Yassin Joulal

Produced by: Sharq.Org
Part of the Curated Collection: Multi-ethnic and -religious cooperation,
Original Interview Length:
Interview Location: Morocco
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Yassin Joulal, coordinator of the Moroccans of the World Youth Committee, talks to us about the work they undertook:

For its part in battling the coronavirus pandemic, the Moroccans of the World Committee offered financial support to African students living in Morocco, given the negative consequences so many of them suffered as the pandemic spread. The imposition of quarantine measures meant they could no longer work, and many of them didn’t have scholarships, so the pandemic put them under severe financial pressure. The Moroccans of the World Committee, which also concerns itself with immigration issues, put together an initiative to offer a helping hand to this community of African students, our brothers in Morocco.

 

He explains the relationship with the Moroccan Scouts Delegation: 

We chose to work with the Moroccan Scouts because they’re an important organization, and when we want to work out the logistics of a project, we need to rely on people on the ground. And the Moroccan Scouts are present on the ground, ready to lend a helping hand and able to distribute the aid to all the African students who need it in various Moroccan cities.

 

Then he talks about the difficulties they faced in their partnership with the Moroccan Scouts Delegation on this project:

What’s special about the Moroccan Scout Delegation is that they have a presence in all Morocco’s cities, across all of the country’s twelve regions. I think the biggest obstacle was that when we distributed aid in the cities, it was to students from many different African nations and the demand was really great. So this was a problem, like in cities we didn’t include in our Facebook announcement, people would send us private messages asking, when are you coming back? As if this initiative was a glimmer of hope in the middle of a pandemic that had so many negative repercussions. What made things easier was the makeup of the group that was participating. The Moroccans of the World Committee was responsible for outlining all the material issues required to meet the students’ needs,  .

 

On how the cooperative nature of the project might impact the Moroccans of the World Youth Committee’s work methodologies:

This also constituted a cognitive shift in terms of how it deepened confidence in Morocco, as a principal entryway for Africa’s development. That’s on the one hand. Then, there’s the fact that African skills and competencies are today able to develop and lead Africa on the path of all the other continents, since Africa is rich in human competencies, and these represent a material capital, a resource that will very soon be relied upon for the sake of developing Africa.