KEEP 100 MOROCCAN CHILDREN AWAY FROM ABANDONMENT

Dear Global Giving supporter,

As you might know, earth has been trembling in Imzouren region for the past weeks. Luckily, there has been no major damages in the region so far, and the families you are helping are safe and sound.

Today, as we have just celebrated women’s rights international day, I would like to share with you a success story of our program, which shows that there are amazing and strong women in this region of Morocco who can achieve miracles if they are given a little help. (We have changed all the names, out of respect for our beneficiaries’privacy)

Khalida’s story starts like many of the women you are currently helping. She saw her whole world crumble the day her husband left her, with three young children and only limited sewing skills to support her family. Before her separation, Khalida had never left her house without her husband’s permission and, in this very traditional region, she thought that being a divorced woman was a disaster.

Khalida’s sister, Sobiha, is the one who came to knock on our door. She met Moulouda, our FSP officer, and explained her sister’s sad situation. After examining the whole family’s situation, and given how depressed Khalida was, Moulouda decided to include the family in the program, considering Sobiha, who did not have children and was single, as the referent.

We gave the basic needs support for the whole family to Sobiha (food, hygiene and health packages) who became a second mother for the children. We made sure that kids were attending school by providing school supplies and helping them with psychological support and tutoring classes. We worked with Khalida to help her out of her depression with psychological support and coaching.

She started to get out of the house, first simply to pick her kids from school. Sobiha also played a crucial part in Khalida’s recovery. She encouraged her sister to go out of the house more and more and to attend the sewing professional training we proposed her in order to improve her skills and regain self-confidence.

After a long process, for the sake of her children, Khalida finally managed to face the outside world. She now makes a living by selling the clothes she designs, and thanks to another income generating activity she has set up with Sobiha. They have hens, cows and sheeps and Khalida is the one who brings the milk and eggs to the local shop. Khalida would never have imagined she was able to be the head of two companies and additionally to do a job – farming - which is typically practiced by men and which Khalida really enjoys.

Sobiha also has developed her skills thanks to the program: she attended very seriously the awareness sessions we proposed regarding school follow-up, children’s psychology, and children’s rights. This “second mother” of three children became an advocate of children’s rights.

She also decided to have another activity to help her family, on top of the farming activity. We helped her to attend a specific training and she is now part of an innovative ironwork women’s cooperative. Again, a stereotyped “men’s job” for this amazing woman who declares: “women are not weak, women can do whatever they want – where there is a will there is a way!”.

The three children are now safe and happy to live with their mother and aunt and are thankful to Khalida and Sobiha for all the efforts they have made to keep the family together and offer them proper schooling.

On behalf of Khadija, Fatima, Reda, Khalida and Sobiha, it is my turn to thank you for your support to this program, for helping these brave women who fight every day to raise their children in dignity and stand tall despite a merciless fate.