integration into the labor market remains among the lowest in the world

Morocco has seen gradual improvement in the legal status of women, but that has been inadequate to make a real difference so far. Thus, despite the crucial steps realized on the level of social rights and reforms in recent years--including the reformed Family Law (2003), the granting of citizenship to children of Moroccan mothers and foreign fathers (2005), the appointment of several female ministers in the government or as governors, the launch of a national initiative incorporating the gender issue as part of its strategy (2005), and the lifting of most reservations about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (2008)--still Morocco falls in the lowest third of countries on the level of human development and gender equality. It is clear that economic, social, and political conditions for women in Morocco are pulling the country towards the bottom of the pile.

The Moroccan elite appear to be wagering now on politics as a means to improve gender relations and equality. The idea is that a systemic approach has a higher likelihood of success, because the various elements governing women’s social status (political marginalization, social dependency and submissiveness, economic discrimination, and the symbolic belittling of their value) overlap to form an integral whole. This means that if one of these elements changes noticeably, a crisis will take place within the overall system and it will accommodate and raise women’s status. That is the theory, but it is also to be expected that there will be attempts to stifle change and preserve the dominant status quo.

Author: Maati Monjib is a lecturer and researcher at the Institute for African Studies at the University of Mohammed V, in Sousi-Rabat, Morocco. Paul Wulfsberg translated this article from Arabic. Articlefirst published by t he carnegie endowment for peace
http://www.moroccoboard.com/viewpoint/64-author/693-a-legislated-victory-for-women
----------------------------------------------

Mostapha Zemouri, another illustration of long standing Moroccan-American ties.
By Fouad Arif Washington

Born in Azemmour around 1503 at a time when this part of Morocco was still under the Portuguese occupation, Mostapha Zemouri (dead in Texas in 1539) represents another illustration of the long-standing Moroccan-American ties, a story not told enough in history books.

Mostapha Zemouri, known more as Estebanico, was sold to a Spanish nobleman with whom he undertook a sea expedition to conquer Florida, an ill-fated journey that made the young Moroccan spend the rest of his life in Texas.

The example of Mostapha Zemouri was mentioned in a meeting in Washington, part of the Fourth Annual Moroccan-American Convention (October 10-11) to stress that the histories of Morocco and the U.S. are related for centuries.

The history of Mostapha Zemouri might not have been a unique case during this period of history, panelists pointed out, as a non-negligible part of the Iberian population was from Moroccan origins in spite of the fall of Granada. Based on such a premise, it was possible that this population, of which certain members had a long maritime tradition, could not find their way to the New World, while Christopher Columbus was on lookout for skillful individuals to help him.

Moors, as history books witness, mastered maps and navigation methods in high seas using stars and other revolutionary means of maritime navigation at the time. Isn’t it possible that these populations could be part of the first waves of immigrants to the New World, panelists wondered, calling historians to shed more light on this part of the Moroccan-American history.

Such an attempt should include all the different generations of Moroccans living in the U.S. for a further integration in the American life in all its aspects, they said, highlighting the success of several Moroccans who are nowadays researchers in NASA, Wall Street as well as other renowned international institutions.

Investing in this “historical flash-back,” would help the 150,000 Moroccans living in the U.S. to learn about a forgotten part of their history to better envision the future and embrace the American dream while keeping their Moroccan heritage.

With a rich and diverse Moroccan culture, Moroccan talents are capable of investing in the mainstream and popular culture of this country and even leaving a mark on the American way of life.

Morocco has a special place in the American collective imagination with cities like Casablanca, Tangiers or Essaouira. Discussions throughout the different panels of this two-day event agreed on the fact that the Moroccan culture is meant to make its mark in the American mainstream thanks to the activism and diversity of the Moroccan community in the United States. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/home/mostapha_zemouri_an/view
-------------------------------------------

Morocco-American trade rises by 147% since FTA's entry into force, U.S. official.
Washington

Trade between Morocco and the United States have soared by 147% since the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries in 2006, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, Holly Vineyard, said, here Sunday. These exchanges increased from 970 million dollars in 2005 to 2.4 billion in 2008, said Vineyard, noting that U.S. imports from Morocco increased by 99% in the same period from 442 million dollars to 879 million dollars.

U.S. exports to the North African country, which totaled 521 million dollars in 2005, have increased by 188%, reaching some 1.5 billion dollars, the U.S. official told MAP on the sidelines of the fourth Annual Moroccan American Coalition Convention (MAC). She said that the FTA between the two countries has permitted the installation of 120 U.S. companies in Morocco, with a total turnover of several hundred million dollars. As a result, some 90,000 direct and indirect jobs were generated.

The agreement helped strengthen “the already excellent” relations between Morocco and the United States, Vineyard went on, saying that the U.S. will continue to support the efforts of the kingdom to open up its market and consolidate its economy. She said that the Free Trade Agreement, the only one signed by the United States in the African continent, is of paramount importance especially, as Morocco, beside its strategic geographical position, is a gateway for U.S. exports to African, European and the Middle Eastern markets. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/home/morocco-american_tra/view
--------------------------------------------

Morocco targets wider ICT use .
By Sarah Touahri 2009-10-15

"Maroc Numeric 2013" aims to expand Internet access and hi-tech tool usage. It will also create 26,000 new jobs.

Morocco recently adopted a national digital strategy aimed at expanding the use of information and communications technology (ICT) by the public, the government and businesses by 2013.

In the presence of King Mohammed VI, the government and banking institutions agreed on Saturday (October 10th) to allocate 5.2 billion dirhams for the "Maroc Numeric 2013" initiative.

"One aim of the strategy is to bring the government closer to the public and businesses," Trade and Industry Minister Ahmed Reda Chami said at the signing ceremony in Rabat. "The government will ensure that the services offered in Morocco are the same as those offered internationally," Chami added.

Businesses have hailed the initiative, which targets adding 27 million dirhams to Morocco's GDP. "The strategy is based on a high-quality plan that will create jobs and help small and medium-sized businesses modernise," the president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Companies, Mohamed Horani, told Magharebia.

Central to the strategy are efforts to ensure that one in three Moroccan families, rather than the present one in 10, will have a high-speed Internet connection by 2013. The new strategy also prioritises giving young people Internet access. To this end, some 400 computer centres will be built in low-income districts and remote areas.

"One hundred centres will be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sport, and the other 300 will be set up with the help of other partners including the national postage company, Poste du Maroc," the head of the National Telecommunications Regulation Agency, Azeddine El Montassir Billah, told Magharebia.

"All youth clubs will provide Internet access so that young people can get online free of charge," Minister of Youth and Sport Moncef Belkhyat said at the signing ceremony, adding that more than 80,000 engineering students at technical schools "will be given laptops with Internet access".

Economic development is a key goal of the strategy. According to government forecasts, "Maroc Numeric 2013" will create 26,000 jobs.

In this regard, efforts will be made to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to use ICT by granting subsidies of nearly 60% for purchases of sector-specific IT solutions. The new efforts are in accordance with the government's ongoing support for innovation in the field through a national fund for ICT development. The fund, with an initial allocation of 100 million dirhams, was created last fall in partnership with the Association of Information Technology Professionals.

"Technology is of fundamental importance in modernising and developing the national economy and also making it more attractive," Minister of Economy and Finance Salaheddine Mezouar said during Saturday's signing ceremony.

While many Moroccans welcomed the new strategy, some are tempering their enthusiasm with calls for a greater volume of Internet content. "There are few Moroccan websites, and Internet users need easy access to local information from Moroccan sources," Hafid Karimi, told Magharebia. "I hope the strategy will also deal with this aspect. The development of the e-government strategy will go some of the way towards achieving this goal. The private sector also needs to be given encouragement." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/10/15/feature-02
--------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco to celebrate Jewish part of its heritage.
October 10, NY Israel Conflict ExaminerRichard Shulman

Morocco is about to celebrate again the Jewish part of its heritage. For several hundred years, the Matrouz festival features concerts in which Jewish and Muslim poets, singers, and musicians perform together. Andre Azoulay, festival chairman and an adviser to Morocco's King Mohammad VI, said that Jewish art is a "major component of the cultural wealth and identity in Morocco."

At one concert, “Rabbi Haim Louk will sing accompanied by the Zyriab orchestra from Oudja in east Morocco.”
The festival will be held October 29 to November 1 (www.imra.org.il, 10/8).
http://www.examiner.com/x-7095-NY-Israel-Conflict-Examiner~y2009m10d10-Morocco-to-celebrate-Jewish-part-of-its-heritage
---------------------------------------------

Morocco rebuts low ranking from UNDP.
By Siham Ali 2009-10-14

Moroccan officials are questioning the criteria used in a UN report that gave their country a less-than-stellar ranking in terms of human development. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently ranked Morocco 130th out of 182 countries, an assessment that prompted rebuttals by Moroccan officials.

One concern is that the 2009 Human Development Report index, which was released on Monday (October 5th), is based on per capita GDP, education, and life expectancy figures from 2007. "Morocco disagrees with the criteria used, which were chosen 20 years ago and are now largely out of date, besides being clearly selective and certainly insufficient to measure progress with regard to human development in an objective fashion," said Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri.

Norway tops the report's index. Niger is in last place, while the US is ranked 13th. At the bottom of the ranking are Afghanistan and Sierra Leone. The reports cover themes as wide-ranging as cultural liberty and financing, along with larger global challenges like co-operation and climate change.

In September, prior to the report's release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned UNDP representative Mourad Wahba to discuss the report. After the report was made public last week, a Moroccan delegation met in New York with the head of the UNDP to discuss the figures, which Moroccan officials believe do not reveal the whole picture.

Morocco's high commissioner for planning, Ahmed Lahlimi, said October 8th in Rabat that his department had engaged in discussions with UNDP officials. Lahlimi said that those with whom he met "recognise that Morocco's ranking does not reflect the true development situation in our country".

The commissioner called Morocco's ranking "meaningless". During the 26th International Population Congress in Marrakech, which ran September 27th-October 1st, he called on developing countries to join in the debate between the UNDP and Morocco regarding the human development index.

"There is more to the UNDP's report than the human development index, which is used to give a ranking," Wahba noted last month in Rabat. "[The report] also assesses other areas, particularly women's participation, human development, civil liberties and access to modern means of communication, for example," said Wahba last month in Rabat

"All these indicators feature in other tables in the report and show the progress that Morocco has made," he added. "The index is not intended to be an exhaustive tool and does not give an indication of progress made in the short term," said the chief of the Statistics Unit at the Human Development Report Office in New York, Alison Kennedy.

Speaking at a conference in Rabat on October 8th, the chief of the Statistics Unit at the Human Development Report Office in New York, Alison Kennedy, described the index as "an instrument that focuses countries' attention on a certain number of issues".

"Morocco doesn't dispute the accuracy of the figures that form the basis of the human development index, but questions the relevance of the composite index," said economist Larbi Jaidi. "Measuring a country's development by means of a composite index has its limitations and is a somewhat arbitrary method, since [it] gives equal weight to three different parameters."

"Nevertheless, whatever criticisms are levelled at the index, it should be taken note of, and the government policies on which the ranking is based need to be adjusted," Jaidi added. Many members of the public seemed to share this view."Morocco has to accept its ranking, since in terms of [the report's] indicators, the country is indeed lagging behind other nations," said Ahmed T., an engineer. "Significant efforts must be made with regard to literacy and income."

"Whatever the index happens to be, it must be said that Morocco is developing at two different speeds," he added. "One of them is fast, such as the high-speed trains that Morocco wants to introduce, and the other relates to the rural world, which is still reliant on traditional methods of transport and farming. There is a real contrast."
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/10/14/feature-01
---------------------------------------------

Adventist Humanitarian Agency Assists Morocco's Anti-Tobacco Efforts.

The Moroccan government is stepping up its smoking prevention efforts, establishing a national committee to coordinate education and stop-smoking programs. On March 4, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency became the first non-governmental organization to participate in the first Inter-Ministerial Committee Against Tobacco in Morocco.

This national committee is composed of representatives from the government ministries of youth and sports, education, agriculture, finance, religious affairs, and environment. In addition to exchanging information about the impact of tobacco addiction, the group is coordinating plans to fight the effects of tobacco.

When asked about ADRA's presence on the national committee, the Moroccan health minister cited ADRA's established track record of stop-smoking programs and health education efforts. During 2001, ADRA Morocco helped 750 people learn about the negative effects of smoking, and it anticipates working with 2,000 more this year. In February, the ADRA Morocco Five-day Plan to Stop Smoking program was featured several times both on television and national radio. A special week-long tobacco education initiative is planned for April, and a Five-day Plan to Stop Smoking program is scheduled for June. ADRA representatives will participate in the national committee meeting on April 25.

Organized in 1990, ADRA Morocco has completed a number of projects in addition to its well-known tobacco education programs, including micro-enterprise training, clean-water wells, distribution of educational supplies, materials for homes that care for orphans, and construction of clinics.
Rabat Morocco, Norma Sahlin/ANN
http://news.adventist.org/2002/03/avetist-humaitaria-agecy-assists-moroccos-ati-tobacco-efforts.html
---------------------------------------------

Morocco prioritises helping the elderly.
By Sarah Touahri 2009-10-13

Recent legislative action in Morocco indicates that the country is rallying to address the plight of senior citizens. A new government strategy is in the works to help Morocco's growing population of senior citizens deal with issues such as health care, economic security and housing.

A ministerial committee, chaired by Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, will outline the most suitable way to provide care for this sector and support the elderly in terms of health and income, according to Communications Minister and government spokesman Khalid Naciri.

"My ministry has adopted a participative and consultative approach with other sectors of the government, charity, and social protection bodies to analyse the current situation facing the elderly and set objectives for the strategy, which include incomes, pensions, health, housing and living conditions," Minister for Social Development, Families and Solidarity Nouzha Skalli said on Friday (October 2nd).

Skalli signed thirteen partnership agreements,with organisations working on behalf of the elderly. The projects are worth a million dirhams. "These agreements will help strengthen the capabilities of these organisations, as they work to raise awareness of elderly issues and establish solidarity between generations," said the minister.

Civil society organisations expressed support for the government's desire to get a strategy up and running for an increasingly large and vulnerable part of Moroccan society. "According to figures from the High Commission for Planning, the number of elderly people is rising. So we need to set up care structures," said Hicham Maârouf, chairman of the Hay Nahda Social Centre for the Elderly in Rabat, which was set up by a forum for solidarity that includes 36 charities in the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaërs area.

Moroccan charities are constantly asking for increased state support in order to continue to help the elderly. Several care centres have been established as a result of initiatives led by the charitable sector, which hopes that the government strategy will ease their task. "Apart from material assistance, [seniors] need psychological support," MP and doctor Fatna Lkhail said, adding that a changing society means elder care needs to be given more thought.

"In the past, I was against the idea of [group] homes for this sector of society," she said. "But given that a great many people are unable to care for their parents because of the current economic situation, we need to create a structure to accommodate people when the worst happens." Lkhail said authorities must support the new strategy with measures to deal with health insurance and provide adequate training for medical and social work staff. "There are only a few Moroccan doctors specialised in gerontology," the MP added.

In fact, there are only 15 geriatricians in all of Morocco, at least when counting those trained in France, according to statistics from the charity Gerontology Espoir. According to the charity, there is a desperate shortage of paramedics trained in geriatric care. Although teaching courses for nurses include a module on geriatrics, there is still a lack of practical training. Most pressingly, there is still not a single hospital or day-care medical facility specialising in geriatric care.

Such issues weigh heavily on many of Morocco's senior citizens."The strategy must consider the concerns of the elderly," said retiree Salmi, 69, who believes that Morocco "lacks infrastructure dedicated to this category of the public". "In addition to the creation of accommodations for those who cannot live with their families, we need to think about themed activity centres, where each senior can flourish in his or her own chosen field," added Salmi.

"Once someone starts getting old, people think they have no further value," said 72-year-old Halima Barki. "They are marginalised by those around them, who think they can't think any more. This situation becomes all the more difficult when the elderly person has no financial resources. You need to guarantee a minimum income for everyone, to give them autonomy." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/10/13/feature-03
----------------------------------------------

On the way to a Moroccan wedding.
Bill Fink Sunday, October 11, 2009

Two men in a Moroccan train invited me to their sister's wedding, but they didn't look like brothers. Tall, fair-skinned Achmed and short, swarthy, mustachioed Mustafa entered my cabin midway between Fez and Marrakech. "A thousand welcomes to Morocco," they said, putting their hands over their hearts. I gave them a noncommittal nod, wary.

They asked why I was visiting Morocco. I was too embarrassed to tell them I didn't know much about their country, that it was just a cheap warm-weather side trip for me. I felt silly saying I chose Marrakech based on a Crosby Stills & Nash song, that I was traveling to Fez because it reminded me of funny hats.

So I made up a cliched story, saying I had come to visit the land of the Arabian Nights and snake charmers.
They laughed. "Well, perhaps those tales have some truths. But if you want to see the real Morocco, you must come to our sister's wedding tonight."

"You don't look very much like brothers," I said."Our father has four wives, you see." They both looked at me intently, awaiting my reply. The rhythmic "ca-chunk, ca-chunk" of the rail car filled an awkward moment of silence.

Ignoring caution, I accepted the invitation."So what does one wear to a Moroccan wedding?" I asked. They smiled at each other. "Oh, of course, you must buy a traditional caftan robe," said Achmed. "We'll help you at the market later."

I waited for them that evening at a cafe outside my hotel in Fez. The smell of grilled lamb wafted through the air, the smoke rising to meet the call to prayer coming from the tower of the mosque. Moroccan men sipped tea and orange sodas at the tables. One leaned over to say, "A thousand welcomes to Morocco," with his hand over his heart.

"A thousand thank-yous," I answered, not knowing the proper response. "So did you meet some men on the train?"
"What? How did you know that?" "I saw you come from the station with them. Be very careful," he said, then stood and walked away. I began to question my decision about hitching a ride into the unknown.
They arrived a few minutes later in a shiny Honda, wearing polo shirts and slacks. "Now we will buy you a robe," said Achmed.

"But where is yours?" Mustafa smiled, "Oh, we will change at the wedding." As they haggled with a vendor, I considered fleeing. This could be a robbery or a kidnapping. But I was strangely comforted by the robe. The purchase of formal wear would seem a wholly unnecessary step in an abduction. So I handed Mustafa money for the garment, and we drove into the darkness of the desert.

"So where, exactly, are we going?" I asked."To the party, of course" was all Achmed would say. We arrived on a bumpy gravel road in an impoverished village, half its low-slung concrete apartments looking demolished, the other half under construction, as if it was recovering from some recent war. My visions of the Arabian Nights were replaced by CNN clips of al Qaeda hideouts.

I exited the car and stood on an empty street with the two "brothers" behind me. They motioned for me to wear the robe and enter the darkened building in front of us. I pulled it on and went inside. I half expected to see bearded men squatting around a fire, maybe with weapons in hand, probably with fierce, hashish-reddened eyes glaring at my intrusion.

Instead, I entered to face a group of sharply dressed Arab men in khakis and sport coats, daintily holding cups of tea in a luxurious living room. They howled with laughter at my outfit. A girl peeked out of the kitchen and giggled. My bright red face contrasted with my fresh-out-of-the-bag white robe.

An elderly man entered with his friends, all wearing similar robes of the older generation. He smiled, eyes bright with mirth, then patted his heart and spoke to me in Arabic.

Mustafa translated: "My father says, 'A thousand welcomes. We are honored you have traveled so far to join us for this special occasion.' Also, he likes the robe." So with both my pride and preconceptions shattered, I cheerfully joined the wedding party until sunrise.

Bill Fink last wrote for Travel about Reno. E-mail comments to travel@sfchronicle.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/09/TROG1A0D94.DTL&type=travel
-------------------------------------------

Morocco's delights on a backpacker's budget.
Martin Jackson finds that travelling with his daughter in Morocco brings many unexpected encounters.
By Martin Jackson  Published: 12 Oct 2009
It wasn’t a sophisticated plan; head for Morocco with my 19-year-old daughter, arrange as little as possible, share budget accommodation, and try not to get on each other’s nerves. For me, there was a touch of nostalgia: at her age I had hitchhiked to Marrakesh. For Alana, a little independent travel together was a novel way to spend the fortnight before starting university in London…….More here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africaandindianocean/morocco/6304740/Moroccos-delights-on-a-backpackers-budget.html
##########################################################

These postings are provided without permission of the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the identified copyright owner.  The poster does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the message, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Return to Friends of Morocco Home Page