This effort is also illustrated through the INDH’s approach advocating the encouragement of this targeted category to come together within a cooperative framework capable of guaranteeing women beneficiaries a stable income and improving their financial situation. and social.
Since its launch in 2005, the INDH has continued to attach particular importance to women’s cooperatives operating in the different areas in which they are active, in particular through financial and technical support, given that cooperatives constitute a fundamental pillar and a strategic choice to support and strengthen the social and solidarity economy.
The technical support provided to cooperatives concerns in particular the means of production and the marketing of their products in order to increase their capacities and thereby develop their performance in the service of local development.
This interest is reflected in the field of employment at the level of the prefecture of Marrakech by the number of women’s cooperatives created within the framework of the INDH, active in various fields including weaving, sewing and carpet production. . The aim is to promote the contribution of women, particularly rural women, to efforts undertaken for sustainable local economic development.
As a result, the “Ait Bouhdadi” Cooperative represents one of the successful models that reflects the pragmatic and innovative approach of the INDH in promoting the social and solidarity economy sector.
Created in 2018 at the Ait Bouhou douar in the rural commune of Ait Imour (Marrakech prefecture), this cooperative works to strengthen the capacities of rural women of different ages in sewing and carpet making, through the creation of a Center dedicated to this purpose, with an estimated financial cost of 134 thousand dirhams, to which the initiative contributed 80,400 dirhams, benefiting a fifty women.
In a statement to MAP, Latifa Bouhdadi, president of the said Cooperative, indicated that thanks to the INDH, the cooperative benefited, one year after its creation, from technical support in the form of sewing and embroidery equipment, and carpet weaving machines.
And to continue that the Cooperative has contributed to guaranteeing a stable source of income for a certain number of women in the douar thanks to the marketing of carpets, while making it possible to improve their social situation.
On another note, she expressed the Cooperative’s concern to take into account the “need to rationalize the use of water and the preservation of the environment” dimension during the carpet weaving process, thanks to the use of small quantities of this vital substance and without chemicals especially, during the wool washing operation to obtain a high quality artisanal product
Ms. Bouhdadi did not fail to point out that her Cooperative also offers training to out-of-school girls, as part of apprenticeship training in order to teach them the ABCs of the art of design and sewing, as well as crafts. “Randa”, “hssab embroidery”, thus opening the way for them to create their own projects.
In this sense, she highlighted the strong enthusiasm shown by women and girls for this cooperative specializing in the field of traditional crafts, noting that the cooperative markets its products during trade fairs or directly to customers, highlighting emphasis on the major imperative of working in favor of digital marketing, especially since the women of the cooperative have benefited from training in this area.
She also expressed her deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the particular interest with which the Sovereign continues to surround this innovative Initiative, and for the permanent improvement of the social and economic conditions of women, particularly in rural areas.
!The Head of the Department of the “Income Improvement and Economic Inclusion of Youth” program at the Social Action Division (DAS) under the Marrakech prefecture, Ms. Souad Zaghloul, indicated in a similar statement that the INDH is considered a fundamental partner in the field of development of the social and solidarity economy, due to the importance of this sector in terms of job creation, economic development and social inclusion.
She underlined that the Provincial Human Development Committee (CPDH) of the Prefecture of Marrakech has provided considerable technical and financial support to cooperatives, within the framework of the 3rd program “Improvement of income and economic inclusion of young people” of the third phase of the INDH.
The aim being to improve income, as part of the development of priority production sectors with high employment potential, and in line with the economic potential abounding in the territory of the Marrakech prefecture, she added.
And to conclude that at the level of the prefecture of Marrakech, the INDH provided its support to some 173 projects, within the framework of this Program, including 40% in rural areas, for the benefit of 154 cooperatives, which enabled the creation of more than 1,900 jobs and contributed to improving the income of beneficiaries.