Alafia Morocco – Rugby to promote gender equality and personal development of youth

Context

The unemployment rate in Morocco reached 11.4% in the third quarter of 2022 (Haut-Commissariat au Plan, 2022). This rate is higher in urban areas and among women. For young people aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate reaches 31%. The Neet youth are generally far from the labour market, and struggle to have the necessary skills for professional integration. There are more than 1.7 million of them in this situation, 76.6% of whom are women, according to a report published by the National Observatory of Human Development and UNICEF in January 2021. These young people, who are therefore out of step with the needs of the market, are discouraged and in a very precarious situation.

In this context, it is becoming urgent to propose concrete and innovative actions that allow them to access an income-generating activity, a decent job and a dignified life thanks to the professional skills they will be able to develop within the framework of the Alafia Maroc project.

Goals

• Enable the girls and boys who benefit from the project to have access to quality education sessions in favour of gender diversity and equality
• To train sports coaches in the pedagogy of Education for Development through Sport
• To promote the professional integration of sports educators involved in the sport for development sector in Africa

Activities

• Cycles of weekly educational rugby sessions
• Training of trainers
• Organisation of training seminars for sports coaches
• Educational meetings: matches, awareness-raising workshops, singing and dancing competitions in a festive setting. Matches are refereed according to the “educational refereeing” concept where the behaviour of the players is rewarded as much as the sporting performance
• Organisation of an intercultural event with an educational vocation

Impact

• 1850 young people (50% women) will benefit from the education programme
• 1850 Beneficiaries girls and boys will have healthy relationships based on friendship and brotherhood
• 30 Sports coaches will be trained in education, development through sports

Photo credit: Terres en mêlées