Empowering Women and Youth in the Fes-Meknes Region Through Entrepreneurship

Jamie Kreindler is a first year Peace Corps volunteer. She came to Morocco after completing her Bachelors of Arts in Dance and Psychology in 2014. In addition to her new project, Jamie has been active in the Supporting People With Special Needs committee and the Model United Nations in Morocco project. 

She recently became involved in a youth and gender-targeted development initiative in her site, and shared her experiences with GAD:

“Empowering Unemployed Women and Youth through Entrepreneurship” is the title of a new, gender-focused ongoing project in the Fes-Meknes region. It began in partnership between Greenside Development Foundation (GDF) and the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) with the thinking that “economic initiative drives participation in civic society, leading to stronger communities, new jobs, and a sense of dignity and activism.” The goal of the project is to reach 1,200 unemployed women and youth in 6 cities in the Fes-Meknes region of Morocco: Fes, Azrou, Sefrou, Imouzzer-Kandar, Ribat El Kheir, and El Menzel. Every two weeks over the next five months, trainers in each city will train a group of 20 women and youth, totaling 200 people per city by the completion of the trainings. 

Ali Aaouine, the co-founder of GDF, was also the host brother for PCVs Steve and Jennie Williams during their Community Based Training (CBT) in Imouzzer-Kandar from January to March 2015. Near the end of CBT we found out our site placements- Steve and Jennie in Ribat El Kheir and myself in El Menzel. I was excited not only to have Steve and Jennie as my closest Peace Corps neighbors but also to learn about GDF’s exciting upcoming initiative in our communities. Hearing about GDF through Steve and Jennie was the beginning of my involvement with the association. 

Initially hearing about the project 8 months ago turned into summer meetings at the Youth Centers in El Menzel and Ribat El Kheir as well as GDF’s office in Immouzer-Kandar. I started to learn more about GDF, their work, and their mission. The vision of GDF is to “alleviate poverty through empowering sustainable youth employment. [It] is a not-for-profit organization pledged to fighting poverty in the Middle East North African (MENA) region. Founded in Seattle, WA in 2010, GDF is dedicated to the idea that cyclical poverty can only be addressed through a combination of education, access to capital, and partnership with communities.”

In 2013, Aouine was working with PCV Bo Ghirardelli to serve the youth of Imouzzer-Kandar. They had the idea to create an association to support youth entrepreneurs in the region through training, mentoring, and funding. At this time, Aouine was awarded an AEIF grant through the US Department of State. This grant is given to alumni of USG exchange programs and allowed GDF to launch 35 microenterprises in Imouzzer-Kandar. Over the past two years, GDF has continued to create new businesses and employ Moroccan youth in the region.
Last month marked the official launch of GDF and MEPI’s latest project “Empowering Unemployed Women and Youth through Entrepreneurship.” I worked closely with the trainer in El Menzel and other local volunteers to hang up banners, pass out flyers, talk and talk some more with community members, and visit surrounding villages in effort to spread the word about the project. On October 31, 2015, the Opening Ceremony for the project took place in Immouzer-Kandar. Representatives from MEPI, local authorities, GDF’s team, a handful of PCVs, and many community members were in attendance. The director of El Menzel’s Youth Center even showed his support!

This week the six trainers in Fes, Azrou, Sefrou, Imouzzer-Kandar, Ribat El Kheir, and El Menzel will train the first group of women and youth. The trainers will apply their in-depth business planning and entrepreneurship training to the training groups. Trainings will focus on how to start a project in terms of financial, technical, and human resources. The trainees will receive information about how to receive credit, how to market a project, and more. Furthermore, the trainees will be mentored by the trainers in order to start their new microenterprises. At the end of the project, participants will showcase their business models during a Youth and Women Entrepreneur Exhibition day.

In El Menzel, the beneficiaries of “Empowering Unemployed Women and Youth through Entrepreneurship” range from button makers to traditional craftsmen to Master’s Law students to electricians to widowed mothers and everything in between. El Menzel is the smallest of the six cities, so one of the challenges we face is reaching the goal number of 200 women and youth. However, the team of volunteers is working hard every day to build relationships and connect with community members. I see this challenge as an opportunity to impact the community in a positive, lasting, and transformative way.

The website is still under construction, but for more information about the project, read here.

We Can Play Soccer Too: Fiquh Ben Salah Girls Soccer and Leadership Camp

by Emma Goldbas

As a new volunteer in Morocco, I was surprised when I arrived in my community to see so many young girls playing sports among other girls and boys. In my small mountain town, I was unsure whether or not girls would have the same mobility to play competitive sports. To my pleasant surprise, I was connected with the local, all-girls soccer team in Azilal. The team was comprised of nearly twenty girls from Azilal’s center and the surrounding duwars. I began to play with the girl’s on a weekly basis, joining their practices and traveling to their games to show my support. As the summer came closer, the girls began to play less even though we managed to enjoy several midnight matches during the month of Ramadan. When the holy month was over, the girl’s soccer season had come to an unwelcomed end, and the girls seemed disappointed that there would no longer be any matches or weekly practices until the new school year began.

            During the summer I received a call from another volunteer, Kelsey Goodman in Elqsiba, inviting me to bring my team to a camp she, Alex Matthews, Cole Ulbrict, Treva Vollmer, and Mickey Gamonal were organizing in Fqih Ben Salah. Ecstatic about the prospect, I began to tell my girls about the opportunity. After many phone calls to and from the girls, I was able to take eight players to the soccer camp to train and play with other local teams and participate in a leadership program that would supplement the soccer training.

            We arrived at the Dar Taliba in Fqih Ben Salah and met several girls from nearby towns in my region like Elqsiba, Bouujad, Beni Mellal and the Atlas 05 team from Fqih Ben Salah. Five other Peace Corps volunteers had brought their teams, and several semi-professional players were there to help coach and facilitate the daily activities at the camp.

On the first day of camp, the volunteers facilitated a series of icebreaker activities for the girls to become acquainted with one another and to set boundaries, goals, rules, and a schedule for the camp. Parts of the first icebreaker was arranging the girls into new teams so they would have the opportunity to meet other girls from Morocco and learn to play as a new team with a new name. Each day the coaches and counselors organized soccer drills for the girls on their new respective teams. We ran several drills and had the newly formed teams scrimmage in a tournament that would culminate with a championship game between the two teams with the highest number of points on the last day of camp. It was amazing to see the relationships that formed among the players on their new teams. The girls formed new identities together and learned to play with girls from all over Morocco, girls of all ages and level of soccer skills.

            In the afternoons, these relationships grew even more when a local association called Nun w Finuun Fqih Ben Salah came in to do a series of gender-based trainings that focused on leadership and self-confidence. One training was a confidence builder: it began with a brainstorming activity that encouraged everyone to write both a series of adjectives that described them and a series of adjectives that did not describe them. Then, girls taped a blank piece of paper on their backs. Each girl would walk around in the room until the leader said to stop. The girls that were closest together would write a word or a small phrase that they thought embodied that person. After several minutes, the girls were allowed to take off their piece of paper and look at the words and phrases their peers had written about them. The activity ended with a dialogue about how our self-image sometimes differs from what others see.

Additionally, Nun w Finuun led theater and dance workshops that taught expressive arts and built teamwork skills through creative collaboration. These workshops built up towards the final day when all participants performed their collaborations for the whole camp.

One evening we watched the movie You Can Dream. The movie highlights the stories of six successful Moroccan women who come from a variety of backgrounds and education levels. After the movie, our counterpart Mohamed from Nun w Finnun facilitated a discussion with the girls about gender norms and their goals for the future. The girls talked about expectations of marriage versus education and power dynamics in relationships.

Aside from any activity or movie we watched, the camp empowered the girls by giving them a space to be taken seriously as athletes. The girls came from all different backgrounds. For example one girl plays on the Moroccan U-17 team and other girls have never played a game of organized soccer in their lives. At camp, girls of all skill levels were coached by top-level players and respected as athletes and leaders.

            The Fqih Ben Salah camp was modeled after the girls’ soccer camps that volunteers in the Souss region have hosted with the womens’ professional team AMJAD. We hope that more volunteers across Morocco organize these types of camps to encourage the confidence-building and leadership skills that organized sports inspires within girls.

            Moreover, in a week’s time a group of forty girls from Midwest region of Morocco joined together to play soccer, build leadership and confidence, practice dance and theater, and get to know like-minded girls from their country. Breaking down the set teams and allowing the girls to play on new teams that combined players from all four cities, forged a new kind of camaraderie that was supported by the work of Nun w Finuun Fqih Ben Salah and Peace Corps volunteers. We hope that this camp empowered young girls to continue to play soccer and to be leaders on and off the field.

International Day of the Girl 2015

by Brandy Blue 

Sunday, October 11^th was the U.N. designated International Day of the Girl. Volunteers around Morocco were encouraged to integrate gender development activities into their regular work at youth centers and women's centers throughout the country.

a young woman in Tinejdad shares her art

 1^st year volunteer Noa Harris has a background in creative education and social work and is an expert in gender-based violence. She is also a member of the Gender and Development committee. To celebrate the International Day of the Girl in Tinejdad, Noa developed an activity with two goals: to spread awareness about the special day, and to give a safe space to empower girls and young women to embrace their own emotions and be able to express themselves to others.

There are many different paths to empowerment. A more commonly-used path is by giving girls access to education and knowledge of the world. However, “education is not enough,” says Noa. Another path is empowerment through knowledge of ourselves. This emotional intelligence includes knowing one's own emotions and being able to give a voice to them. Noa aimed to create a safe space where girls and young women in her community could use their voices in this way. “In Morocco and all over the world we hear men talking more than women. [On the International Day of the Girl] we offer a space for girls to talk,” she says.

Noa was not alone in her endeavors. The moudira of the dar taqafa Aicha Behu helped by publicizing the event and gathering a group of 17 girls and young women, ranging in ages from 6 to 18. Noa also utilized the skills of her counterpart Nezha to translate the event while Noa facilitated the activity. The event took place on Saturday, October 10^th at Tinejdad's dar taqafa. The afternoon was divided into several parts: introduction to the International Day of the Girl, a challenge asking girls to examine what they would like to change about themselves and then symbolically enacting that change, an opportunity to share what the girls liked about themselves, and finally a craft activity that invited the girls to celebrate themselves.

In the first activity, the girls were invited to think of something about themselves they would like to change. Then, the girls walked through an imaginary machine that created that change within them. Participation in the activities was slow at first, which was a personal challenge for Noa. Because the girls were timid, Noa used herself as an example, reflecting that she wished her Arabic could be better. She then walked through the “machine” and came out with new-found confidence in her language ability. This encouraged the girls to do the same, and most of the group created their own change in the “machine,” by themselves or in pairs. Some girls felt more confident doing this activity while holding Noa’s hand rather than alone. “Sometimes we need a crutch,” she says. “Crutches aren't negative, as long as we can be aware of our own needs and ask for help.”

Participation picked up on the second activity, when Noa asked the girls to state something they like about themselves. Most of the girls were able to share with the group which created a warm and positive environment.

simple supplies and some space are all you need

 After these uplifting thoughts, the group took time to make flowers out of recycled egg cartons with paint. A way to empower as a facilitator is to be engaged and equal to the participants, and Noa took part in all aspects of the event. “When we ran out of brushes,” she recalls, “I was the first to dip my fingers in the paint.” After the flowers were lovingly crafted the group sat in a circle in the room, being sure to remove any physical obstacles like tables and chairs. Then Noa asked all the participants to state why they deserve a flower.

Happily all the girls and young women held a flower and said “I deserve a flower because..”. The answers were diverse:

I deserve a flower because I am a good student.

because I'm a girl.

because I'm a good basketball player.

because I respect my parents

because I pray.

a circle of positivity

These are just some examples the girls shared.

According to Noa, the flower activity was the perfect way to end the event. “We are all flowers,” she says. “Sometimes buds need time to blossom. We need to know how much sun and how much water we need. There are different seasons, and we are not always in bloom. But we all have the potential to blossom.”

Noa considers the event a success and encourages other volunteers to use these ideas in their own work. Ideally, she advises, this activity involves a motivated counterpart or mastery of the local language in order to fully communicate the undertones and underlying themes of the event and International Girl's Day. This kind of activity is more personal to the community and can help express those themes without talking about women's rights as an international struggle. Sometimes, says Noa, grand themes like #62milliongirls can be lost on a local Moroccan girl who feels isolated from the big-picture. This kind of activity gives the individual girls a platform and encourages them to use their own emotional intelligence to empower their own lives.

“Once you have a clear goal,” says Noa, “there are different ways to reach it.” She encourages other to find their own voice to create an event for the next International Girl Day.

A PCV's Perspective on Girls Basketball in Morocco

Peace Corps Volunteer Olivia DiNucci shares her thoughts on girls basketball in Morocco. More information about Olivia's service is available on her blog.

“Ntia s7i7a ”-You girl, are strong.

I say this to the under 13 girls I coach during our bi-weekly practices. I usually find myself saying it as soon as one is about to cry because the ball hit her somewhere other than in her hands. Before the tears fall, I say it again but this time I bend down looking directly into her eyes. “Ntia S7ahia,” indirect translation: you girl, are strong and really the ball didn’t hurt when it hit your elbow so, don’t even think about crying.

When girls are out on the basketball court (and I can only assume the soccer field, track, etc), sometimes we treat them daintily, as though they are weak, much more likely to overly comfort them if they get hurt or give them a break before we would give one to the boys. We think we are helping them, but most of the time we’re doing the opposite. Instead, we should be treating them as athletes—not constantly viewing them as girls and boys. Setting higher expectations for girls is not just important, it is imperative in order to increase their confidence and sense of value on, and more importantly, off the court. This isn’t to say that all players will commit to the sport, but like anything else, introducing things young gives individuals a better opportunity to develop and excel at something. 

Discrimination towards girls and women, specific to the sports world and beyond, can be drastically decreased if we combine equal opportunity with setting higher expectations for girls. Since the first week of our Peace Corps service in Essaouira, Morocco, Kabir and I coached basketball in site and since then, around the country with the national basketball organization TIBU Maroc. In some situations and contexts, getting girls out on the court is a success in itself. But, in some cases it is not enough.

Sure, biologically, our bodies and how they develop are different. As a collective, most male athletes have certain physical abilities that can outperform the opposite sex. Jumping higher, running faster, dunking more impressively. Many women and girls jump high, run fast, and even dunk, but it’s not the norm and it’s certainly not expected. The insult still remains, like a girl.

The media bombards us with negative connotations and slighted comments when it comes to women in sports. Even World Champions and Olympic Gold Medalists face severe discrimination. The struggle is constant and although it should not and cannot be compared, it exists everywhere in the sports world—developed countries and developing.

Inequality is not confined to sports, but if there is an opportunity for boys to play and compete, that same opportunity should be offered for girls. Boys 3×3 tournament? Girls 3×3 tournament. Boys get new uniforms? Girls get new uniforms. The capital city holds a tournament for teams from 10 cities throughout Morocco? Both boys and girls teams come to play. Will there be more boys teams that show up? Maybe, but that should not limit the number of girls teams that get their fair share of court time.

Girls love basketball in Morocco. This is sweeping generalization that I know we should avoid, but through observations, I can substantiate the claim. Time after time, from my experience as well as from other Moroccan coaches and Peace Corps Volunteers around the country, the interest of basketball among girls is palpable. During the TIBU National School Tour (NTST), girls from large cities to small towns were eager to get a ball in their hands and in Essaouira, females young and old are constantly ready to do what they love—play basketball.

Since the national popularity isn’t going away, coaches, clubs and programs need to continue (or in some cases, start) supporting more opportunities for girls to participate and excel in basketball and the positive values along with it. Equal opportunity doesn’t mean that every school, every club and every town will have the same amount of interest from girls and boys but it does mean that the girls will have the chance to play and be coached to improve and compete.

Nothing is more exciting than stepping onto the court and realizing that there are 30 boys and 30 girls looking up at you ready to play (this happened at our Essaouira basketball camp this summer). Although sports are generally gender separated (and usually for good reason) I love seeing co-ed play. Some of the 13 year old girls that we coach weekly improved significantly over the last year and now practice with the more skilled boy players.

They are proud and eager to be more competitive and prove themselves on the court. These girls are respected by the boy players and consider each other teammates. Similarly, in the TIBU camp I worked four female players practiced and competed on male teams. In both instances, the girls who worked their way up to playing in more competitive divisions present higher levels of confidence and leadership on and off the court (they’re not the only ones).

Basketball is a medium in which positive life values are transferred. More girls are attending university and in the work force more than ever in Morocco, values learned through basketball transfer to other areas of their life.Teamwork, discipline, self control, responsibility and respect are ones we have focused on at both the local and national level when promoting basketball. As for girls, especially going through puberty, self esteem and self worth are crucial to maintain and build upon for their personal and professional lives.

In more competitive contexts, when girls are out on the court, given the opportunity to play and compete, the same rules should apply. If they aren’t performing to the best of their ability, they get taken out. Setting high expectations for female athletes means they too, have to work hard to achieve a goal and develop better leadership and communication skills to get their teammates on board. Letting things slide, letting them be soft, is enabling, not empowering.

Expectations for girls in sports is important, and is my driving point here, because for so many it is so easily lost. Why are you complaining, girls are playing? Playing yes, but improving, working, striving for results, often times, no. This is the next stage of basketball in Morocco. It is no longer enough to just give them the court time, they must be expected to perform, not for the pride of the city, or club, but for the pride from within themselves.

As girls get older, expectations start weighing heavily in many areas of life, generally not regarding athletics. Sometimes that means picking school and studies over sports. Usually it means helping out at home and taking care of younger siblings. Sometimes it means marriage. This is where the translation and applicability of basketball doesn’t follow through. Parents need help imagining how much stronger their girl will be in all aspects of life when equipped with the tools gained through basketball.

This month I worked both of TIBU’s summer basketball camps, under 13 and under 18. At the U18 camp I led girls empowerment workshops each morning. I was “teaching” them, but instead the problems and challenges we as women face. Not me as the westernized woman and them as Moroccan women. It was the highlight of my week as we dug deeper into the limitations, roles and stereotypes women and girls face by the media, education systems, families and culture and together came up with personal solutions to these challenges. I used resources from the Peace Corps Morocco Gender and Development Committee. We watched video clips on inspirational women and success stories in Morocco and in the US, we analyzed advertisements and campaigns such as  “Girls Can” (Covergirl featuring famous spokeswomen) and “This Girl Can” (featuring women of all shapes and sizes getting up and working out no matter how much they may jiggle). We shared personal stories, wrote about important female role models in our lives and participated in other self esteem activities. We had discussions and debates on how it takes an entire society to help raise girls up. Throughout the classes two male coaches sat in and participated in the classes and were supportive and intrigued by what the girls had to say (both verbalized wanting to help implement more workshops like this in the future). Here are some photos of the classes and the video the girls made for the Always #LikeAGirl #UNSTOPPABLE campaign.

Kabir and I will continue with coaching the under 13 basketball teams and I will help with one of Essaouira’s older women’s teams this year as well. But what I am most happy and proud of is that after working with TIBU for the past year and a half, myself and TIBU’s president are planning for a girls basketball and empowerment camp for 40-50 of Morocco’s best players under 18. While the main focus will be basketball training and competition, workshops on gender related issues and special guests will combine the elements important to the girls as they continue as basketball players but also as individuals in society. In the next year we will be recruiting the girls from across Morocco as well as coaches and partners. It may be a year away, but my excitement can’t hold me back from already starting to prepare for it.

Girls basketball has positive potential in Morocco, and in my opinion, equal opportunity and heightened expectations have a lot to do with making not only stronger basketball players but stronger women. 

**All photos from TIBU were taken by photographer Walid Broud