A Different Path: Street and Working Children in Morocco

Summary

There are street children in Morocco’s urban centres. Conflict, family breakdown, rural to urban drift, and lack of economic and educational opportunity have all helped to bring these children to the street. In the last three decades the number of children on Morocco’s streets has grown steadily, and Taroudannt, where the Moroccan Children’s Trust (MCT) projects are based, has several hundred children who spend the majority of their time on the street. In the first six months of 2010, MCT project workers consulted with children living in poverty and their families in Taroudannt, southern Morocco.

This report describes the results of that consultation, and reflects the children’s experiences, thoughts and feelings. It also describes the Moroccan social and economic factors which have helped to shape these young peoples’ lives. When speaking to children living and working on the streets of Taroudannt, it is clear that many of them would welcome and would benefit from targeted support to help them improve their situation. MCT has planned a project which aims to deliver that support.