Our group’s morning started off at ANDD. Their mission is to support project leaders, specifically women and youth, by giving them practical tools to create, develop, and digitize their projects. I found it interesting that they offer more than one program, like for example this year they offered 3. They also change the ones they do every year. These programs are all in high demand and very needed for the community. Throughout my time in Morocco I have noticed that not only the ideas of entrepreneurs are important but the infrastructure like these places that are provided are beyond helpful for fully shaping Morocco’s ecosystem. Whether it was the Technopark, Anou, or now ANDD, everyone is trying to fill gaps that the already built system didn’t provide. I liked how the coop group of women that ANDD is connected to  specifically focused on helping build technical skills like using Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and CapCut to promote their product. These kinds of tools sound simple in theory but can be tricky for someone who has no experience in using technology like that. These tools also create great advancements when trying to sell a product, and find more people.

The women there had gone through the whole program and you can tell from the conversations, and then giving us a show and tell of their journey/products. I talked to one woman specifically who spoke English very well. She sells makeup and posts across all her platforms either videos or pictures which some include transitions. She also was such a friendly face to be around. She had such energy asking others in my group about their passions and to push to start now. What all women had in common was that they found their voice and confidence. They came not knowing anything about these tools and left with more revenue, online presence, and friends to work through this process. Back to the products for a second they were stunning and their hard work really shows through.

This visit also tied back into other places we have visited. At 1337 coding school everything is self directed and you can retake tests as many times as you need until you succeed. At the women’s leather cooperative the focus was on autonomy and visibility. All three places pushed the same idea and from different angles.This idea is to give people the right environment and tools and then let them go succeed. Morocco’s startup ecosystem is still growing and you can see the effort being made everywhere. More people are putting themselves out there. More organizations are showing up to support them. More growth as a country is happening.

Here is also a picture of the amazing food we had at the restaurant we went to today for lunch. I also included a picture of kittens that I saw on my walk today. It just keeps getting harder and harder not to pet them.