Assafou’s primary mission
is supporting children’s wellbeing and education. The devastating earthquake that hit the Al Haouz region had a major impact on children who were witness to destruction, grief, and in some cases death. Our priority at Assafou after the quake was to provide a safe space for children: we quickly repaired damaged schools, put temporary classrooms in areas where schools were destroyed, and got the children back to the classroom.
At Assafou, we believe that children in villages that did not previously have access to a preschool and who lived through the same trauma deserve our help and support too. In service of this need, and with the support of generous donors, we plan to build a preschool in Douar Ait Hssain. The school will provide a safe and friendly environment for the children of three villages.
The wellbeing of the children
in our centers remains one of our top priorities. In the past few months, thanks to your generous donations, our volunteers were able to deliver warm clothes and school supplies to students across our centers.
Improvement of the quality of life
of rural women is also one of the Association’s objectives. We are pleased to report that we have been able to assist in the reopening of the women’s center Tamaghatzdane. The center, which was closed for an extended period of time, will allow women to go back to work and generate additional income for their families.
We believe that our students and our donors deserve meaningful outcomes.
We also believe that the beauty and the singularity of the region have to be protected and preserved. We have therefore put together a team of experienced experts (architects, civil engineers, and a topographer) to help us with the construction of the new school. The team includes professionals and volunteers with knowledge of the region, experience in architectural and vernacular construction, and passion for development and humanitarian work.
Assafou works with local and international partners to achieve its goals.
We are pleased to announce that our partners in France, Association de Soutien pour le Développement Rural au Maroc, recently launched a fundraising campaign to support our schools and women’s centers.
Building working relationships with local and regional authorities
and staying updated on the latest developments in the region are important to the success of our mission. In the past few months, the President of the Association proactively met with regional authorities in Tahanaout to learn about the government’s future plans for the region and any new policies and procedures in the education sector, especially post- seism. We have also had several visits to local villages to assess needs and meet with the local population. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the villagers for their generosity and their unparalleled hospitality.
In the past few months, we continued to collaborate
with other associations who share our values and to assist others in their mission. In that context, we have provided women’s and baby clothing to an association that supports single mothers and arranged for food to be delivered during the month of Ramadan to over 90 families in need.
Finally, we are happy to report
that we have recently been approached by several organizations interested in providing additional help or establishing a partnership to support our efforts in the region. Organizations have also requested assistance in the creation of new development projects, reaffirming our ongoing spirit of collaboration.
