The campus of Mohammed 1^st University  Oujda-Morocco, hosted on March 11, 2016, the launch of the “Ecole du Vivre Ensemble” (EVE) (School of Living Together), pilot project benefiting from the support of several partners including: the Oriental Regional Council, the Wilaya of the Oriental Region, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa-UCLG Africa, the Agency for Oriental Development, the Regional Oriental Academy for Education and Training (AREF), the National Federation of Morocco’s Students’ Parents, UNICEF, the Regional Commission of Human Rights-Oriental, and the Echos Communication NGO (project initiator). This launch is the follow up to implementing, on February 10, 2016, of the steering committee of the project gathering all the partners.

 

The launch ceremony witnessed the participation of all the institutional partners’ representatives, the territorial coaches of the Oriental Region, and especially, the inspectors, those in charge of the “fight against violence” records. They have demonstrated their adhesion to this highly civic initiative.

First, the Territorial Coaching Program’s Director, Mr. Gautier Brygo, in his opening remarks, thanked the participants and recalled the link between territorial coaching and EVE, specifically the dimension of citizenship in the Oriental Region.

Following that, the AREF representative, in his speech underlined the importance of the project in its educational and social aspects both for the Academy and the different actors involved in this initiative (teachers, inspectors, children, and students’ parents). In fact, this ambitious initiative aims at enhancing schools environment in Morocco by making integration models bearer of civic values.

For his part, the President of the Regional Commission of the Human Rights National Council-Oujda, first of all, highlighted some recommendations addressed by the National Council in a report that was presented to the Moroccan parliament calling to mind the necessity of teaching Human Rights and citizenship principles within schools.

The UCLG Africa secretary general representative, Mr. Lionel Nzamba-Nzamba, made a presentation, through a testimony, of the experience and results obtained in 2014 by the deconstruction of stereotypes project in schools of Casablanca which can be exported to other African countries.

The second part of this EVE initiative launch day was mainly centered on the presentation of the training content and animation of the living together training and the deconstruction of stereotypes. This second phase that carried out on March 12, 2016, was conducted by Mr. Pierre Bielande from the NGO Echos Communication, with the future facilitators-trainers. These beneficiaries will assist schools in the Oriental Region in mastering the tools of the deconstruction of stereotypes and the building of living together.

The date was saved on April 2016 for the upcoming stage of the training on tools of the deconstruction of stereotypes and the building of living together.

On March 8, 2016, in CCSI-RSK headquarters in Rabat, UCLG Africa took part in the launch of “Fa3ila” Program Day under the theme “Migrant Woman and Female Entrepreneurship”. A hundred participants including several women took part in the meeting.

The session was opened by M. Abdellah Abbad, President of Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Region (CCSI-RSK), who expressed his pleasure by the holding of this conference in the framework of the International Women’s Day 2016 celebration.

The MRE Representative then made a presentation on the national strategy of immigrants’ economic integration. She specifically reminded the context where 3% of the world population is living overseas which leads to considering immigration as a major issue of globalization.

In September 2013, the Human Rights National Council recommended the elaboration of a policy of immigration and asylum in Morocco. Following the royal instructions, more than 18.000 immigrants were legalized. An immigration strategy was adopted in 2014 in order to address humanitarian concerns, access to basic services, international cooperation and to consider immigration as an opportunity rather than a threat.

The strategy incorporates four main missions:

– Facilitate integration

– Set up an appropriate legal and regulatory framework

– Renewed cooperation

– Shared responsibility with countries of origin and transit including the fight against illegal immigration.

Concerning the employment sectorial program, one of the components of the immigration strategy, the focus is on the possibilities of self-employment aid. Henceforth, immigrants have access to the national mutual aid and professional training. The support in integrating the job market completes the panoply of actions.

The President of X-Lance Association then made a presentation on “Fa3ila” Program that supports the economic integration of migrant women in the framework of the national policy of integration of migrant populations. This program includes an awareness phase that concerned 53 projects of migrant women of which 20 were shortlisted to get support. The support included:

– Personal development;

– Business model training;

– Coaching.

– Pitch training.

The selection committee selected 10 projects that will benefit from support towards and after the creation phase. The projects benefit from a legal and fiscal support; a capacity building; mentoring for access to market and funds.

This program is set up in partnership with REFIME Association (Migrant Women Network). The REFIME President displayed the awful situation of migrant women and recognized the efforts of the Moroccan Kingdom to improve their fate. She welcomed the collaboration with X-Lane Association and the implementation of the pilot program “Fa3ila” that she wanted to see go beyond the pilot stage to reach more migrant women hoping to create their own jobs.

In his intervention that followed, the secretary general, after wishing a good Women’s Day to all girls and women who are present, first welcomed the new policy of legalizing and receiving immigrants. He recalled that during the latest Africities Summit, held in December 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa, mayors and territorial authorities of Africa adopted a Charter of Migrations that set the reception and treatment conditions of the immigrant populations at the territorial level. He also highlighted the effort made to allow the reception of the immigrants’ children in schools within their host territories. In this regard, a pilot program on destroying stereotypes was led by 24 schools in the agglomeration of Casablanca in partnership with the Moroccan association of students’ parents and the Academy of Casablanca. This experience led to a more vast project called “l’Ecole du Vivre Ensemble” which will be launched on March 11, in Oujda in the Oriental Region.

The meeting ended by a roundtable where the main actors of the promotion of entrepreneurship and self-employment in Morocco presented their methods, tools and ways of intervention and support. The panel included:  CGEM, CRI, ANAPEC, CGC, Maroc PME et X-Lance.

The day was closed on 18:30.

Rabat, March 8, 2016.