HKA will be travelling to Morocco to help out local children!
Some of the case studies are listed below to give you some indication of the difference we can make and children we will be teaching in Morocco .
Names have been changed for Protection. – Please note this is their words.
Mr M – Age: 13
My Schooling is very problematic and I work at a tailor’s during the holidays to provide for family.
Living conditions: rents one room for 5 members, my father passed away, mother unemployed and in ill health. Been training since 2012, I’m very shy and don’t talk much but enjoy physically active, competitive, Mr M suffers from hearing problems and poverty.
Mr L -Age: 15
Schooling is average, works selling vegetables and chickens during the holidays to provide for family; carer for mother. Mr L lives in a small house with 6 members, father passed away, mother is unemployed and in ill health, been training 5 years, Enjoys full contact, football, swimming, hiking.
Feels like he is a good member of the team being bold and funny.
Mr L Goal is to become a trader or a boxing trainer.
lacks of being the breadwinner.
Mr M Age: 18
Is reserved, respectful and religious.
I live with my parents that rent a small flat for 5 members, lives in an unsafe neighbourhood, mother is unemployed, father makes bread for living, joined the club in 2006.
Goal in life is to become world champion in kickboxing.
ASSOUAR AT A GLANCE
‘Combating in the name of sport, self-development and justice.’
ASSOUAR was founded by second-grade belt Youness Ait Bayaa in March 2007 in the small town of Taroudant, located in the Souss Valley, southern Morocco. Youness’ professional experience with boxing had taught him that this sport could provide an essential means to help disadvantaged youth in the region. Boxing, with particular emphasis on kick-boxing and full-contact, would not only overcome the issues of vulnerability and violence to which many of the youth are accustomed, but also reach deeper into the needs and wants of these young people to bring out their best potential.
Despite its vibrant colours and known trades, Taroudant faces high levels of poverty, marginalisation and a marked lack of social services. These are just some of the factors that have led children and adolescents in the town to turn to drugs, drop out of school, work from any early age and engage in illicit activities. Since its establishment ASSOUAR has sought to directly tackle these negative trends through kick-boxing and full-contact. To confront the deep-seated loss of hope and disappointment of the youth, the organisation works from a 4-point model: discipline, tolerance, team-work and education, unified under the single aim of self-development. The regular training sessions include kick-boxing and full-contact training, intense preparation for competitions, group discussions on topics relevant to the young peoples’ lives, as well as advice and teaching on matters of citizenship and society. The atmosphere found in the sessions is one of discipline, commitment, and hard-work, but also one of brotherhood, understanding and tolerance.
ASSOUAR has grown since its inception, welcoming more members and offering different activities. It remains however an independent non-profit organisation dedicated to the above-mentioned vision. The organisation is open to all young people from the community of both genders from the ages of 6 to 22 years who are interested in participating. However through its contacts in the community and the experience of its team, ASSOUAR mainly targets children and young people who live in difficult circumstances and suffer from adversity. These include youngsters who have dropped out of education, are involved in illicit activities, live through emotional and psychological traumas, live in dysfunctional households, and all those who are at risk of offending behaviour and exclusion.
Functioning on the recently-established humanitarian stage of Morocco, ASSOUAR itself faces various obstacles. As a small and independent organisation ASSOUAR does not have the means to benefit from widespread publicity or professional marketing. It thus relies on word-of-mouth and friendly supporters to attract and obtain funds for the running of its project. The importance of a stable income to the organisation cannot be underestimated as it determines access to far-distance competitions, and the materials and equipment that members have at their disposal. As a fairly new phenomenon in southern Morocco, kick-boxing and full-contact classes have yet to attract the necessary number of professional trainers and educators. The organisation is further restricted as it is still searching for a permanent home. Indeed, these obstacles affect the smooth-running of the organisation but more importantly threaten the continuity of its activity.
Despite such restrictions ASSOUAR continues with unflinching belief and perseverance, its goal always in sight. ASSOUAR is above all a local initiative for local youngsters. It is a sports-specialised initiative which seeks to address some of the pains and redress some of the injustices that are faced by some of the most disaffected in society.
