Aged between 9 and 13, more than 500 children from 18 schools in the Tangier-Asilah provincial delegation of national education were made aware of the factors that impact the environment. The activities of the first "Protectors of the Environment" festival, which took place on Friday, 15 June, in Tangier, marked the end of this awareness-raising operation dedicated to environmental protection. Organised by Amendis Tangier in partnership with the Ministry of National Education and the Moroccan Association of Little Scientists (AMPD), this festival highlights "this beautiful awareness-raising experience in which 18 schools took part. This event is distinguished by its organisation in one of the most prestigious and historic schools, namely the Oukba Ibn Nafie school, of which we are proud," indicates Saïd Boudra, provincial delegate for national education in Tangier-Asilah.

This first festival was an opportunity to present the exhaustive report of the annual programme: "The Protectors of the Environment", which is, according to the organisers, the result of an "exemplary partnership" between the public, private, institutional and associative sectors. As part of the awareness-raising actions carried out by Amendis Tangier, this educational programme complements "a vast awareness-raising programme on environmental preservation, launched in 2002 by the Veolia Environnement Maroc Group, as part of its actions in favour of sustainable development," affirms Abdenbi Attou, executive director of Amendis Tangier.

Within the framework of this educational programme, fun workshops were organised during the 2011-2012 school year, to combine the useful with the pleasant. Led by AMPD teams, "they were organised at a rate of 15 workshops per week and around various themes, particularly concerning water, energy and waste," explains Badr Bellahcen, president of the AMPD. In addition to the fun workshops, this programme included educational outings focused on visits to Amendis sites and works as well as commercial agencies of the water and electricity delegated company in order to make children aware of the issues of water, energy and waste.

It should be noted that this first festival was marked by the exhibition of the students' work and the awareness-raising projects of the 18 schools benefiting from this educational programme, which were carried out during the 2011-2012 school year.