Rural school expanded by AmCham corporate citizenship initiative

Rural school expanded by AmCham corporate citizenship initiative

A State primary school that was extensively renovated and expanded last year as part of an AmCham corporate citizenship initiative was officially inaugurated on February 19.

AmCham spent DH 650,000 on the construction of four new classrooms at Abdeljalil Ben Hida school, which is located in a rural area on the outskirts of Casablanca, and AmCham member CMS Energy funded the drilling of a well to provide water, a sanitary bloc, and the installation of electricity in partnership with the National Electricity Service (ONE).

The project, which was developed in partnership with the Moulay Rachid-Sidi Othmane Delegation of the National Education Ministry, was also assisted by U.S. Consul General Nabeel Khoury. AmCham members which have supported the school project, either directly or through the annual AmCham-Hyatt Golf Challenge, include Ciments du Maroc, Compaq, Microsoft, 3M, Tube et Profil, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Prior to the construction of the new classrooms, pupils were unable to complete the primary school curriculum due to lack of space and were therefore often unable to continue their education.

The renovated school was inaugurated by National Education Minister Abdellah Saaf and U.S. Ambassador Margaret Tutwiler in the presence of Casablanca Governor Driss Benhima and a host of Moroccan and American officials. Guests at the ceremony then toured the school and observed a class of students hard at work.

CMS Energy’s Larry Dewitt, who was instrumental in bringing the project to fruition, said later that such initiatives aimed at helping communities to help themselves in achieving long-term goals.

AmCham plans to maintain its commitment to the school and its community this year by coordinating a needs assessment involving parents and staff. AmCham will then assist the community in its efforts to raise funds for the identified needs, thereby both satisfying the immediate priorities and increasing local capacity to do so independently in the future.