MCRA FY2021 Q2 Report: FORSATY Interim Report to USAID

The project aims to increase access to quality services for at-risk groups, enhance Moroccan-led counter-violent extremism (CVE) initiatives, and strengthen community resilience. During the reporting period of January to March 2021, the project continued to provide assistance to vulnerable communities in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The project expended allocated funds, distributed food baskets, and provided phone and data credits to an estimated 90,884 persons. Additionally, the project equipped One-Stop-Shop staff members with laptops to carry out online courses and expanded psychosocial assistance to the larger community. The project also applied a policy of continued assistance with Internet and phone access, providing 1,726 participants, including 533 girls and women, with Internet credit support. This enabled online participation to continue unconstrained by expensive data costs. The national economy gained 0.7 percent in growth in the first quarter of 2021, and a strong agricultural season is expected to generate a GDP increase of 14.7 percent in the second calendar quarter. Activities outside of agriculture declined by 1 percent, and household consumption, which had fallen by 4.3 percent in the fourth calendar quarter of 2020, recovered by 0.8 percent. While a return to in-person activities offered a giant breath of fresh air for many participants, others remain limited to online activities. Continued economic hardship and uncertainty is fueling discouragement and extreme responses such as irregular migration to Spain. Despite the challenges, FORSATY participants are progressing, and through more skillful use of online methods and continued engagement, performance is steadily rising, sometimes surpassing pre-pandemic levels. In-person psychosocial sessions with FORSATY participants jumped from 290 to 455 this quarter, while online requests shrunk down to 49, reflecting a return to in-person services. One-Stop-Shops initiated grassroots campaigns to help communities cope, share positive ideas and examples from the neighborhood, and reduce negative habits such as excessive social media use and verbal aggression. The campaigns have so far reached over 110,000 community members using social media. Two other campaigns will launch in May. For excluded youth 18+, those most at risk of extremist messaging and recruitment, activities are essentially online, as most public venues remain closed. Despite this significant hurdle, 1,689 excluded youths joined Community activities this quarter (+35%), thanks to a grand FORSATY-wide online competition in artistic productions last quarter. The number of partner community-based organizations (CBOs) increased to 37, up from 32, and the number of youth clubs increased to 15, up from 12. The project's results and activities are aligned with the overall objectives of the MCRA project, which aims to increase access to quality services for at-risk groups, enhance Moroccan-led CVE initiatives, and strengthen community resilience. The project's results are also reflected in the increased participation of excluded youth in community activities, the expansion of psychosocial assistance, and the initiation of grassroots campaigns to help communities cope with the pandemic. The project's continued assistance with Internet and phone access has enabled online participation to continue unconstrained by expensive data costs, and the project's results and activities are aligned with the overall objectives of the MCRA project.