Latest positive results from our professional integration project in Morocco
Our Najah project in Morocco aims to contribute to the socio-professional integration of vulnerable young Moroccans, by strengthening their employability and supporting them towards entrepreneurship. Despite sustained economic growth, unemployment remains a real problem and particularly affects this segment of the population: around 30% of Moroccans aged between 15 and 24 are unemployed, with this figure rising to over 45% in urban areas. Unemployment not only contributes to isolation and insecurity but also exposes youth to problems such as delinquency and legal or illegal emigration.
The aim of training young people and supporting them towards employment or self-employment is to enable them to play an active role in their socio-economic emancipation, and to have a positive influence on their direct environment (family, friends and communities).
For several years, we have been working with 2 partner organisations: Al Karam and l'Heure Joyeuse, and more recently we have extended our partnership to a 3rd association: 100% Mamans. These three associations work with relatively different target groups, giving us an approach that covers a wide range of situations. Al Karam (Marrakech and Safi) specialises in the reception, educational and professional care of children in street or very vulnerable situations. L'Heure Joyeuse (Casablanca) focuses on young people disconnected from employment, helping them to integrate into the social and economic mainstream through its Cellule d'Orientation et d'Insertion Professionnelle (COIP). Finally, 100% Mamans (Tangiers) provides emergency care and social, health, legal and professional support for young single mothers and their children.
The project’s latest results are very encouraging as we observe the successful implementation of the training initiatives. A total of 1857 young individuals, including 823 women, have been enrolled in the program, with an 89% completion rate for their respective training courses.
We have also enabled 244 young individuals to enrol in professional training programs, and 171 young individuals from COIP have been successfully integrated into employment. Additionally, we have made substantial progress in promoting entrepreneurship. A total of 184 young individuals have participated in training sessions held in Tangier and Casablanca, and 64 of them have secured seed funding to provide financial support for the launch of their businesses.
Another part of the project aims to strengthen the skills and practices of local stakeholders. To this end, a training course on working with businesses in Tangier was organised, where the trainers worked together on how to better meet the needs of young people and businesses in order to address common issues. A discussion was held on the theme of "Young people and entrepreneurship - what challenges and issues". Finally, a study of the local context was carried out, to enable our partners to set up appropriate activities.
From 2023, we plan to continue and further strengthen our actions within this project. Our focus will be on measuring the effects and impacts of the projects implemented on social inequalities between women and men, as well as integrating the fight against gender disparities into the project. To address this imbalance, we have already scheduled several activities, including training professionals on this topic to better incorporate it into the youth integration pathways. Additionally, we are currently conducting a gender diagnosis with our partners to enhance our practices. We are committed to promoting inclusivity in all our activities by implementing targeted and contextually appropriate strategies.