Lord Lieutenant salutes Lewes Old Grammar School (LOGS)
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December 8, 2016
Fundraising efforts by Lewes Old Grammar School (LOGS) have helped a young girl from rural Morocco pursue her dream of attending university.
Earlier this month, Year 12 and 13 students travelled to Imsker, in the High Atlas Mountains, to visit 22-year-old Khadija Hmed, whom they’ve sponsored to become one of the first women in her generation to gain a higher education.
Since 2013, pupils have annually donated £500 to enable Khadija to stay in a boarding house run by Moroccan NGO, Education For All (EFA), in the town of Asni. While Khadija’s home in Imsker was too far from school to travel each day, staying at the boarding house meant she could walk just five minutes to be in her classroom.
Now, Khadija is set to graduate with a biology degree from Marrakech University, and is looking to specialise in either human or animal biology. She told students that while she has to juggle a part time job in a coffee shop to afford living in the city, she is thankful to have access to new learning opportunities.
“I’m so grateful for the support from Lewes Old Grammar School,” said Khadija.
“My life is totally changed. My mother wasn’t educated, or my grandmother. I am the first. It is so amazing to come this far, to learn to be more independent and see another life.
“Without EFA, I would have stayed in my village, married young and probably have had a few children by now! Instead, I am pursuing my dreams and am able to give something of value back to my community. EFA has given me wings.”
Khadija is just one of several girls helped by EFA in Morocco, where new opportunities for women are only now becoming available across the country. In Asni alone, the NGO has established two boarding houses so that many other young women can follow in Khadija’s footsteps.
While on their ten-day trip to Africa, pupils got a glimpse of Khadija’s life without the home comforts they take for granted, such as electricity and a reliable water supply.
“Even so, Khadija and her family were incredibly generous and hospitable,” said Mr Will Ellis, Head of Geography at LOGS. “What really struck us was her incredible determination, her dedication and her generosity – she already is planning to return to her village after graduating to help them with better organic permaculture techniques.”
Pupils also had the chance to do some sightseeing while in Morocco. They explored the ancient city of Marrakech, ventured into the Sahara on camel back, and camped overnight in a Touareg tent, nicknamed the “thousand star hotel” because of the incredible desert skies overhead.
To find out more about Education for All, visit: http://www.efamorocco.org/
