100 Hours to Change

Morocco tour sees youthful enthusiasm, hope

2011-04-18T13:27:00.016-04:00

MEDA supporters from Texas to Ontario recently witnessed Morocco’s past, present and future as part of a tour organized with TourMagination. On the 12-day tour, they met some of the 9,000 youth who are cultivating hope for their own future through MEDA Youth Invest’s 100 Hours to Success training project.
100 Hours provides basic life skills plus an understanding of finance and business – how to start and run a business, budgeting, marketing and access to financial services to encourage savings and the wise use of credit.
In a country with a population of 34 million and a median age of only 25, 60% of the country’s unemployed are young people. YouthInvest is helping to address this huge social problem.
The group had the opportunity to see how 100 Hours really can change a life – meeting young people in business – all with youthful enthusiasm fuelled by a new self-confidence and new skills learned in the program.
“The hope came through loud and clear,” note Agnes and Frank DeFehr of Winnipeg, MB.
“What we saw was powerful,” said Yvonne Miller of Chicago, IL. “My favourite part of the trip was getting outside the city to see what real life is like and how real people are benefiting from the project. I am very grateful for the opportunity to see this work.”
Bev and Jane DeKay of London, ON, met “one young woman who had set up a real estate office – created herself a job – and had several family members involved – so the project is not just helping her, but her whole family.”
Visiting a training session in a small town east of the Atlas Mountains, Agnes and Frank said, “The students were very excited about what they were learning – money management and access to loans.” Bev and Jane were impressed by the instructor and the youth. “We couldn’t understand the language, but we thoroughly enjoyed the class.”
Agnes and Frank liked “the combination of seeing the MEDA project and sightseeing, too, to get the history, culture and how people actually live.”
An estimated 50,000 youth will build economic prosperity through the five-year project, which is funded by The MasterCard Foundation and MEDA supporters. “You see lots of young people everywhere,” says MEDA’s Bob Kroeker, who co-led the tour with Audrey Voth Petkau of TourMagination. “It really underscores the need for our work there.”
Join an upcoming tour!

Agnes and Frank DeFehr, Winnipeg, MB: "YouthInvest inspires hope for youth"
Agnes and Frank DeFehr of Winnipeg, MB, were part of a joint MEDA/TourMagination tour to visit Morocco Mar 25-Apr 5, 2011. The group saw how MEDA’s YouthInvest program is helping thousands of youth find new hope and peace. Here are their impressions of the tour:
“We started the tour at the MEDA office, meeting project staff, including field director Adil Sadoq, who gave us a passionate introduction to the program and staff.
“We visited a classroom in a small town east of the Atlas Mountains being held in a community centre. There were about 25 students, and they were very excited about what they were learning about money management and getting access to loans.
“We especially enjoyed going into villages, where we met a young shop keeper who is doing quite well selling small appliances, and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of goods he had in stock. We also visited young women making carpets and sewing beautiful garments for weddings and other occasions, as well as every-day clothing. They were very proud of what they were doing, and the seamstress was especially proud of the sewing machine she had bought with her earnings.
“Morocco has some spectacular scenery – the mountains, the sea coast – it was beautiful: the greenery, red soil and the architecture of the mosques and other buildings – all crafted out of wood, plaster and tiles. At a casbah (citadel or fortress) high up on a hill, we stopped to enjoy tea while overlooking the valley. We liked the combination of seeing the MEDA project and sightseeing, too – you get glimpses of the country’s history and culture, yet also see the grassroots and how people actually live.
“YouthInvest inspires hope for youth – the hope came through loud and clear.”

Bev and Jane DeKay of London, ON, pictured here with Yvonne Miller of Chicago, IL, also were on the Morocco tour:

“This was our first time in Morocco and TourMagination did a good job of showing us the sights and sounds of Morocco, with a good cross section of the country. The traffic in the cities is something else: The roads are crowded with push carts, carts being pulled by donkeys, bikes, cars, taxis, buses and people – it’s something to see. You have to be careful when walking.
“Field director Adil Sadoq was very enthusiastic in explaining how the project worked. We visited a classroom with young people eager to learn how to present themselves to help get started in work. Their teacher was doing an excellent job of encouraging class participation. We couldn’t understand the language, but we thoroughly enjoyed the class.
“At most Moroccan banks you need $100 to open an account, but through project partners, YouthInvest participants can now open an account with just $10. This is important to encourage savings and help young people to be able to provide for themselves.
“Youth in the project are very optimistic and happy with how things are going. One young woman had set up a real estate office, creating herself a job. She had several family members involved – so the project is not just helping her, but her whole family. Another student’s father was helping her set up a bed and breakfast business.
“We were excited to get right into local homes, and found the people are quite friendly and immediately want to serve tea to their guests. The hospitality was first rate!”

Yvonne Miller of Chicago, IL:
“This was my first time to Morocco or on MEDA tour, although I have been to Egypt. I loved visiting the MEDA staff and clients and seeing how microloans work.
“We met a store owner who took the 100 Hours to Success training. He felt it had helped him set up a successful kitchen wares store – he learned how to run a business and how to relate to customers.
“In one village we saw students in a YouthInvest classroom full of enthusiasm and interest. It was inspiring to see how they want to learn, to make a difference in their communities; it was a very powerful experience.
“My favourite part of trip was seeing real people benefit. We had a nice balance of seeing Morocco’s urban and rural areas and saw what real life is like. I came home thinking a lot about the young women we met and wondering how they will apply what they have learned.
“We went into the homes of young women who have obtained loans through the project. One was knotting carpets; another was sewing with a knitting machine and a sewing machine. She was making traditional garments and fine wedding garments. It was a family enterprise – dad takes her wares to the souk (market) to sell and her mother contributes by making wool throws and carpets.
“What we saw was powerful. MEDA’s field director, Adil Sadoq, did a good job of explaining the program and how it works. We clearly saw the impact and enthusiasm for what was being offered. I am very grateful for opportunity to have seen this work.”

Support MEDA's YouthInvest program and see how 100 Hours can change a life!

Tour Morocco with MEDA and TourMagination

2010-11-30T15:10:00.006-05:00

MEDA in Morocco:
Mar 25-Apr 5, 2011

Join Bob Kroeker of MEDA and Audrey Voth Petkau of TourMagination to visit Morocco - a country of legends where vibrant cultures and faiths meet and ancient history is preserved.

See how MEDA's YouthInvest program is helping thousands of youth find new hope and peace.

Watch this video for more details, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpLW120e_NU
Visit tourmagination.com, or
Call 1-800-565-0451

Moroccan youth learn, earn through YouthInvest training

2010-10-28T14:06:00.008-04:00

Young people in Morocco are starting to realize their hopes and dreams through MEDA’s YouthInvest program. In one year, 1,480 youth have completed the program’s 100 Hours to Success, which provides training in life skills, financial skills and entrepreneurship. Another 700 are now enrolled in the program.

A recent survey of participants shows youth are beginning to understand the importance of savings. Half plan to use their savings to start or grow a business, buy equipment or further their education. More are now working, income levels have started to increase, and they’re better prepared to enter the workforce. They’ve become more employable, and more conscientious.

Survey highlights:

96% now have a savings account, vs. 19% before entering the program
75% would not have opened an account were it not for the program
25% of program youth are now involved in apprenticeships
170 youth have accessed loans, with an average loan of $1,300
Family, friends, teachers and employers have noticed positive changes in attitudes and behaviors
90% report the program has helped them move toward reaching their goals
100% would recommend the program to a friend
25% are now working, vs. 13% before entering the program
15% increase in incomes since entering program

Want to witness MEDA’s impact for yourself? Join Bob Kroeker of MEDA and Audrey Voth Petkau of TourMagination for a MEDA in Morocco tour Mar 25 to Apr 5, 2011! Visit http://www.tourmagination.com/ for details or call 1-800-565-0451.

For more stories from MEDA’s YouthInvest project, go to http://www.100hours.meda.org/

Building confidence – times 2!

2010-09-20T13:41:00.005-04:00

Abdessamad and El Mahjoub, 23-year old twins, are single students. They live in Ouarzazate, a small town in the southeast of Morocco.

They heard about MEDA's 100 Hours to Success training program through outreach sessions led by trainers from MEDA partner AESD.

Before the training program, Abdessamad, left, lacked self confidence. He preferred solitude to avoid the mocking eyes of his classmates, and he could not handle his emotions. El Mahjoub was also pessimistic and aggressive.

The two brothers work as photographers for wedding parties each summer to help finance their education, but they couldn't keep customers as they didn’t know how to behave with them.

Now after the training program, Abdessamad is more self confident and easily makes friends in class; he also is less obstinate than before. El Mahjoub also has changed: He can manage his money, and has opened a savings account because he knows the benefits of having savings.

Both are now satisfied about themselves. Their parents are proud of them, and their teachers say they have noticed an increase in their self confidence and an improvement in their grades.

El Mahjoub and Abdessamad plan to start a small business – a photography lab, and they are producing a video on early marriage of girls in their town.

Rasheed makes strides with YouthInvest training

2010-08-19T10:57:00.007-04:00

Rasheed, a 22-year-old student, is single and lives with his family of eight brothers and sisters. In his situation, living in a large family is not easy, especially when he has to work in order to meet their needs.

After school Rasheed works as a grocer. He sells food in a small shop, but because of his age and his lack of experience, he could not manage his small business, he did not know how to behave with his customers and how to manage his store to make it attractive. He also had problems with simple finances – for example, how to calculate profit and loss.

Since the 100 Hours to Success business training that Rasheed received with MEDA, his behavior with his clients has changed: He welcomes them with a smile, and presents his goods in an attractive manner.

He began to plan his business by drawing up a table of his income and expenditures and he calculates his profit margin.

He has also taken a loan of 8,000 Moroccan dirhams (about $940 US) from Al Amana, a MEDA microfinance partner, to manage his store and to add new merchandise.

He has opened a saving account in which he deposited 3,000 MDS (about $350 US) that he earned from his business.

Rasheed's now has a more flexible attitude towards his customers, which allows him to build better relationships with them.

He studies his competition to keep his prices in line with his competitors.

"The training program offered by MEDA Morocco helped me enormously to improve my business and also to increase my grades," notes Rasheed. "Now I feel proud of myself."

Moroccan meals a delight for the senses

2010-07-21T11:14:00.011-04:00

This week, Jennifer Harley of MEDA's financial services area reflects on her recent experiences traveling in Morocco.

Every meal in Morocco is a delight for the senses. It is a pleasure to enjoy the spread of eclectic cultural influences: couscous from the Berbers, the Moorish mix of nuts, fruits and meats, and the unmistakable oils of the Mediterranean coast and the Arabic peninsula.

The markets in Casablanca are teeming with delectable treasures from all corners of the country and the scent of cinnamon and cumin is seemingly in the air no matter where you go. There’s also something very exotic about stalls filled with spices, both ground and whole, and about the sight of large jars of saffron worth more, per ounce, than gold.

During my visit, though, I discovered that food in Morocco is not only delicious, but also fun to eat. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Morocco, a time for families to be together away from the heat and strong mid-day sunshine.

Dining is always communal, and in many small cities and towns, no cutlery is offered. Most of the time, I used my hands and the fresh crusty white bread to dip into the large bowl of spiced stew in the middle of the table. The bread also acts as a vehicle for the homemade olives and cold beet salads.

Customarily, guests in a Moroccan home are offered far more food than they can possibly eat as a show of hospitality, which can be a little overwhelming at first – but luckily, most homes have dining rooms complete with well-cushioned benches, just in case you doze off satiated.

Surveys will show client impact

2010-07-14T13:46:00.013-04:00

Leah Katerberg of MEDA was recently in Morocco for the annual survey of YouthInvest clients and partners.

The survey will help us measure the impact of our work with youth through the program. We'll share highlights of our findings at a later date.

"This picture," reports Leah, "is of the Kasbah Taourirt in Ouarzazate, constructed in the 19th century. Kasbahs were originally built as fortified towns and now represent the 'old' part of many modern Moroccan cities."

The Taourirt Kasbah was owned by the el Glaoui clan, which controlled a major caravan route to West Africa. The kasbah, located at a strategic junction of the caravan routes, was highly important during the 1930s, when the el Glaoui powers were at their peak. The palace has close to 300 rooms and more than 20 riads, or gardens.

Meeting young beneficiaries delightful

2010-07-05T10:41:00.006-04:00

YouthInvest finance manager Fatima Zohra Boukhnifi, this week's guest blogger, reports from her office in Casablanca on her recent visit to the field.

I have been working for MEDA Maroc since May 2009 as a finance and administration manager. For a year, I have been working in the office, getting regular reports from the field, but I couldn’t imagine how it really was until I got the opportunity to do a field visit to two of our partner NGOs.

In Boudenib, as in Ouarzazate, we attended some training sessions and we met members of the boards and some of the trainers, who showed a great enthusiasm and a remarkable sense of commitment. I was so happy to see that they have absorbed the philosophy of our training material and could transmit it to the youth.

But I was extremely delighted when I met the young beneficiaries, who were excited to talk about their experiences.

Safa, Rachid, Abdellah, Abdessamad, Mahjoub and many others found that 100 Hours to Success changed their lives. Thanks to this program, they have learned many techniques and are applying them in their daily lives. They have become more self-confident, more communicative, more assertive, and have earned the respect of their relatives and friends. They also are developing entrepreneurship skills and many of them feel able to set up their own businesses.

At the end of my trip, I was amazingly impressed by our program's impact on the youth and felt really proud of belonging to MEDA Maroc and contributing, even indirectly, to the success of this program.

Pictured: Fatima Zohra Boukhnifi, standing at centre, with MEDA Maroc staff

You don't need to be rich to save

2010-06-30T10:04:00.011-04:00

Leah Katerberg, this week's guest blogger, shares some experiences of a YouthInvest training session from her recent trip to Morocco.

I’m in Morocco to conduct our annual survey, but we’ve adjourned for the day and I’ve decided to sit in on a training session for 100 Hours to Success. The youth are just beginning the module on saving. Let me show you what they’re learning:

The trainer starts by guiding them in a discussion on the general goals of saving. All contributions are posted on the wall, and together the youth categorize them into three broad uses for savings:
1. Events (eg. wedding)
2. Unknown future expenses (eg. appliance repair)
3. Business opportunity (income generation)

The youth are now formed into groups of about five, each representing a family, and are provided relevant information on the family’s assets, expenses, income, and also a set of challenges to solve.

For example, the family’s father may have been diagnosed with a hearing problem, so the family must save for the purchase of a hearing aid; the oldest daughter is graduating from high school next year and would like to pursue college-level education; the mother owns a sewing business and has had to turn down certain types of work because of the limitations of her machine.

Together, each ‘family’ decides how much they can save per month based on their current situation. The youth understand this often requires sacrifice in expenditures, however some groups’ creativity went beyond fewer visits to the internet café: “We will sell one of our cows, we can negotiate lower rent with our landlord, we will start a small garden plot and sell vegetables to our neighbors.” Continuing the example above, let’s say our group determines it will be able to save 300 dirhams per month (about $35).

Next, each group completes a savings plan template to enable them to reach their goals. Our group’s looks something like this:

At 300 dirhams per month, the hearing aid can be purchased in less than half a year. Then, the family can start saving for the first year of college for the oldest daughter, which will take about eight months. Once those two goals have been achieved, saving can begin for the sewing machine. Likely, the additional income generated by the new machine will help the family save for subsequent years of college.

As each group confidently shares its plan the twofold message becomes clear: Saving is powerful, and you don’t need to be rich to save.

Learning about Moroccan tea culture

2010-06-22T08:52:00.010-04:00

This week's guest blog is from Jennifer Harley of MEDA Financial Services, who recently returned from Morocco.

Morocco is well known for its dramatic landscapes and delectable food offerings. But Moroccans are perhaps under-recognized for their deep appreciation for tea. Chinese green tea is a staple of Moroccan culture.

The preparation, sharing and drinking of tea in all regions of the country has, over the past 200 years, become a tradition turned art form. Morocco is cited as being the first country ever to import to Chinese green tea and is now one of the biggest importers in the world.

The most exciting part of the tea ceremony is the pour – in fact, the repeated pouring. In order to aerate the tea, the tea maker will pour a full glass holding the pot several inches in the air and then pour the glass back into the pot. (Watch my video here: http://zook.ca/morocco/ )

This method produces a sort of bubbly foam on the top of the tea and ensures that the sugar is thoroughly mixed. Finally, everyone drinks. The show is so captivating that one hardly notices the wait.

Change among youth motivates Mustapha to do more

2010-06-07T13:00:00.004-04:00

This week's guest blogger, project manager Jennifer Denomy, reports from Morocco where she continues to introduce us to some of MEDA Morocco's staff members.

After YouthInvest started field activities last year, local project manager Mustapha Ouchrahou had many questions: How would the partners work? How would they deliver the training? What would the impact be and how would youth react?

The first training sessions happened with secondary school students in Boudnib, a small town near Errachidia in the south east of Morocco. "I met with some of the youth and heard their stories," says Mustapha.

"They said that the training had given them an entirely new attitude, new skills and a greater sense of self-confidence. There was a real change in their way of thinking. They discussed calmly how things were going at school and how they had begun to negotiate their needs with the administration.

"I could really see that there was a difference. It was very touching. Now we are so motivated to do more because of the change we see.”

Giving youth "something that changes their lives"

2010-06-07T11:00:00.001-04:00

This week's guest blogger, project manager Jennifer Denomy, reports from Morocco where she continues to introduce us to some of MEDA Morocco's staff members.

Monitoring and evaluation manager Khadija Saoudi often travels to the field, meeting with partners and beneficiaries. In rural areas where MEDA Maroc works, youth have no other programs or training they can access. These are neglected areas in terms of social services.

"Our program is interactive and allows youth to meet in groups to learn things – a new concept for many of them," reports Khadija. "When they begin the training, they love participating and learning with peers and do not want the classes to end. They ask if there is more training they can do and say “don’t forget us!”

"One of my favorite things is to talk to youth after they start the 100 Hours to Success training. They greet the trainer in the street and talk about how much they have learned in the classes. They are excited to report that they taught their family members to do the things they learned.

“I feel like we give them something that changes their lives. It’s a huge change, especially for the girls.” Khadija says that before receiving the training, youth describe living their lives “as it goes,” but now they have objectives and know how to motivate themselves to achieve what they want to do. They don’t stay at home until they get married, but have direction and purpose.

Unfortunately, many girls encounter opposition to plans they develop, because starting a business might require them to do things that go against local traditions. It's difficult for them to travel for work or to buy supplies for their business. But they know how to save and to create small enterprises. Some girls have overcome barriers and we will continue to encourage them.

Meet the YouthInvest staff! Here's Fatima Zohra …

2010-06-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

This week's guest blogger, project manager Jennifer Denomy, reports from Morocco where she will be introducing us to some of the MEDA Morocco staff members over the coming weeks.

Being part of an inspiring program such as YouthInvest is bringing proud moments for project staff.

YouthInvest finance manager Fatima Zohra Boukhnifi felt one of those bursts of pride in April, when a group of youth “graduates” of the 100 Hour to Success program were interviewed by reporters and the project was featured on a national Moroccan news program.

"When I saw the interview on television, I felt so proud and told everyone I knew that I work on this project. I feel very connected to the work and to the beneficiaries."

Fatima Zohra also finds it rewarding to be part of the interaction between MEDA Maroc and MEDA headquarters in Waterloo, Canada. When there are accounting difficulties, she reaches out to HQ staff and feels she is not working alone. “We are supported and it’s very motivating,” she says.

MEDA’s deadlines are tighter than those in other places she has worked, and with HQ support, she is learning to prepare financial statements and reports more quickly.

Although everyone in the MEDA Maroc office works on different tasks and in different areas, decisions are made together. Everyone contributes and this makes the team very strong.

Fatima Zohra is now taking her first YouthInvest field visit and we look forward to hearing about her trip as she sees first hand what youth are learning in our project.

YouthInvest by the numbers

2010-05-26T08:50:00.000-04:00

MEDA's YouthInvest project is making great progress in reaching out to unemployed youth in Morocco, reports project manager Jennifer Denomy, who is currently on a two-week field visit to Morocco.

For instance, youth are being encouraged to begin saving for their future. To date, 587 youth savings accounts have been opened with MEDA's partner financial institutions.

And MEDA is reaching out to many more youth with its 100 Hours to Success training program as it continues to scale up. Currently, 1,309 youth are enrolled in training and 554 have completed courses.

Partner financial institutions are piloting youth loan projects. Interested clients participate in eight hours of training, then apply for a loan to start or build a small business for themselves. The average loan size is 8,000 Moroccan Dirhams, or about $900.

MEDA is getting the word out about YouthInvest through awareness-raising sessions in high schools, youth centers and community centers to attract young people to the training.

A current priority is to expand YouthInvest to Egypt, and MEDA is finalizing partnership agreements with local banking institutions and NGOs. Recent research, including focus groups with youth, parents and community leaders and partners, will ensure that the program is tailored to the particular needs of the Egyptian community.

Watch this space for reports from the field!

Partner power

2010-05-17T10:06:00.000-04:00

This week's guest blogger is Wally Kroeker, MEDA's director of publications and editor of The Marketplace magazine.

Why is MEDA so intent on working with local partners?

Because it makes a lot of practical and economic sense, says Adil Sadoq, field project manager of YouthInvest, which teaches financial literacy and life skills to young people in Morocco and Egypt. The heart of it is a customized curriculum called 100 Hours to Success, sort of MEDA’s version of Business 101.

Adil is a great believer in the synergy of partnerships. Rather than re-invent the wheel, he likes to collaborate with existing agencies that already have a proven track record of working with youth and can take MEDA’s unique training and run with it. “Working with local partners is so much more efficient because it is a long and arduous process for a new organization to get the necessary registrations to operate,” he says.

One of those partners is AMOS, a Moroccan microfinance pioneer, which has 26 loan officers and 6,000 micro-credit clients. AMOS has plenty of experience offering the kind of loans needed by small businesspeople everywhere, but it wasn’t equipped to offer the specialized training that these clients will need to grow their businesses. Teaming up with MEDA was a clear win-win.

On our visit, we were fortunate to be shown around by Halima Meskine, pictured, a dynamic young woman who is a loan officer with AMOS. She introduced us to a variety of clients, including a carpet weaver, a woman who raises goats, and a young woman who trains hairdressers. Each of these clients was ambitious and hard-working, but needed the extra nudge of YouthInvest training.

Another partner is the Near East Foundation, whose regional school trains 500-600 young people in skills that range from electrical and sewing to computers and physiotherapy. This school was looking forward to the “value added” that young people need to augment their career tracks.

These were just two of many organizations that are using YouthInvest training. It didn’t take a mathematical wizard to see how working with well-grounded partners with thousands of their own established contacts can exponentially magnify MEDA’s impact among Morocco’s productive citizens of tomorrow.

Soufiane: "Now I can start my own business"

2010-05-10T13:15:00.000-04:00

"I dropped out of school at the secondary level," says 100 Hours to Success trainee Soufiane. "The only choice I had was to help my father in the small shop he bought after his retirement; and from time to time, I helped some people in building construction and agriculture for a pittance.

"My father charged me with the responsibility for his small food store, but I didn’t like this task because I was too shy; I couldn’t say "NO", to customers who asked me to sell them foodstuff on credit.

"After a while, the shop was so empty that we were obliged to close it. I was very demoralized by this situation.

"Later, I heard of training organized by (MEDA partner) ASSAMID, so I registered myself and began the training.

"After some time, I took back my self-confidence and I have become a more positive person. Now I can look someone in the eye and say "NO" when he asks me for something that I cannot do.

"Before the end of the training period, I learned a range of skills, including small project management and how to manage savings. Now I know the importance of balancing finance. I have become another person, and many people have noticed this change.

"Now I can start my own business and I’m sure that I can make it successful."

2010-05-03T08:52:00.000-04:00

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.

Fahim learns to plan for success

2010-04-26T11:43:00.000-04:00

Fahim, 25, is one of a family of six. He left high school to work with his father in poultry farming, but the business failed. Fahim enrolled in ITA, the Institute of Applied Technology, where he studies motor vehicle repair.

“The poultry project failed because I did not know how to manage it. I didn't even know the first thing about planning. I behaved badly with the suppliers and did not know how to treat customers. Besides, I had no experience or training in this domain, so I made many errors."

“MEDA's 100 Hours to Success training helped me a lot. Even if I had many ideas and means to initiate them, I did not trust my skills to realize my project and make it a success, and I was not well organized. Now, I record my income and expenses in a book to follow them, and I set up a plan to help me realize my ideas."

"My goal is to earn my diploma from ITA and work one year at a garage to acquire some experience. Then I would like to open my own garage for car repair. With what I have learned, I am sure that this time my business will be a success."

Morocco's Berbers balance children's needs

2010-04-19T10:34:00.000-04:00

This week's guest blogger, Fouzia Mharzi of MEDA MAROC, talks about how the nomadic Berber (Amazigh) population of the mountainous Middle Atlas region of Morocco view schooling.

"During the French colonization of Morocco, our grandparents tell us, a new law required countrymen of the Middle Atlas area to send their children to school. This meant rural populations would be deprived of a traditional labor force – their large families. At a young age – 6 or 7 – children began to help their parents as shepherds or in other farming works. Families saw their children's future in the fields.

"But slowly, poor families began to invest in their children's education, hoping that one day, they’d become a state employee – primary school teacher, forest warden – who could provide for themselves, their parents and their extended family.

"Now, with a much higher cost of living, primary school teachers and forest wardens can no longer provide a decent life for their children, even in today's much smaller families.

"Middle class families who can more easily afford to invest in their children's education are only able to provide enough schooling to ensure their children attain basic financial independence from their parents when they become adults.

"In poor families, children are often kept at home to help with farming. Girls either stay at home to do the house work or are sent into town to contribute to the daily basic expenses by working in service. Such is the case for of thousands of young maids under age 15 who work for rich families in pitiful conditions."

MEDA's 100 Hours to Change program provides new options for unemployed youth in Morocco by giving them practical tools to begin building a better future.

Aziz grows his business

2010-04-12T14:18:00.000-04:00

His name is Aziz. Single and 22 years old, he is from Boumia, a small village in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco. Aziz lives with his family of nine: his father, who is a bricklayer, his mother, an older sister who is divorced, his nephew, twin brother, sister-in-law and two younger brothers who are still in school.

Aziz was still in primary school when he abandoned his studies to join the working world. Last year he became a shopkeeper, renting a small store for 250 dirham (Dh) – about $30 a month. He sells candies and roasted peas – a business known in Morocco as a taguellaite. With a monthly net income of 1000 Dh, Aziz contributes up to 700 Dh to help support his family and keeps 300 Dh as an allowance for himself.

But Aziz wanted to expand his business, so he went to AMOS (Association Microfinance Oued Srou), which in partnership with MEDA has developed a loan product for youth. Despite his youth, his single status and lack of credit history, Aziz was able to contract a loan of 3000 Dhs with a 12-month term – without having to provide a promissory note as a guarantee.

Thanks to this new financial product, Aziz and other young Moroccans will be able to see hope for prosperity in their future.

Adil: MEDA's voice from the field

2010-04-05T11:43:00.000-04:00

Watch this video of Adil Sadoq, MEDA's field project manager for YouthInvest, as he describes the project's aim, who we will serve and how we will measure success. Adil was interviewed on September 30, 2009 at the Global Youth Enterprise Conference hosted by Making Cents International in Washington, DC.

Making dreams a reality

2010-03-29T13:49:00.000-04:00

Young Moroccans have dreams, but often they have no idea how to reach them. During a recent focus group, MEDA Morocco country manager Adil Sadoq spoke to youths about their dreams for the future.

One teaches sewing; her dream is to open a tailoring shop. Another has dreams of owning a beauty shop. Two young men aged about 17 or18 had vocational training in plumbing and electricity.

One wanted to find a mentor to gain skills and confidence to get a job, while the other wanted to start his own plumbing business. They are looking for training in how to go about doing so.

Fatima, 20, lives with her family. She is a seamstress, with dreams of purchasing a better sewing machine. "The banks will not give people as young as me loans, so I have no way to purchase any sewing equipment. Through YouthInvest, now I can get a loan to get a new machine – and I can also get training in how to run and expand my business to be successful."

Meet Merye

2010-03-22T16:08:00.000-04:00

Merye, 24 and married, has a small trading company for cosmetics and clothing imports that she is looking to expand. She would like to improve her business acumen and learn how to access financing to grow her small enterprise.

"YouthInvest will help support us and our families by giving us business knowledge," she says. "We will learn how to do market studies, how to choose a store location and how to assess whether our business idea will be successful or not.

"I could not afford to go to a formal school, and there is little opportunity for me to learn this in other ways, so this will be very valuable, for me and my family."

Through YouthInvest, MEDA hopes to reach out to 50,000 youth in Morocco and Egypt, where unemployment among the young is a major social problem. This project is bringing new hope to young people, who can now see a better future for themselves and their families.

To learn more about MEDA's work in Morocco and Egypt through YouthInvest, watch a short MEDA Moment video.

Welcome!

2010-03-15T17:53:00.000-04:00

You’ve come to our new blog for YouthInvest – MEDA’s program to help jobless youth in Morocco and Egypt create sustainable livelihoods.

I hope you’ll visit us regularly here. We’ll post new entries each week, and you’ll meet the dedicated people involved in YouthInvest. Our field project manager, Adil Sadoq, will share regular updates from Morocco. You’ll hear from staff members in Morocco, Egypt, and here in North America. And we hope to encourage a few of the youth who are enrolled in 100 Hours to Success to introduce themselves and tell you about their plans for starting small businesses.

I think you’ll be inspired by what everyone has to say. The level of commitment by youth, MEDA partners and MEDA staff is remarkable. Last August, when I traveled to Morocco, I visited a microfinance institution that is partnering with us to develop youth-friendly products. I saw loan officers going out on foot, in incredible heat, to visit clients. They were working without the sophisticated financial tools – the laptops, the spreadsheets and so on – that you and I take for granted. That’s what people are doing on the ground to make YouthInvest happen.

Visit often to find out more.

Allan Sauder