Main achievements of the Zakoura Foundation:

• More than 541,000 children, young people and women beneficiaries

• More than 1430 schools created

• A reinforced commitment on 3 axes: Education, Entrepreneurship & Employability, Empowerment

The Zakoura Foundation has symbolically chosen to celebrate its 25 years of commitment to human development on January 24, International Day of Education. 25 years of history that the Foundation celebrates with its beneficiaries, children of yesterday and adults of today. During this quarter of a century, the trust of committed partners and the mobilization of a dedicated team have enabled the Zakoura Foundation to pursue its mission for inclusive and quality education for all; to deploy integrated programs dedicated to the communities of the douars; and to innovate in its approaches but also in its projects to better serve and open up populations in rural areas.

In a constantly changing world, where inequalities are quickly exacerbated, education, social entrepreneurship & employability play a key role in reducing the social divide. These are three strategic areas on which the Foundation focuses its efforts as a confirmed player in the third sector in Morocco and which are perfectly in line with the vision of the New Development Model. Driven by this motivation to contribute to a better Morocco, the Foundation recalls the importance of capitalizing on successful experiences and pooling efforts between institutional, national, international actors and civil society. It thus calls for the mobilization of all and aims, with the support of its partners, donors, collaborators and volunteers, to capitalize on the remarkable achievements to its credit to build many others for the years to come! Mr. Belahrach, President of the Zakoura Foundation said on this subject: "Remarkable work has been done by the Foundation team during the year 2021, a year still very marked by the presence of COVID-19 and yet, Thanks to the dedication and professionalism of each of them, some very fine achievements have been made!».

2022 is a year of consolidation of achievements, a springboard for the next 25 years. The Zakoura Foundation will continue its commitment to human development through its 3 strategic areas of intervention and according to an integrated approach favoring the inclusion of communities. "With the Zakoura Lab, the Foundation will strengthen its commitment to quality and innovation in education," said Mr. Belahrach. The contribution to the transformation of the education system, the launch of programs and citizen initiatives for the employability of promising youth, support for youth and women’s entrepreneurship, empowerment, training and qualification social actors and decisive resources for improving learning will always be at the heart of the Foundation’s vision for the coming years.

In concrete terms, the Foundation’s roadmap will be based on the following sub-axes: • Social & family support: parental education program; coaching and listening and orientation units • Educational and school support: preschool, school remediation, language learning, digital college, new generation 2nd chance school • Fulfillment & Awakening: SEL (Social-emotional learning), STEM (Science - Technology - Engineering - Maths), sport, soft & life skills, etc. • Support for citizenship: civic education and environmental education programs • Empowerment & capacity building of local actors, the educational ecosystem and human development, labeling dedicated to associations, favoring an approach oriented towards the transfer of expertise and the fact-to-do • Training through the Zakoura Academy of future actors of civil society and creation of associative centers of competence.

"As an expert training center in education and with strong experience in supporting ecosystem players, the Zakoura Academy will play a crucial role in the Foundation’s commitment to boosting human capital for rising generations." declared Mr. Mohamed Zaari, Executive Director of the Foundation. Moreover, driven by a spirit of innovation and continuous improvement of its programs supported by the Zakoura LAB and by the desire to find educational solutions that reduce social disparities, the Zakoura Foundation will continue to integrate ICTs into all its education programs and models. These are projects that are fully in line with a plan to promote quality education for all and the recommendations of the new development model and which are possible thanks to public-private partnerships and the third sector.

With you, everything becomes possible! All of these achievements, these opportunities in education, training and employability, and their impact on hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect beneficiaries, would not have been possible without the mobilization of everyone, whether through partnerships, contributions through the Rural Education Fund – FER, or free donations. The Foundation warmly thanks all the people and entities who contribute to its programs and actions, driven by the same vision of a better Morocco. Thank you also to our ambassadors and their #PreschoolHeroes communities. Thank you to our employees for the incredible work done on a daily basis with unfailing motivation. With you by its side, the Foundation can change lives.

About the Zakoura Foundation: Moroccan association recognized as being of public utility, the Zakoura Foundation has been working for 25 years in favor of human development through the education of children, the training of young people and the empowerment of women. The Foundation has proven experience in the deployment of socio-educational programs in rural areas. Since its creation at the end of December 2021, its actions have benefited more than 541,000 children, young people and women, and to support this dynamic, more than 7,130 resources have been trained.

Website: www.fondationzakoura.org Press contact: Nadia Kadiri n.kadiri@fondationzakoura.org