There are initiatives that deserve our attention. The SIFE team (Hassan II University of Casablanca) and the Kalimât Association (Ecole des Mines de Paris) initiated a citizen and social action against school dropout in the village of Zawiat Sidi Boutaieb three years ago. They have just returned from their latest edition, which took place from 18 to 22 April.

School dropout? A scourge that eats away at Morocco. Many children stop school after primary level. The cause is most often distance. Between 15 and 20 km separate the village from the nearest middle school in Youssoufia. So this year, the students mobilised so that a bus could provide school transport and allow studies to continue. "Negotiations have been initiated with the OCP Foundation to cover the driver's salary and vehicle costs. We are very positive," announces Mohamed Barkaoui, president of GreenTIC, who oversees the action. On the right track, the bus should be delivered by the start of the next school year.

Another novelty is the desire to "capitalise" on this initiative so that other regions can benefit from it. Sustainability. The first editions constitute the foundation of the third. The village to which the students come, and return, is always the same. A strong bond has been forged there. Initially, they renovated the Sbiate school: repainting, repairing water leaks, and filling cracks. Following simple improvements, the absenteeism rate had already decreased. But the action does not stop there. To convince children to stay in school, several activities are offered to them: sport, art awareness, and science. "We explain to them why light, which is a single colour to the naked eye, becomes a rainbow through water," explains Loubna, a volunteer from the very beginning and a doctoral student in biology. Raising awareness among parents is crucial: "We must go through dialogue, explain that staying in school will be beneficial. In some families, it is a problem for girls to travel outside the village to Youssoufia," adds Loubna.

Because one good thing does not come alone, we must act on several fronts. "A medical caravan was set up in 2009 and allows 1,500 inhabitants of Sbiate and the surrounding area to consult a doctor. Some have never had access to care. For more complicated cases, appointments are made so that there is medical follow-up in equipped structures," suggests Mr. Barkaoui.

Kalimât and SIFE fully intend to make this human adventure fruitful. To establish their programme, the two associations prospected beforehand: "They carried out a study in Sbiate and established a questionnaire to list the needs of the inhabitants," underlines Mr. Barkaoui. In light of recent partnerships initiated by large groups, whose turnovers amount to several billion dirhams, we can say that this citizen action has nothing to be ashamed of. Quite the contrary.