Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
November 4 , 2006

Micro-credit helps many Moroccans escape poverty.
03/11/2006 By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat

Microfinance is thriving in Morocco. Poor people who cannot qualify for traditional loans can now start businesses with micro-credit loans. With the help of low-interest micro-credit loans, many poor Moroccans, including women and people from rural areas, have been able to escape poverty and start their own businesses. Presently, 12 micro-credit associations exist in Morocco. With help from the UN Development Programme, the US Agency for International Development and other organisations, thousands of loans ranging from 500 dirhams to 50,000 dirhams have been granted. Clients must have a median household expenditure of no more than 2,500 dirhams.

Jihane El Gueddaoui, an Al Amana management attaché for the promotion of micro-enterprises, told Magharebia her association aims to reach more than 500,000 households by 2009. After some beneficiaries complained about the small scale of the loans, the credit limit was raised to 50,000 dirhams. She says Al Amana is particularly interested in reaching the rural poor. "The introduction of micro-credit in rural areas is still largely limited to craftsmen, smallholdings and other services, while the potential for financing classic agriculture remains enormous," she pointed out.

According to the National Federation of Micro-credit Associations (FNAM), micro-credit associations' rural clients represent just 34% of the total, though eligible clientele is ten times greater than in cities. FNAM says the number of loans is continually increasing and has already changed the lives of many Moroccans, even though micro-credit is relatively new in Morocco. While micro-credit loans have existed since the 1970s, they did not begin in Morocco until 1993.

When the income of Hadifa Herrat's husband could not meet the family's needs, she applied for credit from Al Amana. She obtained 3,000 dirhams, which allowed her to buy merchandise for her new clothing business. "My introduction to the world of business was not easy, as I have always been a housewife. But the start was the hardest part. Now, I'm helping with family expenses," Herrat says proudly.

Others have been able to combat unemployment thanks to micro-credit. Noureddine Soudoji, an 18-years-old, used a 4,000-dirham micro-credit loan two years ago to open a now flourishing traditional babouche (slipper) manufacturing shop in Rabat. Soudoji says, "I've been able to make a success of my professional life, having failed at school. Thanks to a friend, I learned about the association that changed my fate." He hopes to get another loan to expand his business and continue on the path to success.

Morocco is now cited as a successful example of micro-credit and is already serving as an example for other Mediterranean countries. Moroccan sociologist Rahim Chabour says, "By giving disadvantaged people access to micro-credit, you strengthen their ability to increase their revenue and encourage their participation in the national economy." The World Bank estimates over 7,000 microfinance institutions serve around 16 million poor people in developing countries.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/11/03/feature-01
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Morocco, WB wrap up negotiations on USD 90.80Mn loan to support human development initiative.
Rabat, Nov. 4

Morocco and the World Bank have wrapped up the negotiations on the funds worth MAD 817Mn, about USD 90.80Mn, the world finance body is lending to the North African country as support to the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH). A WB delegation visited in February Morocco to inquire about means to back the INDH, launched in May 2005 by king Mohammed VI to fight poverty and all forms of exclusion through the mobilization and streamlining of resources. The large-scale, social initiative is designed to provide basic infrastructure to millions, from adequate housing and drinking water to health care and education.

The February meeting, initiated by WB Rabat office, was tasked to identify INDH projects, which would benefit from World bank assistance. Several other meetings were held part of the negotiations. A joint press release of the WB and the INDH Steering Committee, sent on Friday to MAP, said the minutes on the end of negotiations was signed here on Thursday and the loan document will be referred to the WB Governing Board in Washington. Head of the WB Rabat-based office, Ferid Belhaj, said the bank has mobilized to accompany the Moroccan government in the implementation of the INDH.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box2/morocco_wb_wrap_up/view
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Over USD 287Mn to fight poverty in rural areas, Minister.
Rabat, Nov. 1

Over MAD 2.5Bn, about USD 287.9Mn, were allotted to fight poverty in rural areas in the five coming years, part of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), Mohamed Mohattane, Secretary of State in charge of rural development said on Tuesday. Speaking at the House of Advisors question time, the minister noted that, in 2005, some 569 priority projects were started to fight poverty in some 403 rural communes. 391 projects of these concern access to basic social and economic services, such as health, water and electricity, while 98 are revenue-generating projects (goat farming, beekeeping) and 80 projects aim to improve social conditions in rural areas, he said.

Announced on May 18, 2005 by king Mohammed VI, the INDH is meant to spur social action in Morocco through a global, integrated and lasting approach. It is based on integrated programs to reduce social disparities and fight exclusion and designed to provide basic infrastructure to millions, from adequate housing and drinking water to health care and education.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_social/over_usd_287mn_to_fi2000/view
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OPALS, Justice Ministry sign convention to fight AIDS in prisons.
Rabat, Nov. 3

Princess Lalla Amina, chairwoman of the Pan-African Organisation for the Fight of AIDS (OPALS), presided here on Friday over the signing of the cooperation and partnership convention between the Justice Department and OPALS. The convention provides for partnership to bolster health services in penitentiary institutions, with emphasis on fighting AIDS part of the program in this respect of the Health Ministry.

The convention aims also at making proposals on the particular situation of AIDS affected inmates and assisting the administration moves with money providers to collect funds for various tasks. Under the convention, the Justice Ministry is to fund some activities on AIDS fighting and provide OPALS with equipment to help it carry out its mission. Health care is also to be provided for inmates after their release. Justice Minister Mohamed Bouzoubaâ said the convention will help fight AIDS in prison, stating that 111 inmates were reported to suffer from the pandemic, adding 94 were freed.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/opals_justice_minis5127/view
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Moroccan microcredit bank gets excellence rating from American 'MicroRate'.
Casablanca, Nov. 2

The « Fondation Banque Populaire pour le Microcrédit » (FBPMC) has been awarded an excellent rating getting an Alpha mark by the American "MicroRate" company. The excellent rating ascertains the financial soundness of the foundation, its good organization modes and the sustainable development of its activities targeting the citizens, a communiqué of FBPMC said. The rating places the foundation among the most performing micro-credit institutions. The loaning fund of the institution increased by 71% totaling MAD 375Mn, about USD 41,70Mn, at the end of June 2006, from MAD 219Mn a year earlier. The foundation also opened new 53 units to total 133 units by the end of June 2006. The foundation recipients are 97.851.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/moroccan_microcredit/view
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Pollution costs Morocco USD 1.8Bn a year, study.
Casablanca, Nov. 3

The degradation of the environment costs Morocco some USD 1.84Bn a year, that is 4.6% of the Gross Domestic Product, revealed the Minister in charge of Modernizing Public Sectors, Mohamed Boussaid quoting a recent study. Speaking, here Thursday, at a first national Sitting of the pharmaceutical industry on "The Protection of the Environment and the Green Management of the Pharmaceutical Sector," Boussaid, who warned that "the state of our environment is quite worrying and requires our vigilance and our mobilization," said Morocco has undertaken a number of measures to remedy this situation. Since the Rio Summit, he affirmed, Morocco has adhered to the concept of sustainable development through the introduction of the methods and tools capable to slash pollution at the source mainly by the use of clean technologies.

The enforcement of the legal arsenal, the implementation of the National Plan on liquid sanitation and wastewater treatment, and the launching of a global system of incentives aiming to protect the environment and to accompany the industrial cleanup funds (FODEP) are among the tangible measures Morocco has taken in this respect, the minister recalled. The official went on to explain that the pharmaceutical industry has produced over USD 461Mn in 2005, recorded investments reaching about USD 35Mn and generated an added value estimated at some USD 230.6Mn.

For his part, Health Minister, Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah underlined that the pharmacy sector covers 80% of the domestic demand and provides 10% of exports. Morocco’s pharmaceutical industry ranks second in Africa after South Africa in the ratings of the World Health Organization, he noted. Biadillah hailed the pharmaceutical field as job generator, adding this state-of-the-art industry relies chiefly on quality.

The sitting was organized by the Moroccan Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (AMIP), and aims to find a better approach by the professionals for a “clean product.”
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box5/pollution_costs_moro/view
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Marrakech International Film Festival awarded Roberto Rosellini prize.
30/10/2006

The Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) received a Roberto Rosellini prize on Saturday (October 28th). The awards are given annually by the Rossellini Film Festival in Maiori, Italy, to the most important cinema events in the Mediterranean basin. Faycal Laraichi, deputy president of the FIFM Foundation, received the award and said it is in recognition for the efforts of organisers to turn the festival into a cinematographic event of international dimensions. According to Gigi Ferrara, president of the association organizing the Maiori festival, FIFM is "one of the most important festivals of the seventh art organised in the Mediterranean basin". Italian producer Raoul Bova, Tunisian director Mohsen Melliti and Italian director Lamberto Lambertini were also awarded at the ceremony.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2006/10/30/newsbrief-08
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UCGL forum starts in Morocco.
30/10/2006

Around 1,000 participants, including 500 mayors from cities around the world, will attend the two-day International Conference of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), which starts on Monday (October 30th) in Marrakech. They will discuss ways of fostering peaceful cultural co-existence. The meetings will be chaired by UCLG President and Paris Mayor Bertrand Delano, Quito Mayor Paco Moncayo Gallegos and Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, councillor of Tshwane, South Africa. Frederico Mayor Zaragosa, the Spanish co-Chair of the UN high-level panel on the Alliance of Civilizations, will attend one of the opening sessions on the role of local governments in overcoming social and cultural barriers through dialogue. He will brief participants on the report he will present to the UN by the end of this year on the Alliance of Civilisations, initiated by Turkey and Spain in September 2004. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2006/10/30/newsbrief-01
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Japan grants 448,253 euros to seven Moroccan organisations.
02/11/2006

Japan will provide a 448,253-euro grant to seven local Moroccan associations, the Japanese embassy stated in a press release on Wednesday (November 1st). The official agreement on the donation will be sealed in Rabat on November 8th. The grant will cover projects targeting human security, rural development, culture, the environment, kidney deficiency, and charities for the elderly. (MAP, KUNA)
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2006/11/02/newsbrief-03
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Morocco in need of better and cheaper treatment for breast cancer.
02/11/2006 By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 02/11/06

Breast cancer is a growing problem in Morocco due to a lack of awareness and early detection of the disease. The problem is compounded by insurance companies not wanting to pay for detection measures, limited public treatment facilities and the high cost of private care. Nearly 10% of Moroccan women are afflicted with breast cancer, according to the National Oncology Institute (INO). Doctor Rajae Aghzadi, president of the Association Against Cancer, says 10,000 to 12,000 new cases are detected every year. The majority of those with the disease are aged 45 to 55, but patients are getting younger, Aghzadi told Magharebia.

Doctor Jalil Abdelouahed, head of the oncology surgery department at the INO, feels the social impact of breast cancer is enormous. "The disease is growing in Morocco because of a lack of awareness," he told Magharebia. He says some people do not even know the disease exists.

Doctors say present infrastructure is no longer sufficient. The only two public cancer centres in Morocco are the INO in Rabat and the Ibn Rochd oncology centre in Casablanca. Most Moroccans have little or no access to care. The INO staff in Rabat is inundated everyday with patients from all over Morocco. Hospital infrastructure is especially lacking in rural areas, where poor women find it difficult to receive care. Because of high demand, three private oncology centres have opened over the past ten years. Patients are spared long waits for treatment, but pay a high price. Doctor Abdellatif Benider says the average cost of breast cancer treatment in Morocco ranges from 40,000 dirhams to 50,000 dirhams, an amount beyond the means of many patients.

Housewife Hayat Boufaracha learned of her breast cancer six months ago."I was stunned at the news. How could I go to Rabat for chemotherapy when I live in Taza? You have to wait a long time to be treated in the public hospital and at private hospitals, I was being asked for 45,000 dirhams, which I do not have," she says. She has had to depend on the generosity of others for treatment.

Lack of funds cause many patients to only have one chemotherapy session per week instead of the prescribed two or three sessions. The practice is most common outside the Rabat-Casablanca corridor. Insurance payouts are also a major problem. Benider states insurance companies require the disease to be present before paying. "A 45-year-old woman having a mammogram as part of breast cancer detection must pay 800 dirhams. If she's lucky enough not to be ill, she will not be reimbursed," he points out.

Early breast cancer detection costs three times to four times less than late diagnoses. Treatment has a 100% success rate if the tumour is less than two centimetres, says Doctor Rajae Aghzadi, a breast cancer specialist. "All you need to do is see a doctor immediately to avoid the catastrophe of advanced cancer. Moroccan women don't seem to be aware of the urgency of early detection or informed about current care options, even if they know how serious the disease is," she indicates. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/11/02/feature-01
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