|
|
Morocceau 2008 - Project Outline
The Morocceau 2008 project was completed in October 2008. Mike Laird
led a team of nineteen down to Ma'adid for two weeks to carry out a number of improvements to the medical, santitation and schooling
facilities in the area.
The region of Erfoud lies approximately 225 miles east of Marrakech, as the crow flies. The journey to get there though is far longer
in distance as you have to take the winding roads of the Atlas mountains. Despite being well surfaced the roads conceal precarious drops
to the valleys below. Sometimes the drops are not quite as well concealed as nervous passengers might like! The drive though is quite
spectacular.
Within the region of Erfoud there is a community called Ma’adid. Largely hidden behind a tall wall built of mud bricks, the streets are a
time-locked living museum. Traditional values are held strong, water is still drawn from wells, people scurry from any pointed camera.
Life here is very different from the rest of Morocco let alone the rest of the world as we know it. The purpose of this project was not
to change that, merely to work with the inhabitants and enhance their living conditions.
The local people of Ma'adid are mainly Arab and Berber. Aspects of French colonialism can be seen in the area although not in Ma’adid itself. French
is widely spoken and English is also spoken by some people in the town of Erfoud where tourism has started to make its mark. The old mixes
well with the new, caravans of camels are still a common site and for many donkey is the main mode of transport.
The medical facility was in a sorry state to say the very least. Despite knowing we were coming to visit, there was clinical waste on the floor
and tools encrusted in blood lying on stained work surfaces. The only bed was covered in a dirty plastic sheet and any person who went in for
a medical procedure would be as likely to contract an additional disease or ailment as they would be to be cured of whatever they went in with.
The main school houses approximately 350 pupils, with an annex that supports a couple of hundred more. The classrooms were, at best, spartan.
The four existing toilets were of a poor standard and in desperate need of improvement, and female students leave school early because
the lack of sanitary standards make it too difficult and demeaning to attend, particularly when they enter puberty. This means
they miss out on large parts of their education which impacts on the rest of their lives.
Books and writing materials were and still are in extremely short supply in the area. Tables, desks and chairs were lacking and
those that they do have were in a terrible state of disrepair.
In Ma'adid, there is potable water only from one place – a communal stand pipe. This serves approximately 7,000 people. The water is not free and there
are those who cannot afford the nominal sum to buy this clean water. The alternative is to draw water from one of several wells which exist
in the town. This water is brackish at best, and usually polluted too. Most people only use it for washing but sadly some people have no
choice but to drink it.
Mike had led three recces to the area during 2006 and 2007 in the planning stages of this expedition. The purpose
of the recce trips was to understand what the local people needed, to discuss with them what work could be managed and how
we could deliver the project in a way sympathetic to their current way of life.
We were asked by the town community to consider projects relating to the water supply, sewerage, schooling and education and health facilities.
During the third recce in October 2007, a feasibility report was conducted by Steve Aldridge of the clean water charity
Just A Drop to ascertain what we could do to improve the water supply and
sanitation of the town, and where to best direct our resources and efforts to maximum effect.
His finalised report resulted in Just A Drop kindly donating 5,000 GBP in
funding towards the project.
Despite Mike and his team finding on their arrival, that the plans made over the previous two years to assist the town had to all be
changed on their arrival in Ma'adid, they were able to carry out significant improvements to the town's medical and educational facilities.
Instead of assisting in just one school, another two schools were found which would benefit from the team's help. In all three
schools, classrooms were refurbished with interior cleaning and painting, renovating blackboards, and repairing school desks. The
team also distributed nearly two tons of stationary and educational books between the three schools. The schools also received two
computers.
In the main school in Ma'adid, our team renovated a water supply and the poorly maintained toilet block. The toilets were unblocked,
given a deep clean, general repairs were carried out and the whole block was then painted. A separate toilet block that had no roof,
now has one. Cleaning materials and training were provided to allow the school staff to maintain their
toilet facilities going forward.
For the enjoyment of the local school-children, we delivered sufficient sports kits and equipment to a school to allow four teams of
children to play a variety of sports.
The team then deep-cleansed, painted and refurbished the medical centre in Ma'adid. This included repairing broken windows, making and
installing anti-insect screens, providing electronic fly ‘zappers’, constructing interior shelving and arrangement of medical supplies.
The nurse on our team spent time with the local practice nurse, sharing clinical knowledge and techniques in order to try and
improve the hygienic standards in the clinic.
We also delivered a significant amount of medical supplies and equipment to two hospitals and two Red Cross depots
(Erfoud and Errachidia), as well as supplying safety goggles, gloves and breathing masks to artisans who work in terrible conditions
using grinding and drilling tools on stone and rocks without safety equipment.
All of the medical, sporting, educational and building equipment was kindly donated by our UK sponsors who generously supported
this project. Our warmest thanks go to sponsors who donated goods or monies towards this expedition:
|
