Morocco
All different, all equal
© Handicap International Morocco/Tunisia |
Handicap International set up a programme in Morocco in 1993, following a request from the country's authorities. The declining economic and social situation since the 1980's had taken its toll on the country's social and health services, to the detriment of people with disabilities.
Our main aim in Morocco is to improve the living conditions of people with disabilities and their involvement in wider society. People with disabilities and their families and friends form the focus of our activities. We also support local organisations to build their capacity. During emergency situations, the programme aims to intervene systematically as permitted by the local authorities, with a particular emphasis on people in disabling situations.
Key Facts - Morocco
• Population: 32.4 million
• Household Consumption: $2,037 per year
• Life Expectancy: 72 years
• Human Development: ranked 114th out of 169 countries
Source: UNDP HDR 2011
Racing - My reason for livingAt 26, Nezha Khadiri, a young Moroccan woman, has had to battle against prejudice in order to race in her wheelchair. Now, her family have rallied to her cause in order to support her.
Our projects
 | Access to services
The UNCPRD, ratified by Morocco in 2009, includes accessibility as one of it’s key principles. In this context, this project aims to make the town of Tetouan more accessible for people with disabilities in order to improve their access to services. The project will help to reduce the exclusion of people with disabilities and improve their quality of life. In partnership with the local organisation Colombe Blanche. |
| Social inclusion
Aims to promote the social, educational and professional inclusion of people with disabilities in their community in the Grand Casablanca region thanks to the creation of a regional network of public, private and community stakeholders. Activities also include improving access to local services, providing support for developing and achieving their life plans in partnership with the Disabled People’s Organisation of Morocco (AMH) and working with public institutions to develop a set of recommended best practices for use at national level. |
 | Supporting disabled people’s organisations
Aims to strengthen the capacity of disabled people’s organisations to enable them to effectively meet the needs of people with disabilities and defend their rights. Three types of activity are set up: building their technical and operational capacity, promoting exchanges between disability stakeholders, and supporting ‘Collectif’ (a national coalition of 32 disability organisations) to promote the rights of people with disabilities.
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| Promoting the rights of people with disabilities
The objective is to enable people with disabilities to have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. To achieve this goal, the project aims to strengthen the capacity of disabled people’s organisations in Algeria and Morocco. It supports organisations to fulfil their role in implementing and monitoring the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and to increase their influence on public policy.
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| Supporting youth organisations
Handicap International manages this Fondation de France programme in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. It aims to support the activities of youth organisations and to promote south-south and north-south collaboration. A particular emphasis is placed on projects relating to exclusion, social inclusion and prevention of disability.
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 | Promoting inclusive development
The project provides support adapted to local resources and know-how, focusing on the transfer of skills and the empowerment of people with disabilities in the Souss Mass region, an area lacking doctors specialised in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Three main areas of work have been identified in collaboration with local stakeholders:
• Structural and organisational capacity-building for disabled person's organisations to enhance their professionalism, credibility and influence on the local environment.
•Creation and enhancement of social and medical services to include people with disabilities.
• Increasing the awareness of local stakeholders to include people with disabilities in their programmes and the creation of provincial disability committees bringing together DPO's, local stakeholders and local authorities. |
