Amal Restaurant in Marrakech .. Learn cooking instead of begging

Hajar Ismail - Casablanca

A restaurant may seem traditional in the red city of Marrakesh in the Kingdom of Morocco, but once you enter it you will be surrounded by signs of hope. Once you start to ask for food, the surprise will be waiting for you. The restaurant is part of Amal's initiative to teach Moroccan poor women culinary arts and help them access The labor market after receiving professional training, and each meal you buy from this restaurant is fully paid for these ladies and their training.

"I met a woman in 2006 begging on a street in Marrakech and was very touched by her story and decided to help her financially," said Noura Fitzgerald, who told Al Jazeera Net. "I have been following her situation and the situation of other women who have been begging in the streets of Marrakech. But after six years Providing assistance to them found that their lives were not affected. "

He taught me how to hunt
Fitzgerald adds that the famous Chinese proverb "Do not give me a fish but taught me how to fish" was her guide to her initiative. She thought of creating a project that would help women by training them in a specific profession that would help them get into the job market after they had been trained and the restaurant was the most appropriate idea.

The choice of the restaurant was not unusual, Fitzgerald said. Most Moroccan women are skilled cooks and make simple things delicious. Marrakesh is a tourist city with a large number of restaurants and of course there are opportunities to work there.

Fitzgerald launched the name "Amal" on the initiative, which was successful in its establishment in 2012, because it is an easy name for non-Arabic speakers who represent a good number of restaurant customers, in addition to the meaning and great value of every lady entering it has narrowed the world.

Why do women join the Amal initiative?
"Before joining the initiative, a trainee must complete the application form for training on our website, be between 18 and 35 years old and be in need of course, then meet with her personally. The only criterion that separates applicants is the determination to change life," says Fitzgerald. And commitment, because training is hard and lasts 6 days a week for 6 months. "

The Amal Initiative trainee receives a nominal fee for a minimum of $ 100, plus a free bus subscription and free meals throughout the training period.

Fitzgerald adds, "I feel great, that I do my job in life, and all I hope is that every woman will have a decent life for herself and her children. I was also proud to be able to provide jobs for our deaf and dumb graduates in a Marrakech café."

Nora Fitzgerald is Moroccan, born in the United States to Moroccan parents. She holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a Spanish teacher. She is the first Moroccan woman to win the Women for Change Award in 2015, The restaurant was a great challenge for her. On the first day of the opening of the restaurant in April 2012, only four people entered for lunch. Today, about 100 people eat lunch daily. .