Morocco

Zahra Laabid ’05 leads a team of youth in planting Acacia trees.

Environmental protection has become a mission for '05 alumna Zahra Laabid. She organized a project to plant Acacia trees at the El Yasmine High School and the Ottoman Ben Affane primary school in the Khemisset region of Morocco this past May. Zahra worked hard to communicate the value of protecting the environment to her fellow students by organizing several presentations on the importance of community service work and environmental protection. These presentations were well attended and prompted student organizations to help co-sponsor her project, including the El Yasmine Club, the Ottoman Ben Affane Club and the Al Fath Club. In addition, over sixty students from the 11th and 12th grades at El Yasmine High School joined in. To help publicize her activities, Zahra linked her project to global environmental events including: The International Day of Biological Diversity celebrated on May 22nd and the World Environment Day celebrated on June 15th. Zahra also encouraged students from "Ottoman Ben Affane Primary School" to express their feelings about the importance of protecting the environment. With the help of their instructors, the students wrote stories about the Acacia trees and how they improve Morocco's environment. Zahra is currently working on publishing brochures about her environmental work in order to inspire widespread environmental activism in Morocco among Moroccan youth.