Building a collaborative community in Douar Chanti shantytown

Search for Common Ground- Morocco, with the support of USAID and in partnership with the Holding d'Aménagement Al Omrane (The National Shelter Upgrading Agency) implemented a project aimed at introducing and institutionalizing participatory and collaborative approaches to development in one impoverished urban community in Morocco and aimed to create a model of collaboration between national and local development institutions. The project took place in Northeast Morocco, in Douar Chanti Shantytown.

Located in Sidi Yahia Al-Gharb, 30 km away from Kenitra and 60 km from Rabat, the Douar Chanti is a shantytown of 37 hectares composed of approximately 2,000 unhealthy housing units (10,000 inhabitants). The Douar Chanti, one of the poorest districts of Sidi Yahia Al- Gharb (63% of the inhabitants of Sidi Yahia live in shantytowns), is characterized by high unemployment - 53% - especially among the young and female populations (57.9% of the population are under 30 years while 25.68% are under 15).

This program was designed to include an integrated process of activities to increase communication and collaboration between the various development actors; provide skill and capacity building training; and empower a poor community to be self-reliant, progressive and prosperous. SFCG - M has built coalitions and facilitated a public-private partnership resulting in joint efforts between local associations, national NGOs, government agencies and representatives, private sector, community residents and municipal council to facilitate collaboration, stimulate broad participation and create a replicable model for win-win, collaborative development.

Program's Activities
The Douar Chanti project of social development (2002-2004) executed by Search for Common Ground in collaboration with Al Omrane was based on a multifaceted approach encompassing a myriad of activities. At the start up of the project in 2002, SFCG facilitated the organization of an awareness-raising campaign in order to bring together all Sidi Yahia el Gharb social agents and to sensitize the population to the various stages of the project.

In view of building the capacity of Douar Chanti's actors and strengthening local governance, SFCG organized a series of training workshops revolving around many useful topics: Strategies of Conflict Resolution and Communication, Proposal Preparation and How to Obtain Funding, Strategic Planning, Project Management, etc. All trained participants could, hence, implement on the one hand the newly acquired approaches of cooperation, conflict resolution, problem solving and team work. And on the other hand, sensitize their surroundings to the benefits of these practices. In collaboration with Zakoura Foundation, three workshops were conducted on micro credit procedures and the creation of micro enterprise to inform women about the steps of setting up a micro project through receiving micro credits.

In the same spirit of empowering civil society components, SFCG facilitated the creation of an Association "Collaboration for Development" that unifies the efforts of the six local associations "Amicales de Quartier" and legitimize their actions.

SFCG built a community resource centre equipped with a conference room to house the diverse activities of the Association "Collaboration for Development" (social, cultural and educational activities) and a computer room where computer skills trainings are held for youth.

Being a proximity project, it ensured the implication of local capacities that have been strongly committed throughout the program namely, civil society representatives. In order to guarantee the project's sustainability and maintain this dynamic of collaboration and commitment, a convention was signed between the new association collaboration for development and other stakeholders (the Municipality and Al Omrane) defining the roles of each partner in view of ensuring the sustainable functioning and management of the community center. Accordingly, the impetus created by the convention and the community activities has changed the position of beneficiary groups from one of distrust to one of trust.

Program's Achievements
As mentioned above, a panoply of activities and trainings were successfully organized in Douar Chanti reaching out to different categories of citizens (children, youth, adults, women and local actors):

• Creation of a sustainable, replicable model of collaboration

• Ownership of the participatory approach and the collaborative framework/process that lead to tangible results

• Creation of the Association Collaboration for Development that combines the capacities of six amicales of residents

• Mobilization of local partnerships and promotion of leadership

• Creation of a garden at the heart of the shantytown

• Construction of a community resource center in Douar Chanti

• Promotion of joint actions and community work

• 200 beneficiaries (youth, children and women) trained in computer skills

• 22 stakeholders trained in communication, conflict resolution, proposal preparation, project management and strategic planning (municipality, local authorities, Al Omrane, the Bachawiya, and the amicales of residents)

• 24 youth activists trained in communication, conflict resolution and leadership

• 35 women recipients of micro credits and trained in micro project management (total of credit received = MAD 100.000)

• 4 computer trainees with enhanced training in methodology and computer technology skills

• 40 women beneficiaries of literacy courses

Please click here to read full evaluation report for this project.