Moroccan government evaluates INDH progress

20/05/2009

On the fourth anniversary of the National Human Development Initiative, the Moroccan government set out to assess progress made and discuss shortcomings. "It's time to launch a fruitful debate about the durability of projects," said one official.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 20/05/09

[Siham Ali] INDH projects in several remote regions of Morocco have made the lives of residents easier.

Launched on May 18th, 2005, the National Human Development Initiative (INDH) has resulted in 16,000 projects benefiting some four million people across all regions of Morocco.

At a national meeting on Monday (May 18th) in Rabat, government officials and civil society representatives said that the performance in general has been good, although some of the projects have run into problems.

Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity Nouzha Skelli said that long-term aspects had not been fully considered when designing many of the projects, which had fallen short in terms of their short-term and medium-term performance. "Durability is proving to be a barometer for success for any social project, in that it provides a methodology and a culture that should be applied to all projects as a whole," she stressed.

Secretary of State for Territorial Development Abdeslam Mesbahi explained that a series of projects were designed without considering their durability.

"It's time to launch a fruitful debate about the durability of projects, looking at the different resources and tools available for social action, so that we can anticipate the possible difficulties and move beyond a fragmented ad-hoc approach, to recommend suitable global solutions," added Mesbahi.

The governor responsible for the Human Development Initiative, Nadira El Guemai, said that despite the difficulties, the projects have been set up to maximise human potential by targeting people with specific needs, street children, and vulnerable women. The initiative aims to help set up revenue creation projects, qualification and vocational training, supply clean drinking water to remote regions, combat poverty and vulnerability, and provide support to the education and healthcare sectors.

The objective for the future is to allow local partners to become more involved in financing projects, which will create an ongoing dynamism, said El Guemai.

"The INDH is aimed at promoting an enterprising spirit across the population beyond the financial aspect," said sociologist Samira Brami. "The most important thing is to allow underprivileged levels of society to understand that through their own efforts they can generate income."

The initiative is based on solidarity, a value that, although starting to dwindle, is still very significant in Moroccan society, she added.

A number of beneficiaries have seen their lives change for the better thanks to the projects.

Barra, one of the beneficiaries of a clothes sewing workshop project in Laâyoune, explained that 15 women – either divorced, widowed, or financially disadvantaged – were able to realise their dream of autonomy with better financial resources, and now have great hopes for the future.

"My daughter had to travel a long way to get to school, and she had difficulty studying because she was tired all the time," said Salima from Khemisset. However, since a school bus was introduced to her area through the INDH, "she's really blossomed and is finding it much easier to study."