Dearest Readers of this Neglected Blog,
Greetings during the holy month of Ramadan. As you know, for the past year and a half I've been serving in Morocco as a Volunteer with the Peace Corps. I live and work in a small desert village of 500 people in the remote deep south of the country where my official job title is that of a Community Health Educator. That means I work in a local health clinic and local schools, speaking the native Berber dialect, where I teach about important health topics like pre- and post-natal care for women, childhood vaccinations, sanitation and hygiene, clean water, and a host of other things that we in the highly developed world often take for granted. But my activities here are not at all limited to the health field.
There's another project that I've been working on for quite a while, which is now ready to be shared with the world and could really use your help. One of the most important development issues in the community I serve is that of economic opportunity--namely, the lack of economic opportunity available, especially for women. In my region, and in rural Morocco generally, it's common for young adult men to move away to distant parts of the country, or immigrate overseas, to seek employment because there simply are are no jobs available locally. This is not the result of a temporary economic downturn but a permanent state of affairs. Nearly all families are wholly or partly dependent on remittances sent home from male family members who move away like this, and most families barely manage to scrape by between that and the subsistence farming that is the most common occupation here. This economic arrangement is especially hard on women, as the males return infrequently, if at all, leaving the women in charge of families and households, usually without the ability to generate income for themselves. (In Morocco, the Muslim culture makes it impossible for most women to work outside the home because it would require them to publicly interact with men in an unacceptable way.)
Working together with my community Association, we've developed a project to help local community women (like widows, divorcees, and unmarried women) generate income for themselves, to empower women and promote economic independence and self-sufficiency. We call it "Goats For Gals," and it's modeled on many successful projects in Morocco and other developing countries. By giving targeted women in the community dairy goats, we will allow them to create their own small businesses selling goat milk. The women will also receive comprehensive training in dairy goat care and management. Livestock ownership, like dairy goats, is an especially suitable form of business enterprise for women in rural Morocco, because the goats can be managed from home and will eat just about anything you put in front of them. Goat milk is always highly in demand, and can also be used to create value-added products like cheese. The project is all mapped out and ready to go; all that is lacking is the capital to buy the goats. We need to raise about $4500 to be able to purchase the target of nine high-yield Alpine dairy goats. That's where you come in.
The Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP) is a way for Peace Corps Volunteers to fund crucial projects in the communities we serve by raising capital from the private sector in the United States. Individuals, companies, or any type of organization can contribute and become a part of the Peace Corps mission of promoting world peace & friendship--and sustainable development--one community at a time. 100% of contributions go directly to the specified project in the community served. The money does not pass through government hands, there's no overhead or middle-men, etc etc.
Greetings during the holy month of Ramadan. As you know, for the past year and a half I've been serving in Morocco as a Volunteer with the Peace Corps. I live and work in a small desert village of 500 people in the remote deep south of the country where my official job title is that of a Community Health Educator. That means I work in a local health clinic and local schools, speaking the native Berber dialect, where I teach about important health topics like pre- and post-natal care for women, childhood vaccinations, sanitation and hygiene, clean water, and a host of other things that we in the highly developed world often take for granted. But my activities here are not at all limited to the health field.
There's another project that I've been working on for quite a while, which is now ready to be shared with the world and could really use your help. One of the most important development issues in the community I serve is that of economic opportunity--namely, the lack of economic opportunity available, especially for women. In my region, and in rural Morocco generally, it's common for young adult men to move away to distant parts of the country, or immigrate overseas, to seek employment because there simply are are no jobs available locally. This is not the result of a temporary economic downturn but a permanent state of affairs. Nearly all families are wholly or partly dependent on remittances sent home from male family members who move away like this, and most families barely manage to scrape by between that and the subsistence farming that is the most common occupation here. This economic arrangement is especially hard on women, as the males return infrequently, if at all, leaving the women in charge of families and households, usually without the ability to generate income for themselves. (In Morocco, the Muslim culture makes it impossible for most women to work outside the home because it would require them to publicly interact with men in an unacceptable way.)
Working together with my community Association, we've developed a project to help local community women (like widows, divorcees, and unmarried women) generate income for themselves, to empower women and promote economic independence and self-sufficiency. We call it "Goats For Gals," and it's modeled on many successful projects in Morocco and other developing countries. By giving targeted women in the community dairy goats, we will allow them to create their own small businesses selling goat milk. The women will also receive comprehensive training in dairy goat care and management. Livestock ownership, like dairy goats, is an especially suitable form of business enterprise for women in rural Morocco, because the goats can be managed from home and will eat just about anything you put in front of them. Goat milk is always highly in demand, and can also be used to create value-added products like cheese. The project is all mapped out and ready to go; all that is lacking is the capital to buy the goats. We need to raise about $4500 to be able to purchase the target of nine high-yield Alpine dairy goats. That's where you come in.
The Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP) is a way for Peace Corps Volunteers to fund crucial projects in the communities we serve by raising capital from the private sector in the United States. Individuals, companies, or any type of organization can contribute and become a part of the Peace Corps mission of promoting world peace & friendship--and sustainable development--one community at a time. 100% of contributions go directly to the specified project in the community served. The money does not pass through government hands, there's no overhead or middle-men, etc etc.
Once the project gets fully funded, I plan to track its progress on this blog with stories, photos, and videos, so you will be able to directly see the impact of your contributions. You can read an additional summary of my project and contribute directly online with a credit card in a few easy steps simply by clicking here. You can contribute in any amount, and no contribution is too small (or too large). All donations are 100% tax-deductible.
If you'd like some more information about the project, or anything to do with the Peace Corps or Morocco, I'd be happy to respond to you. Thanks in advance for your support.
Click here to contribute. It's fast and easy!
