Inaugural Newsletter

December 2007

The people involved:

We are a group of people, many of us foreigners living and working in Marrakech. Motivated by our love and passion for this country as well as our acknowledgement of the wonderful life we have been privileged to experience here, we have felt a fervent need to contribute and participate in actively changing the unfortunate condition of young girls in rural areas of Morocco, where the possibility of a college education is very limited. Taking into account that 83% of women in rural areas are illiterate, we are convinced that offering young girls the possibility of continuing their secondary education would be a real step forwards in making a difference. We believe firmly that if you educate a girl you educate the next generation and in so doing, help break the poverty cycle. Our first project is in Asni, situated in the high Atlas Mountains, 45 km from Marrakech.

How it started:

It all started in 2006, when as a group of friends, we would get together for an occasional meal and discuss the need to give something to a charity or some other benevolent association. The idea of holding a monthly dining club came up, and in this manner, our very first fund raising event saw the light of day and gave birth to our Moroccan NGO, Education For All.

What we have achieved so far:

  • January 2006 to November 2007, the dining club and other fund raising events, allowed us to raise in the order of 45,000 Euros
  • July 2007, a Charity Auction that took place in Jnane Tamsna in the Palmeraie raised 17,000 Euros
  • April 2007, Bristol Grammar School raised approx 5,000 Euros and helped lay the foundations of our first boarding school in Asni

The girls outside their temporary accommodationWork in progress

All this and more, has enabled us to proudly announce that as of September 2007, we now have ten girls starting a college education in Asni based in temporary accommodation, whilst being supervised and cared for by their busy house mother, Latifa. In the meantime, the required boarding house in Asni is being built and will be finished in Spring 2008, in good time to take a further intake of eight girls in September 2008.

Coming events: 

  • March 29th to 5th April, 2008: Charity Cycle holiday in Morocco. Fully supported! Cycle as little or as much as you like, just a few places left.
  • June 27th, 2008: Fund raising Golf Tournament in London followed by:
  • June 27th, 2008: Summer Ball in London

Our present sponsors and supporters:

Various schools, individuals and corporate entities have agreed to help fund the on-going running-costs of our first boarding house at Asni. Details of these can be found on the Schools page

If you would like to join them please contact us.

A special note to any schools interested in supporting us:

We would be delighted to hear from any schools (pupils as well as teachers) about:

  • a) Any fund raising activities that you have already been engaged-in to support the education of girls in Morocco;
  • b) Any topics / projects concerning the geography, history, religion and culture of Morocco that you may have been learning in school recently. Andy Phillips (our education advisor) would be particularly keen to receive some examples of pupils work / pictures of pupils engaged in 'Moroccan' based activities that we could subsequently feature on this website - please contact Andy () for more details.

We are happy to say that this website is now live and you can find further information about Education for All, as well as the latest news and updates, how to get involved and where to subscribe to our newsletter so that you are sure to get the next one. If you have a website of your own maybe you would consider having a link to our site? Please let us know.

We have a responsibility and an obligation to making sure these ten girls not only start, but finish their college education and that necessitates funds on a regular basis for them and for the eight others that will join progressively each year. It may seem a small step since it will concern only 26 girls but it is a start and an accomplishment we may all be proud of. Eventually, we do intend to build more similar boarding houses in other rural areas and hopefully place many more young girls on the educational road to a better chance in life.

Please do no hesitate to pass this on to friends and colleagues who may wish to participate in offering education to those less fortunate than ourselves.

We would like to thank you all for your support and interest in helping make this happen.

“Alone we can do little, together we can do much”

Education For All logo
From the team at Education For All

Regular updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: