CAES Morocco: Leading Across Differences

From the busy markets in Morocco, artisans with disabilities often stand out. Not just because of their craft ships, but because of the stories impeded into every piece they create. Their work isn’t only about beauty and tradition; it’s about their survival and drive to carve out a living in a third-world that doesn’t always provide opportunities for them. While the recent progress in reducing poverty in Morocco has been impressive, with less than 9% of the population considered “poor” compared to 16.2% a decade ago, the reality remains that poverty is still disproportionate (Achy, 2010). For many, disability is not physical, poverty itself becomes a sort of disability causing a limit to opportunity. And with each item observed—whether it has been a handwoven rug, carved hairbrush or a piece of pottery—it is more than just a product. It’s has been the result of their determination of long hours to earn a fair income and put food on the table.  To the tourists passing through, these...

       One of the most striking experiences in Morocco was seeing very young children selling tissues, bracelets, or snacks in busy markets. Some were as young as six or seven, clearly working to help support their families. A moment that stood out was in Fez, where I saw multiple little kids just trying to sell small keychains. It was surprising and concerning to see children take on such responsibility, but it reflected the economic realities many families face. This highlights the social inequalities in Morocco. While some children attend school and enjoy a protected childhood, many others must take on adult roles early. According to UNICEF, about eight percent of children aged five to fourteen in Morocco work, often in informal sectors such as street vending. This early labor shapes their identity not as carefree kids but as contributors to their family’s survival. Witnessing this made me realize how much a child’s identity is influenced by their family’s social ...

     Morocco’s High Commission for Planning in 2021 released a study, stating that around 13% of the Moroccan population fell below the poverty line (Sauers, 2021). Although somewhat outdated, Morocco continues to advance itself year after year. I still believe that poverty is a huge problem in Morocco, especially among children.      Exploring Casablanca, I first realized the number of children wandering the streets by themselves with dirt on their faces and in need of a shower. These children, usually carrying and attempting to sell tissues, were completely alone without a parent in sight. As I continued to explore the city and walk towards the beaches of Casablanca, I saw some middle school-aged students staring at me. As I walked near them, they demanded that I "give them money." Fast-forward to Tangier and Fes, and children continued to approach me in the group. Fortunately, I was able to communicate with one of the children who was about 10 years old ...

  During our time in Morocco, I briefly talked with others in the program about the presence of the LGBTQIA+ community in the country, and how the community is persecuted both through Moroccan law and social standards. Under Article 489 of Morocco’s Penal Code, sexual relations between same-sex individuals is illegal and individuals in violation of this can/will be tried in court. Though it is rooted in the religion and social standards associated with Islam, the law extends to affect the social status of LGBTQIA+ individuals in Morocco in their treatment by others and the degree to which they are open or not open with their sexuality.  With this in mind, there are several cases of individuals hiding their sexuality to an extent to avoid persecution. However, there are some cases where individuals were outed or their sexuality was discovered by others, often leading to the Moroccan government sending them to court or others harassing, and, in some cases, beating them violent...

     In the multiple cities we have toured so far in Morocco, I have consistently noticed that the routes we take, especially through the medinas, have seemed to be completely inaccessible to anyone using any type of mobility aid. In the States, I constantly see ramps for wheelchairs, buttons to open doors, and elevators for people that may need them. However, here the only consistent accessibility aid I’ve noticed is the elevators in our hotels. Yet, there is a push for change. In Marrakesh, grants from the World Bank and the government of Japan are in use to improve urban transport and the transport sector as a whole, along with providing new means of transportation for people with limited mobility (World Bank, 2019). This is great news for people currently living in Morocco as well as tourists looking for more physical accessibility.  References World Bank. (2019). Morocco Improving the Physical Accessibility of People of Limited Mobility. https://www.worldbank.o...

    While exploring Morocco, it is very apparent that walking is highly widespread across the country. It does not matter if we are passing through an urban city or rural mountains, people of all ages and genders are walking. While most people are able bodied and able to walk easily, there are a fraction of people that show a struggle to walk around, indicating some form of disability. When walking up a steep hill, someone asked our tour guide how those that are wheelchair-bound get up the steep hills of the city, and his response was that they simply don’t.      According to a disabled-travelers guide, Morocco is not a very accessible country. Of course, in the tourist hotels, they have a ramp and hotel, but this is not common in all hotels, and definitely not common in stores and heritage/tour sites. Many sites consist of steep stairs, steep hills, and uneven brick roads that become obstacles for disabled people to overcome. Another huge problem is that the dr...

Blogger 2: ability or social status Around 4.1% of Moroccans have disabilities that affect one or more of their daily life activities (Thelwell, 2022). While we’ve been walking around the country, I’ve noticed that there aren’t as many accessible accommodations as we are used to in the United States. In their law it is illegal to discriminate against those with disabilities. Another statistic I found very interesting was that 73% of disabled people had not completed any schooling at all (Thelwell, 2022). This would put this group of people at a further disadvantage as it would hard to obtain jobs and sustainable careers. In the Medina in Chefchaouen, I especially noticed that access to the water source was extremely limited. Even for our group of very able and young people, it was slightly slippery and very steep to access the water.  Work cited Thelwell, Kim. “Disability and Poverty in Morocco.” The Borgen Project , Kim Thelwell https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/logo.jp...

       One major difference I noticed within the first 10 minutes of being in Morocco was their impressive ability to speak multiple languages. Going into the trip, I assumed french would be their primary language, and we would only be able to communicate with our tour guides in english. But this was not the case.      On the flight from Madrid to Casablanca, I started chatting with the man sitting next to me. He was probably in his late 60s-70s and told me he is from Casablanca, but travels back and forth from there and Madrid to visit family. We quickly started talking about language, and his english was very good. He told me he speaks 4 languages, English, French, Arabic and Spanish. He also told me he is currently learning Chinese, and showed me how to write a few words. I was very impressed by his ability to learn these languages so efficiently. But after I a full day in Morocco, I realized it was actually pretty common for Moroccans to speak some...