MCC Literacy Project Unlocks Business Opportunities for Moroccans

Washington — Imagine living your whole life without being able to dial a phone number by yourself, write your name or read street signs, and being able to recognize money only by the different colors of the bills. This is a reality for 44 percent of adult Moroccans and 60 percent of Moroccan women, according to World Bank figures for 2008, the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) says.

But an MCC-funded project is working to change this reality by removing illiteracy in Morocco as a barrier to independence, higher income and a better standard of living. Thousands of women throughout the country have already received training to learn how to read and write, opening new opportunities to them, the agency said September 5. These women are now closer to a path out of poverty.

MCC’s $32.8 million Literacy and Vocational Education Activity, part of Morocco’s overall MCC compact to reduce poverty through economic growth, seeks to help fishers, smallholder farmers and artisans in the most economically disadvantaged areas of the country, where illiteracy is particularly prevalent. The project will broaden their standard Arabic literacy, numeracy, job-specific and entrepreneurial skills, providing them with the knowledge necessary to start businesses and incorporate new technologies and innovations into their businesses.

The curriculum also emphasizes essential “life skills,” such as basic health, sanitation, occupational safety, and gender equality. Since 2009, more than 70,000 people have joined the program — 65 percent of whom are women.

A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER FROM BOUMIA

Yamna Benali, in her mid-50s, attends classes offered in a remote town in Midelt province in the Atlas Mountains. The remoteness of the village was a major factor contributing to her lack of education as a child.

“Before, a woman’s education wasn’t valued,” she said. “My family was worried about me walking far to school by myself, especially during primary school.” While there are some schools now within walking distance of her village, none existed when Yamna Benali or her daughter, Yamna Beyekkou, were young.
When the mother learned that MCC would bring a literacy class to her community, she took the opportunity to enroll herself and her daughter, delighted that they would finally have access to education.

HINDERED BY ILLITERACY

Yamna Benali’s life was strongly affected by her inability to read and write. When her son fell gravely ill and had to be hospitalized in Meknes, a city about 201 kilometers away from the village, a family member accompanied her because she couldn’t read the destinations posted on the bus. When she arrived at the hospital, the staff informed her of the wing where her son was admitted, but she couldn’t find it on her own because she couldn’t read the signs. When she was supposed to give her son his medicine, she couldn’t read the instructions on proper dosage and frequency. “He is permanently handicapped from this illness,” she said through tears. “It is a terrible memory. I felt so lost.”

Thanks to MCC, Yamna Benali’s situation is gradually changing. Now that she can read numbers and is starting to understand letters and words, she no longer needs to rely so greatly on others. She now can make phone calls by herself and travel without an escort. With their increased literacy, mother and daughter hope to form a weaving cooperative with the other women attending the class to sell their products throughout the region and perhaps beyond.
The mother, having grown up speaking only Berber, also dreams that one day she will be able to read a newspaper and understand debates in Arabic. Although this will take much practice and effort, if she succeeds it will help her become more involved in community decisionmaking processes and bolster her knowledge and independence, inspiring other women in her community.


Source: IIP Digital