PROJECT #1
Mobile Schools for Nomads
Association Shems
Crocus-Tifaout has the privilege of collaborating with the Association Chems for development and well being. The goal of this Moroccan association is to help Nomads in the South of the country, more exactly in the region of Midelt - Saghro - Nqob. They carry on multiple and various projects in order to achieve this goal, projects such as literacy for adults, medical campaigns or even marketing of crafts. When it comes to Crocus-Tifaout, we first heard about their mobile school project and decided that we would focus our attention and investment on this primarily.
A first class"room" in 2009
Even though it has been compulsory for Moroccan children to go to school for more than 15 years, nomadic people haven't been able to comply because of their lifestyle. The Association Chems decided to address this issue, thereby birthing the school project. They successfully convinced the State to support the project and to provide teachers for it, and so the first class"room" (or should we say class"tent"?) opened in 2009. Since then, 6 other classes started and there are now around 220 students. Teachers and tents follow the nomads throughout their transhumance. How cool is that?!
The needs
Today, the support provided through Crocus-Tifaout allows the buying and maintainance of tents for the classrooms and canteens (a free lunch is provided for students who often walk long distances in order to attend school). It also allows the project to give out school material for free and to give a monetary compensation to teachers as they find themselves working under harsh conditions. Indeed, it can be challenging for city boys to live in tents without water –it sometimes snows! Over the next years and if our resources increase, we might extend the projects to new communities in need of schools.
