Problems and Solutions

      Yesterday afternoon I stood on the beach of my new home town, El Jadida and looked out across the ocean with my sister Jalila. After standing in silence for several minutes, she suddenly spoke up and said, “Morocco is beautiful, but this country has many many problems.” I asked her to elaborate and she began speaking as though someone had just ripped the tape off of her mouth and she only had so long to say what she needed to say. She began listing the problems:

1.)There is no opportunity for skilled work in Morocco. You can only get a job if you know someone in a higher position.

2.) A diploma from a Moroccan university means nothing (even to Moroccans).

3.) If a student doesn’t pass their Baccalaureate exam (taken at 15), they can never go to university which means that they have even less of an opportunity to work.

4.)The cost of living here is about two times higher than the average income.

5.) There are too many mouths to feed in a single house so eventually someone from the family must leave to work overseas (usually as a taxi driver, or in a factory) to send money home.

6.)That person may never come home.

7.) Corruption is everywhere and part of everything.

8.) Because there are too many mouths to feed, parents are eager to marry their daughters off. Therefore, people do not get married for love but for monetary gain.

9.) Due to that lack of love, a woman must always fear her husband’s fidelity in the marriage.

10.) There is a lack of health care for the elderly and those with chronic illnesses (like Diabetes, which over 60% of the Moroccan population is afflicted with).

11.) Because of all these problems, Moroccans have developed a blasé attitude towards life; never dreaming of a better existence in Morocco or seeing themselves as part of the change.

      As Jalilia was speaking, I noticed that she was listing all of these as separate issues and I could see how overwhelmed she was by them all. However I on the other hand, felt a bit like a spider who has been removed from her web. When you are living the problems and are faced with them every day, it’s hard to see where one issue begins and ends. But when you are a third party, you can see exactly how all of these issues are inextricably intertwined. It’s like this: Let’s say that you are a young man in Morocco. In your house you have about 10 other people who are somehow related to you. Two of those people are older and ill. If you are lucky enough to have a Dad who is still living, he is working the majority of the time; you rarely see him. If your mom doesn’t work as a seamstress or a cook somewhere else, she is taking care of the 9 other people in the house. Your older siblings end up being the parental figures in your life. They tell you to go to school; it won’t be long before you have to pass the Baccalaureate. Your education revolves around passing the test and any subject that is not part of the exam is stressed as unnecessary. You don’t develop any skills outside of school and meanwhile you begin to resent the test. Finally, you take the test and if you pass, you make it into University (if your parents can help you pay for it). You graduate but there are no jobs for you. There is pressure to get married so you take a wife. Her dowry may sustain you for at least year. Maybe by that time you will find a job. But you don’t, and now she is pregnant. It’s time for you to leave and follow in your fathers footsteps. You go to France, Italy or Spain to work as a taxi driver and return home once every 6 months to see your family. Thus the cycle continues.

       So here is the beauty in being a Peace Corps volunteer: I hear these problems and see the connections and for the first time in my life, I feel like I can actually do something about it. Yes, there are too many issues for one person to tackle all at once. But I can at least make a dent in the cycle. And I have proof of this! I met a young gentleman yesterday who speaks English fluently because of a former Peace Corps volunteer in his site and now he is currently applying to work for the American Embassy in Morocco. The volunteer not only encouraged him to learn English but also helped him dream of something better for himself and now he is making it on his own. At the end of the day, that is what our work is all about; Being the catalyst for change and helping others to realize their own potential. Moroccans are the only ones who can change all of the problems Jalila listed, but if more Moroccan youth can feel empowered about their future, I have every faith that that change will come peacefully and gracefully. Let the work begin!