Morocco Center for Refugees

(January 17, 2014)

Lots of refugees arrive in Morocco every year. Some come from Iraq and Afghanistan, but most come from sub-Saharan Africa.

Most of them are trying to get to Europe, but it's dangerous to cross the sea ...

... so people in Morocco are trying to open up work opportunities for them, so that they'll stay there. The BBC Arabic showed a clip all about them.

One thing they've done is to start sewing programs, so that the women refugees get paid for their handiwork ...

They interviewed an Iraqi refugee. She was really happy about her new job. I think the program said that this center employs several dozen women, and clothes are sold in fancy Moroccan shops, like this one:

Here they are interviewing a lady that runs the Center:

She and the other ladies in charge, who were interviewed, all spoke in French. And this lady's name is Natalie Farih. I wonder if they really were French-speakers, or if they also spoke Arabic?

Here is the sign for the Center. It says (I think) "Welcome Center for Refugees and Migrants." And it's got lots of sponsors, including the UN Refugee Agency and a white cross on a red shield - that's the Red Cross, right? Or is that something else?

This piece wasn't produced by the BBC Arabic. It was produced by the regular BBC in English, and then translated over. Look at that coastline! Who knew Morocco looked like that?