Casablanca: ...and the slums of Sidi Bernoussi

Despite the fact that Casablanca is actually a rich and a progressive city there still exist amazingly many slums in each quarter of the town... easily recognised by all the satellite dishes on the tin shacks...

Have you ever wondered what it looks like inside such a slum or one of these little huts? Well, I have and today I had the chance to take a closer look at one of them, getting to know its owner at the same time:

a pregnant mother in expectation of her fifth child.

Below the entrance to the slum:

Provisional installation of clotheslines to dry the few clothes the 

people are owning in the late but still warming autumn sun:

Living-, dining- and sleeping room as well as the nursery in one 

single chamber. Still you can notice how careful this space has been

decorated with pictures, extracts from the Koran, a nice carpet and 

differently covered pillows... a mother who tried to create a real home

for her kids...

... in one of the shabby corners I even discovered a pink paper flower:

The tentative kitchen where the mother has to cook for her 4 kids...

... and next to the kitchen the wardrobe which contains all clothes for

the mother and her 4, soon 5 kids:

I am 'glad' that I had the opportunity to accompany the national director of the SOS children village of Morocco today to visit the slums... even though it's not easy and comfortable to see people living in such a poverty it helps to open your eyes and to make you aware that your help is needed desperately.

SOS children's village is known worldwide and has in Morocco itself already 6 villages which help and take care of children in need. In Casablanca Sidi Bernoussi a new centre has been opened this year with the aim to take care of mothers in need: Women who have been abandoned, who have lost their husbands and are now totally alone with their kids, not knowing where to get money from because they have never learned any job nor sometimes can't even read. In this new centre they are offered a first help after an often traumatic experience: after that they can profit from different services such as alphabetisation, juristic support, monthly provisions and will on plus be trained on a proper job so that they once will be able to take care of their children themselves...

In case you are interested to support this centre or one of the SOS children's villages, I am glad to give you the contact details of the national director.