Morocco

Helen Keller International worked in Morocco from 1986-2006 in support of the Ministry of Health’s trachoma control program and the national goal to eliminate trachoma as a blinding disease.

The objectives of HKI's integrated trachoma program in the schools and communities included increasing awareness of the SAFE strategy among the target population, reducing the risk of disease transmission through behavior change activities, increasing the demand for surgery; and establishing a system of information, management, and monitoring and evaluation. HKI also pioneered the teaching of trachoma through women’s literacy training. In 2006, Morocco reduced disease levels that signify trachoma was no longer a public health problem.  The country is currently engaged in comprehensive surveillance to monitor sustained success.

HKI transitioned its office to a locally-registered NGO, the Association Marocaine d’Appui aux Initiatives de Développement (AMAID). AMAID is self-supporting and focuses on activities that empower women in former trachoma-endemic areas; these anti-poverty initiatives are seen as critical for continued suppression of the disease at the community level.

Program Partners

• The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
• Institutional partners
• Ministry of Health
• Ministry of National Education
• Ministry of Literacy and Informal Education
• Ministry of Agriculture
• National Mutual Assistance
• Ministry of Tourism
• Private partners
• National Office of Drinkable Water
• Nongovernmental organizations
• Local development associations
• Hassan II Foundation of Ophthalmology
• International organizations
• USAID
• World Bank
• UNESCO Chair for Literary and Adult Education