FOM Newsletter June 2002
Morocco Week in Review June 15, 2002 

Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez recently met with Peace Corps volunteers and officials in Morocco on his latest trip abroad. In Rabat, Morocco, this weekend, Director Vasquez met with Peace Corps volunteers and staff and with U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Margaret Tutwiler. Saturday, the Director attended a Volunteer Advisory Council (VAC) meeting. The VAC is comprised of Peace Corps volunteers elected to represent other volunteers in their districts in Morocco. With them, the Director discussed issues facing the volunteers, such as programming and safety and security. Afterward, Ambassador Tutwiler joined Director Vasquez to attend a craft fair set up by Peace Corps volunteers. This fair is the third of its type in the past 18 months involving volunteers, and reflects the Peace Corps' interest in assisting women entrepreneurs. Approximately 25 women artisans and the Peace Corps volunteers who work with them displayed and sold their crafts at the fair. Director Vasquez also had the opportunity to meet with the Moroccan Minister of Health, Mr. Thami El Khyari and the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Moulay Ismail Alaoui. Sunday, the Director traveled to Azib and visited environmental volunteer Kristin Cannon's site and the women's center where she works. Ms. Cannon is from Colorado. In Amezmiz, Director Vasquez met with Stephen Menicucci, a youth development volunteer from California, and toured the youth center with which he works. Peace Corps has had educational, business developmental, health and environmental programs in Morocco since 1962 which have employed over 3,600 volunteers. Educational efforts since 2000 have been focused on the community and youth-based efforts rather than at the university level. Working together with their Moroccan colleagues, the volunteers design English curricula targeting technical needs such as environmental awareness, health and fitness, arts and crafts, and computer education. In the business development programs, volunteers work with artisan groups to generate income and improve marketing. Health volunteers address the high infant mortality rate and address poor water quality and sanitation.

American chamber of commerce and employers association launch 3rd annual corporate citizenship award.

The American chamber of commerce (AMCHAM) and the Moroccan Employers Federation (CGEM) have launched the Corporate Citizenship Award 2002, which honors companies that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to the values of good corporate citizenship. AMCHAM says the prize will reward a company or companies for practicing a high level of transparency, ethics, and fairness, together with a strong commitment to their partners and to the public in four main areas: community, customers, employees, and governance and management. The prize will be announced on October 26. The judge panel consists of two AmCham members, two CGEM members, and the U.S. Consul General in Morocco. The number of candidates to the award rose from 10 in 2000 to 30 last year. Last year's winners were Morocco's water utility (ONEP) in the public sector category, cement group (Ciments du Maroc) in the large enterprises category, and MIFA in the small and medium-sized business category.

The World Bank recently approved a five million dollar loan that will support the Government of Morocco's efforts to deliver basic social services to poor communities and vulnerable groups. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will issue the loan on a fixed spread basis with an eight-year grace period and a maturity of 17 years. The Government of Morocco will contribute eight million dollars to the project aimed at strengthening the role of the Social Development Agency (SDA) entrusted with managing community-based projects. The SDA project will provide support for community-based infrastructure such as irrigation, small markets and rural roads, and promote income-generating activities. It will also seek to strengthen the capacity of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) so that they are able to set their own priorities and implement development activities. A demand-driven mechanism for delivering social services will be established by engaging local communities to ensure that services are delivered in a relevant and cost-effective manner. Assistance to SDA is provided within the context of the World Bank's country assistance strategy for Morocco, which focuses on eliminating poverty, particularly in rural areas. The wide disparities and gaps in social services between rural and urban areas are among the main development challenges facing Morocco. Only 45 percent of rural households have access to potable water despite improvements in access over the last decade; and less than 20 percent of rural households have access to electricity versus more than 85 per cent in urban areas. In addition, inadequate infrastructure such as the lack of main roads and markets in rural areas, has contributed to the need for the poor to diversify their sources of income. -- (menareport.com)

The French Development Agency (AFD) recently awarded the Moroccan electricity utility (ONE) a 400 million dirham ($34.7 million) loan to co-finance the third phase of the Rural Electrification General Program (PERG), stated MAP. The loan will finance the distribution of electricity to approximately 500 villages and benefiting some 43,000 households. The MD 3.8 billion project aims to supply electricity to 320,000 households in 5,150 villages by 2006. PERG was launched in 1996 with the original objective of connecting 1000 villages to the distribution network annually at an annual cost of one billion dirhams. This has since been increased to 1,500 villages per annum. In 1999, 1,650 villages were electrified under PERG program. -- (menareport.com)

Program to deal with unhealthy housing standards; cost 30 billion dirhams

The Moroccan anti-unhealthy housing program needs a budget of 28.8 billion DH (US$ 2.5 billion), including 17.21 billions (US$ 1.5 billion) for unauthorized housing and 11.6 billion DH (US$ 1 billion) for shanty towns. The program will be financed by recipients (12.67 billion DH or US$ 1.1 bln) and public subsidies (13.52 billion DH or US$ 1.17 bln). The state subsidies will be raised from the special tax on cement, while the Hassan II fund for development will allocate 400 million DH, an additional 300 million Dh will come from local councils and the state general budget will earmark 300 million DH. The housing department says that up to September 2001, 518,787 families live in unauthorized dwellings and 262,128 others live in shanty towns. The program will benefit 629,784 households. The figures were released by secretary of state for housing, Mohamed Mbarki at a press conference to present an international conference on future housing to be held this June 12-14. Morocco is also finalizing a draft law to deal with these issues.

General manager of the Moroccan customs and indirect taxes, Abderrazak Moussadak, said the state budget is loosing an annual seven billion Dirhams (US$ 608 million) as a result of smuggling. The official said goods smuggled from Sebta and Melilia, two Moroccan northern towns still under Spanish rule, are worth 15 billion DH annually (US$ 1.3 Bln). The only solution to this problem lies in developing the Moroccan northern region and fostering people awareness on the dangers of this phenomenon which cripples the national economy, Moussadak told a group of Moroccan and foreign economic operators at a meeting here. The meeting, sponsored by the French chamber of commerce and industry, was held on the topic "prospects of amending the customs tariffs in the perspective of the Morocco-EU free-trade zone."

Morocco's athlete Asmae Leghzaoui, on Saturday won the New York Road Runner's Club Mini Marathon, setting a new world record of 30:29. Asmae Leghzaoui, who ran into difficulty obtaining her visa to compete in the  marathon, had no problem once she stepped on the course in Central Park.  The 25-year old Leghzaoui did not arrive in New York until Thursday. She set a world record in her debut in the 9.7 km race that had a field of 4,752 runners. The Moroccan, shattered the old mark of 30:39 that has been held since October 1989 by Liz McColgan, of Scotland."My visa was not approved until last Monday," said Leghzaoui, "and, I wasn't able to get a flight until Thursday."  "I did not train on the course at all, but I went for my usual morning and evening runs, Asmae said.

"All I did as far as preparation was concerned, is ask a lot of questions about Deena because I knew she was the favorite. Now, I'm no longer an unknown. This is a big step in my career, especially, after doing it in New York," she said. Leghzaoui collects a US$ 10,000 prize for her victory, plus another $5,000 for breaking the course record. Leghzaoui, 25, is African champion of the 5,000 meter-race and champion of the Mediterranean 10,000 m-race. Last year, she made the world's 4th best performance in the 10 km-race in Marseille, France.

General manager of the US Peace Corps, Gaddi H. Vasquez, will be visiting Morocco this June 8-11 for talks with Moroccan officials. The peace corps executive will meet ministers of health, of social economy, small and medium-sized enterprises and handicraft, of agriculture, rural development, water and forests, and of youth and sports. The peace corps will also open in Rabat, together with Moroccan crafts workers, a fair of Moroccan rural handicraft items, showcasing various craftsmanship from various Moroccan rural regions. The first peace corps volunteers came to Morocco in 1963, in accordance with a Morocco-US agreement. Since then, over 4,000 volunteers served in Morocco teaching English, giving various vocational training courses and extending other social services. The Peace Corps says on its website health volunteers work in predominantly rural Moroccan communities with the objectives to improve maternal and child health care and to increase safe water supplies. Vaccination campaigns, nurses training, and dental and personal hygiene awareness are other programs that have been implemented. Education volunteers, along with their Moroccan colleagues, are designing and improving teaching methodologies. Developing and expanding resource centers for both secondary and university schools are also targeted projects. Agriculture volunteers have initiated three different women's cooperatives in rabbit, chicken, and dairy goat production. Agriculture volunteers also train small rural farmers in the areas of crop extension, sustainable agriculture, income-generating development and rural women's development. Environment volunteers are stationed in Morocco's national parks and ecological reserves with the dual goal of making these areas more user-friendly for eco-tourismwhile increasing environmental awareness among local members of the community.  Additionally, environment volunteers have taken on other projects, including introducing solar ovens to communities, creating income-generation opportunities related to eco-tourism for local communities, terrain mapping, species inventories, and designing environmental education curricula.

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