Dianne’s report after her recent visit to Morocco

Our partners in Morocco, Education for All (EFA), are delighted that things are starting to get back to normal after last year’s devastating earthquake.  When schools and boarding houses were destroyed by the earthquake right at the start of the school year last September the government moved students and teachers to various other schools in Marrakech, and there they stayed for the whole of the 2023-24 school year.  EFA were eventually able to rent two houses in a suburb of Marrakech, Chwiter, to house a small number of girls, but those placed by the government in boarding schools had to remain there for the full school year – and inevitably some girls simply dropped out of school or moved away with their families.

This September things feel very different.  Schools are still not fully rebuilt and are operating from a sea of mobile classrooms, but the collèges (for students aged 11-14) are now open again in Asni, Ouirgane and Talat n’Yacoub, as before the earthquake.  The original EFA house in Ouirgane has been repaired (as reported in our last newsletter) and is fully operational, meaning that EFA have been able to recruit new girls for this area as well as bringing some girls back from Marrakech.  In Asni and Talat n’Yacoub EFA have rented temporary houses while their own boarding houses are rebuilt, and new girls have been recruited for these areas too.  Most of the older girls who attend lycée (aged around 15-18) are still in Marrakech but are in the EFA houses in Chwiter, meaning that all girls recruited by EFA are now back in EFA houses, being given the care and support for which EFA is so renowned.

This also means the six house-mothers now each have their own house again, and although these are temporary rented houses they are delighted to have their independence and their own group of girls back again so they can all start to rebuild their lives.

People and places continued to work with EFA during last year, with several volunteers doing e-volunteer placements to support small groups of girls.  This will continue, and we have new e-volunteers ready to start in October.  We are also delighted to say that our first in-country volunteer since the earthquake, Penny, will be arriving in Asni at the start of October, with more volunteers to follow her to Morocco later this year – we will give you news of how they get on in future newsletters.

Like the EFA house-mothers and girls, we are so pleased that things are starting to return to normal.  We are proud to have worked alongside EFA as they have negotiated this crisis during the last year – and we are particularly proud that, despite these adverse circumstances, the EFA girls who took their Baccalaureate this summer all passed!  This amazing result is due to the hardworking ethos EFA instils in the girls they support, as well as the ongoing support and encouragement they receive from their house-mothers.  This from one of the girls who has just passed her exams: ‘Even though the EFA houses were affected by the earthquake, EFA fought hard for us. We appreciate everything that EFA does for us and helping us study hard. I look forward to achieving my dreams, one of which is becoming a doctor and I hope to achieve it someday.’

Celebrating 100% Baccalaureate success!

If you would like to volunteer alongside these amazing women and girls please email dianne@travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk, and take a look here to read more about this project.