In the area of French-speaking Africa, the socio-occupational inclusion program mainly carries out activities of:
- Reception and guidance for beneficiaries
- Collective enterprise incubation desk
- Individual enterprise incubation desk
- Desk for strengthening and professionalizing associations
Set up in Morocco in 2003, since 2020 it has extended to the Ivory Coast in Abidjan, Bouaké, Korogo and Daloua, with a funding from the San Zeno Foundation and the Ministry of the Interior.
The regional representative is the only person of Italian nationality, together with the Head of Management Control, in all three Countries managed by the area (Morocco, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso). The local staff is made up of more than 35 people of Moroccan, Ivorian, Burkinabe and other African nationalities, 8 of whom occupy transversal, stable and management roles.
Year by year, it aims to involve other countries in French-speaking Africa, leveraging the connections forged thanks to the multiculturalism of the staff and the frequent exchanges between countries where Soleterre is present.
Morocco
Project Inception
2003, Arrival in Morocco
Tracing back the migratory routes in the opposite direction, Work IS Progress landed in Moroccoin the region with the capital Settat, where our administrative office is still located.
In the first years, we worked on women’s craft cooperatives and carried out activities in the areas of Casablanca, Marrakesh and Rabat.
2014, EduCare Pilot Project
This was the year when we officially launched our work program in the country, with the opening of our office in the capital Rabat and the kick-off of the “EduCare” project, funded by the Cariplo Foundation and the La Caixa Foundation, in partnership with the Catalan NGO Casal dels Infants, with which we offered our support to the creation of 2 social enterprises, both active in the educational field.
2016, Second Edition of EduCare
Thanks to the renewed confidence of the bank foundations, we were able to launch a new phase of the project, which allowed us to support the setting up of 15 Start-Ups, mostly nursery schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Tangier, Rabat and Casablanca.
2018, Execution of the ES.Maroc Regional Program
” ES.Maroc.org – Entreprise Sociale ” is a real “country program” dedicated to socio-occupational inclusion, born within the framework of Soleterre’s international program, but with a specific focus on the French-African region It received financial support from the Cariplo Foundation and the Peppino Vismara Foundation.
At the same time, the European Union financed a project aimed at non-Moroccan migrants legally resident in Morocco, which has grown to more than 250,000 over the years.
We also opened an office in Tangier and launched the e-Learning School for associations.
A milestone in the development of the program in the country is the creation of the local association ES.Maroc.org whose Board includes, on a voluntary basis, some Soleterre staff members.
2020, ES.Maroc Job Exhibition
The first edition of the Exhibitionwas held at the end of December and lasted 3 months, with the first days dedicated to events and seminars, and the following 12 weeks to job interviews and networking between Start-Ups and companies. More than 20 Moroccan and international companies and 40 Start-Ups participated as recruiters. More than 2000 young people participated. The exhibition was mainly held online.
2021, our Hubs and the Emancipation of ES.Maroc
There are currently two hubs operating in Morocco, one in Rabat, the main one, and one in Tangier at the Ministry of Youth and Sport. These co-working spaces are aimed at encouraging the activation of synergies and collaborations between different actors in the area.
Both are directly managed by the association Es.Maroc.org and Soleterre is the main partner. The local association has built up its own specific positioning and has become an independent beneficiary of various funds, including institutional ones (EU, IOM, Tavola Valdese).
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Between 2018 and 2020, we achieved some important goals:
- 3000 people welcomed on average each year in the Hubs
- 32 Start-Ups accompanied, selected and financed, for a total of over 100 entrepreneurs and 29 people employed in them
- 100 entrepreneurs and 29 people employed within them
- 5000 euro is the average value of the allocated Start-Up fund
- 163.000 euros in Start-Up funds provided directly by the program
- 172 individual entrepreneurs were assisted by the dedicated desk
- 37 young people found a job with a paid internship or fixed-term contract
- 117 young people received an individual Start-Up fund or a work grant
- 26.000 Euros was the total value of the work grants, each of which varied between 300 and 500 euros.
- 60 associations from different countries in the French-speaking area have actively participated in the eLearning School’s courses
- 12 courses delivered during 4 editions of the e-Learning School
- 6 social micro-projects were financed at the end of each edition
OUR PARTNERS
The permanent partners of the program include:
A high number of associations, 7 of which are also headquartered at the Hub, as part of the strengthening and professionalizing service for the local world of associations. Among them, 3 are associations of non-Moroccan migrants living in Morocco.
READ THE E-BOOK
“The Soleterre Work Program in Morocco and Francophone Africa”
