On Saturday, July 2, 2016 the charity Friends of Fez Orphans (FOFO) raised over 12,500 dhs (1,200 USD) at its first annual iftar fundraiser to support its activities to help the orphans of Fez.
Fifty people came out to break the fast at the Aditi Yoga Centre in Fez. The abundant food and drinks were donated by local supporters, and prepared and set-up by the many volunteers and guests. Each guest made a recommended donation of 60 dhs, but many made additional donations to the charity.
The well known travel company, Plan-it Morocco, generously offered to match the donations made at the event, doubling the 5,500 dhs collected to a total of 11,000 dhs. The total amount will go toward paying the salary for a full-time preschool teacher to help children’s early learning and language development at the Amal Centre, the local orphanage supported by FOFO.
“With the money raised FOFO will be able to pay the full-time teacher for five months and will fund at least two day-long outings for the children,” said Zakia Elyoubi, FOFO Program Director. “This is the largest fundraiser the association has done and we would like to do more. Our longer-term plan is to hire a speech therapist and this makes me hopeful we could do that starting next year.”
One of the urgent needs of the Amal centre is to help improve the language abilities of the children. Currently, the children aged 2-5 are not speaking yet. For the most part, this isn’t due to a physical or learning disability, it is because they don’t have the full time attention of an adult speaking with them. One-on-one time with volunteers will help the children to start speaking.
“We are overwhelmed with the generosity of Plan-it Morocco and all the people who donated, organised, and volunteered for the event.” Said Zineb Maarouf, FOFO Board Member and Treasurer. “We especially are thankful to the Aditi Yoga Centre where we hosted the event.”
An estimated 24 babies are abandoned every day in Morocco (INSAF, 2008). Without socialisation the children can develop long-term mental and emotional problems. Friends of Fez Orphans has developed programs focused on socialisation, education, and therapy for the children at the Amal Centre a local orphanage.
Congratulations to the organisers
If you would like to contribute, contact: Zakia Elyoubi, FOFO Program Director
Phone: +212 (0) 653-580666
Email: friendsoffezorphans@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfFezOrphans
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