Hundreds of pupils in north east Morocco are studying in improved school conditions after a renovation project aimed at reducing dropout rates reached a new milestone. The Banque Populaire Foundation has completed renovation work at Achourafa School in Berkane province as part of a wider programme to improve schools and give children a better chance of staying in education.
The project included repainting classrooms, repairing and waterproofing buildings, upgrading toilets and creating green spaces and a playground for pupils.
Following the renovations, Achourafa School was selected to join the Eco-Schools programme run by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection.
The completion of the project was marked during an official ceremony attended by education officials and representatives of the Banque Populaire Foundation, including Abdelillah Harriz, President of the Management Board of Banque Populaire d’Oujda, and Houda Laaraj, Secretary General of the foundation.
The work in Berkane is part of a larger programme that has already benefited 18 schools.
The initiative has now expanded across Morocco’s Oriental region, covering four schools in Berkane province and two in Taourirt province. Together, the projects have improved the school environment for 687 pupils.
Alongside the renovation work, the foundation partnered with the Sapress-Sochepress Group to provide books to pupils at the two renovated schools in Taourirt in an effort to encourage reading from an early age.
Founded in 1984, the Banque Populaire Foundation is Morocco’s oldest banking foundation focused on social, environmental and community projects. The organisation was among the first non-governmental groups in Morocco to receive public utility status. While it initially focused on education and culture, it has expanded its activities over the past four decades to support wider development projects across the country.
