His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, launched on Tuesday in the old medina of Rabat, the national operation "Ramadan 1443", organized by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
This initiative of highly symbolic significance in this holy month reflects the constant Royal care for persons in vulnerable social situations. It also comes to consolidate the noble values of solidarity, mutual assistance, and sharing that characterize Moroccan society.
This year, the "Ramadan 1443" operation, which has been allocated a budget of 103 million dirhams, will benefit nearly 3 million people, distributed across 83 provinces and prefectures of the Kingdom, belonging to 600,000 households, of which 459,500 are in rural areas (77 percent of the beneficiary families).
Organized with the financial support of the Ministries of the Interior and of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, this operation, now in its 23rd edition, has become a major annual event aimed at providing help and support to the most vulnerable social categories, particularly widows, the elderly, and persons with special needs.
This year, given the stable epidemiological situation (according to the latest data from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection), the mechanism for distributing food aid has been shifted to distribution centers managed by local authorities. To ensure the smooth running of this operation, thousands of people have been mobilized, supported by social workers and volunteers at over 1,800 distribution points nationwide. They will oversee the delivery of food aid to the 600,000 heads and representatives of the beneficiary families.
The implementation of this initiative is subject to monitoring, notably through two committees, one local and the other provincial, which supervise on the ground the supply of distribution centers, the identification of beneficiaries, and the distribution of food supplies. Moreover, the identification of beneficiaries is subject, as it is every year, to field work carried out by local authorities to assess the living conditions of these persons and their current situation based on socio-economic criteria.
The social services of the Royal Armed Forces, the Entraide Nationale (National Mutual Aid), the Promotion Nationale (National Promotion), and local authorities provide assistance to the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity to ensure the smooth conduct of this solidarity operation. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) ensure the quality control of the distributed food products.
Since its launch in 1998, the national food support operation has mobilized an overall budget exceeding 1.5 billion dirhams, while the number of beneficiary households has increased from 34,100 in 1998 to 600,000 starting in 2020.
Thus, the "Ramadan 1443" operation comes to add to the various humanitarian operations and initiatives undertaken by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, with a view to promoting a culture of solidarity and achieving sustainable human development.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI stated that Morocco is entering a new phase focused on strengthening national sovereignty, supporting economic recovery, and implementing the New Development Model. He also called on the government and Parliament to fully assume their responsibilities.
The United Nations praised His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s forward-looking vision for future generations, highlighting the importance of collective action to build a human-centered and sustainable development model. It also noted that this vision has become even more relevant in light of the challenges exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly social inequalities and the spread of misinformation.
The Council of the League of Arab States praised the efforts of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, to protect Al-Quds Al-Sharif and support the resilience of the Palestinian people. It also highlighted the fieldwork of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency in preserving the city’s Arab and Islamic identity.
