Morocco Back to School Project
Local Partner: Centre d’Azrou pour le Developpement Communautaire (ACCD)
Direct Beneficiaries: 40 students on scholarship
According to UNICEF, secondary school enrollment rate in Morocco is as low as 34 % (37% for male and 32% for females), falling to even 15% in rural areas. In poor rural communities, school dropout rates are very high due to a number of socioeconomic reasons, including lack of adequate teacher training. UNESCO research in 2004 showed that dropout rates in Morocco are among the highest in Arab countries, and the second highest in the Maghreb.
 The Pistorio Foundation has partnered with the "Centre d’Azrou pour le Développement Communautaire" (ACCD) of the Al Akhawayn University, to improve the living conditions of children of disadvantaged communities of the region of Azrou by addressing issues of school drop-out rates and helping to increase the primary and secondary school enrollment rate.
The project was launched in July 2010 and will support, in conformity with the government curriculum for Non-Formal Education, the non-formal education of 40 students from difficult socioeconomic backgrounds who have dropped out of school, to assist them in reintegrating into the Formal Education system. These children come from very poor families in critical situations, often broken families or single parent families. Dire living conditions often push children to live on the streets and in many instances to engage in criminal behavior. Most of these children work on the streets for derisory sums to help support their families.
Although students will temporarily be housed within existing ACCD facilities, the project includes the construction of a new building, in partnership with ACCD and local authorities.
The new structure on three floors. will include two classrooms where students will study, a canteen, a sports room, and IT room, a library, a workshop and two professional training classrooms.
The objective is to reinsert school drop-outs into local schools within one or two years of Non-Formal education, to enforce their learning skills and ensure that they do not fall too far behind, thereby preparing them for future academic success.
We will enroll children from the ages of 8 to 16. Should the child upon completion of the program not succeed in re-entering school, or be of an age that he/she feels too old to be enrolled in school again, we will provide the student with a one to two year professional training program to enable him/her to obtain a job qualification upon completion of the program.
The students enrolled will follow the program of the Ministry of National Education, which includes the following subjects: Arab, French, Maths, Natural Sciences.
The children will also be taking classes in IT, Physical Education and Art, and will take part in extra-curricular activities, such as sports and cultural competitions, as well as class excursions. The Foundation will provide for school supplies and for one meal per day in the school. Scholarship fees for the 40 students also cover regular medical check-ups and any necessary specialist doctor visits.
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