KO - Itto - Flilou, Midelt, Morocco
Ko-Itto is a humanitarian project I have founded aimed at improving the conditions of the community and to provide access to education to the village of Flilou in Morocco.
The name Ko-Itto is derived from my mother's name Koulli Itto, in her memory. She and my father were born in the village of Flilou and did not have access to education. Some of my siblings and I were born in Flilou before my father moved our family to Midelt so the children could attend school. At that time, things were difficult under the French authority. Today access to education, resources, and safe, clean living are still difficult due to other reasons and have resulted in a community with social problems. I have since moved to Vancouver, BC, Canada where I'm devoted to making conditions in Flilou better.
A positive change in the village is that some girls are now attending school. Less than ten years ago there were no girls in the school. The hope is that parents will keep their children in school. One focus will be on useful practical skills to benefit the students, as it's important to Ko-Itto to preserve the culture and heritage of the village.
Phase 1 of the project includes improvements to windows, floors, roofs, washrooms, etc.in the school. Heat will be required for winter weather. And the school programs need to be developed as well.
The new Foyer* being built will be similar to a community center. It will be a visible and integral part of the community helping develop connections with surrounding villages. Various programs and events will be available to children, parents, and it will offer specific programs to mothers and other groups. The facility will provide a healthy lunch to school children, and welcome visiting professionals (such as Global Prespectives of Richmond, BC Canada - see blog) as well as international guests.
This initiative will make improvements to the existing school, and will provide accessible education to all children in the village, boys and girls. Another focus is to develop a healthy community to include proper hygiene and sanitation, which can be difficult with challenges in climate and weather with extremely cold winters and flash floods creating poor water conditions each year. A water filtration system is necessary as currently livestock and people share the same water.
With some funds of my own as well as from Richmond High School of BC, Canada, we have built the foundation of the building and a new roof in one of the classrooms, the same room used by the Canadian Dentist's of Global Perspectives. But much more work needs to be done to complete the facility.
Phase 2 includes completing the Foyer* begun by the students of Richmond High School. We'll than extend out into the village working together as a community to continue with any improvements as required. A training room and a nursery-infirmary for visiting doctors will be available along with a training room with sewing machines and knitting equipment. This would ultimatly offer the possibility of producing quality local Berber carpets and tapestries. Please see blog section for further details.