Leah Katerberg is this week's guest blogger. As MEDA’s program manager for monitoring and evaluation, she is one of the first to review the impact data that is collected each month by our field staff.

As I write, over 2,000 Moroccan youth have already grasped the opportunity to learn how to improve their economic prospects and do their part in promoting healthy relationships, healthy families and healthy communities. And that number is growing rapidly now as the program gains credibility and popularity in villages scattered throughout rural Morocco, where most of the country’s unemployed youth reside.

I’d like to tell you about the program’s success in one such village. Located in the southeastern corner of the country, fairly close to the Algerian border, the village of Boudnib is home to about 10,000 people. There, we offer ‘100 Hours to Success’ through Assamid, a local NGO staffed by men - and progressively, two women - who work to improve the quality of life for their most vulnerable neighbors.

Given their connections to local middle schools, politicians, media and the like, ‘100 Hours to Success’ has been a natural addition to their programming, reaching nearly 600 Boudnib youth so far. This alone is reason for commendation, however let me share with you a couple more.

Mid-way through the 100 Hours, Assamid planned a field trip for their students to nearby Errachidea where they toured the city’s university, visited the federal Employment and Skills Agency, and then traveled to the town of Zagora to end the day lounging on sand dunes. For many youth, it was their first time outside Boudnib.

Later, one of Assamid’s trainers opened his house to celebrate the achievement of a group of youth that had completed the training. They spent the evening laughing as they looked at pictures taken throughout the training sessions, on the field trip, and during the graduation ceremony.

They talked about the lessons ‘100 Hours to Success’ had taught them about money, about livelihoods, about life, and shared their dreams for the future. And they each left clutching a CD, put together by this trainer, that provided information on trade schools, colleges and universities in Morocco.