Jawaher Al Qasimi launches new initiatives in Morocco through the “Khalid Bin Sultan Humanitarian Foundation” to enhance community protection for children

The wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, Chairwoman of the Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation, and a prominent advocate for refugee children at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, launched two new humanitarian projects in the Kingdom of Morocco aimed at strengthening community protection systems and building safe environments for children suffering from difficult social conditions, and refugee and migrant children in local communities, as Morocco hosts refugees and asylum seekers from about 64 countries.

The Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation, which was established in 2024, aims to protect and empower children who are victims of poverty, ignorance, conflicts, and natural disasters around the world, ensure their access to their basic rights, and provide support to them through awareness-raising community programs, protection initiatives, global strategic partnerships, and reducing the risks of exploitation, forced labor, and child trafficking, in cooperation with local organizations and international humanitarian organizations.

The first project is implemented with funding from the Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation and the implementation of the Aman Foundation for Child Protection, and aims to strengthen local child protection systems in the Souss-Massa region – Taroudant province, while the second project is implemented with joint funding between the Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation and the Big Heart Foundation, and implemented by the Beyti Association in the Kenitra province.

These projects come within the framework of the Foundation’s long-term vision, which reflects the commitment of the Emirate of Sharjah and the United Arab Emirates to support social stability and promote sustainable development for children living in difficult situations and circumstances.

Building Arab generations that lead the renaissance

Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi confirmed that these initiatives embody the lofty message carried by the late Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, God willing, in making childhood protection a central path in building societies. Her Highness praised the efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco in caring for children and striving to strengthen community protection systems that take into account all social groups, especially children, whether they are citizens of the country or those who have taken refuge in the land of Morocco in search of safety. During her meeting with officials from the Moroccan Beyti Association, Her Highness stressed that a person is born with a pure heart and an innate nature that tends towards good in the environment surrounding the child, and the presence of those who influence the course of his life are the biggest factor in shaping his personality and behavior, either by strengthening this positive innate nature, or pushing it towards another path that contains evil and negativity.

Her Highness said: “We cannot be at peace when we know that there is a child who suffers or is deprived of his right to care, education, and health. This is a very great responsibility that cannot be fulfilled by one party alone. Rather, we will always need the combined efforts of governments, the private sector, and even members of society to protect every child on the face of the earth, because the future that we aspire to is created by a generation that grows up with awareness of human rights and duties, and grows up in an environment that embraces them and opens horizons of knowledge and growth to them.”

Her Highness added: “The Foundation’s projects in Morocco are an embodiment of the depth of human ties and the common human destiny between our peoples, and at their core they share a common Arab ambition to build generations that believe in themselves, firmly rooted in their values, and capable of contributing to the process of societal renaissance with all confidence and creativity.”

This came during a humanitarian mission led by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi to the Kingdom of Morocco, during which she met with partners of the Foundation’s initiatives from national organizations and government institutions, and learned about joint efforts to enhance child protection and support community development.

The delegation accompanying Her Highness included Her Excellency Noura Al Noman, Head of the Executive Office of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi, and members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, who are: Her Excellency Iram Mazhar Alawi, Senior Advisor in the Executive Office of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi; His Excellency Abdullah Al Huraimel, Economic Advisor to Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi; And Her Excellency Maryam Al Hammadi, Director General of the Nama Foundation for the Advancement of Women. The delegation also included Her Excellency Alia Al-Messibi, Director of the Big Heart Foundation, Logan Murad, Director of the Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation, and Hamda Al-Mahrazi, Deputy Director of the Foundation, in addition to the presence of representatives of relevant Moroccan governmental organizations and bodies.

An integrated national model for child protection

Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi witnessed the signing of the first project grant agreement under the title: “Strengthening local child protection systems through community participation, government cooperation, and mobile field access,” between the Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation in cooperation with the Aman Foundation for Child Protection in the Souss-Massa region – Taroudant province for a period of 17 months, targeting 740 direct beneficiaries, more than 5,000 families, and 180 institutional entities.

The agreement was signed by the Khalid Bin Sultan Al Qasimi Foundation, His Excellency Abdullah Al Huraimel, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and by the Aman Foundation for Child Protection, Abdullah Soussi, President of the Foundation, in the presence of a number of senior officials from the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Family, and the National Cooperation Foundation in the Kingdom of Morocco.

The project responds to efforts to improve child protection services in rural areas. It is based on national and regional data highlighting the need to develop safer environments that support childhood development, including empowering families, enhancing community awareness, and expanding and facilitating access to education and care opportunities. Through these initiatives, the Khalid Bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation seeks to contribute to existing national efforts, through specific projects that strengthen the prevention and protection system and support children and girls on the paths of growth, learning and a decent life.

The project aims to transform integrated public policy for child protection (PPIPEM) to an effective local model that links national and community efforts, through local awareness campaigns, training workers and those responsible for child care on case management and protection mechanisms, and expanding the services of the Child Protection Unit in the Moroccan province of Taroudant to include psychosocial support, legal assistance, birth registration, and school reintegration. Two mobile field teams will also be launched in the Ouled Taima and Ouled Barhiel regions to reach remote villages and connect families with official services, in parallel with applied research and a national conference on reforming the child protection system in cooperation with Ibn Zohr University in Morocco, and the Universities of Massey and Auckland in New Zealand.

The project is being implemented in coordination with the Ministries of Solidarity, Labour, Education, Health, and Justice, in addition to the National Cooperation Foundation, to ensure integrated efforts and sustainability of the impact, achieving a dual effect of providing immediate protection and services for children in need, and promoting long-term structural reforms in the child protection system in Morocco, in line with the vision of the Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation in building comprehensive and sustainable protection systems for every child.

Child care… cultivating the future

Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi also visited the site of the second project, which is being implemented under the title “Cultivating the Future: Prevention, Protection, Rehabilitation and Care for Children Working on the Street and their Families,” and is being held with joint funding from the Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation and the Big Heart Foundation, and field implementation by the Bayti Association, one of the most prominent Moroccan organizations in the field of child protection.

The project extends over a period of eighteen months, targeting the assistance and rehabilitation of 100 direct beneficiaries of children, in addition to 140 indirect beneficiaries of their families and local communities. This project enhances efforts to provide comprehensive protection for children in major cities, and enhance the effectiveness of social protection policies. The project also aims to build a model that combines prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration, based on the experience of the Bayti Association, which extends for more than three decades in protecting children and empowering them socially and economically.

During the visit, Her Highness met with members of the Beyti Association’s management, led by Yamna Taltit, the Association’s Director, and listened to a detailed explanation from them about the vocational training programs and family care programs that the Association provides to children and adolescents. Her Highness also visited the Beyti Agricultural School, which is supervised by the Association and provides intensive agricultural training programs for adolescents there. She met the young men and girls participating in it and discussed their important challenges, needs, and future opportunities.

The project provides children with shelter, health, psychological and educational care, in addition to a vocational training program at Beyti Agricultural School, which relies on organic agriculture as a tool for psychological and social rehabilitation. By working on the land and caring for plants, children learn the values ​​of cooperation, responsibility, and teamwork, and acquire life and professional skills that enhance self-confidence, a sense of belonging, and the ability to produce. This program forms a safe therapeutic environment that helps them recover and paves the way for their integration into education and society.

The project program also includes awareness-raising activities for families and community workshops aimed at rebuilding family ties and enhancing society’s responsibility to protect its children, in addition to preventive programs to address the social causes that may lead to children spilling into the streets.