In Morocco, a gardening school attracts many apprentices, sensitive to environmental issues.
Located on the outskirts of Salé, a town neighboring the capital Rabat, the Bouregreg Med-O-Med gardening school has been offering free three-year training since 2018, mainly open to young people at risk of social exclusion or who have dropped out of school.
Reda al-Hashemi, a young apprentice, says: "When I arrived at this school, 80% of my life changed. I gained self-confidence thanks to the relationships I built with the trainers and my colleagues, everything is going well. GOOD".
Handling the shears as best he can to prune a bush, Hind Bensbitia puts his heart into the work. This young student sharpened her perspective on climate change but also found a perspective for the future, in a profession which is carried out mainly by men.
"Because I'm a girl, I can tell you that some people look down on me and say it's not for girls. But I don't care what they say. I love what I do and I will continue to do so. I have not encountered any problem with my family regarding this, on the contrary, they supported me and were satisfied with the studies I followed, because I am the first in my family to get into this field,” explains the young woman.
The challenge of the project, recently distinguished by the European “green skills” prize, is threefold: raising awareness of climate change, promoting the inclusion of young people, particularly affected by unemployment, and promoting gender equality.
Lucía Aloise, trainer, is there to guide these students towards entrepreneurship or job search in the gardening professions: "We must give them the tools necessary for their personal development, keeping in mind that they come from from disadvantaged socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. We must therefore also support them at this level.”
The school has a nursery of local plants, adapted to water stress, a crucial issue for Morocco which has suffered its worst drought in nearly 40 years. This is also expected to intensify by 2050 due to a drop in rainfall (-11%) and an increase in temperatures (+1.3°C), according to official data.
Enthralling.
ReplyDelete