School Year Begins With Gift from
American Friend
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Mission Director Monica Stein-Olson listens as Ambassador
Thomas Riley explains how the pencils will be distributed.
Each pencil Stanton gave to children in Morocco says
"in cooperation with the American people, we wish
you success for the year" in Arabic.
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USAID/Morocco |
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Like kids in the United States, Moroccan schoolchildren
recently went back to school. Many have a special gift in
their backpacks. Thanks to American Christopher Stanton, 17,000
pencils with a heartfelt wish for a good year will accompany
students back to schools throughout Morocco.
Stanton, a Californian who has visited Morocco on several
occasions, fell in love with the country and wanted to give
a small gift to as many of Morocco’s children as he
could. After purchasing the colorful pencils with the message,
“in cooperation with the American People, we wish you
success for the year” written in Arabic, he contacted
Thomas Riley, U.S. Ambassador to Morocco, for distribution
assistance.
Ambassador Riley, working with the USAID mission in Morocco
and many of its partner NGOs, is making sure the pencils make
their way to students throughout the country. The NGOs involved
in the distribution include L’Heure Joyeuse, Helen Keller
International, Catholic Relief Services, and the Near East
Foundation. They either work directly with rural communities
in support of education or distribute backpacks to school
children. U.S. Embassy and USAID officials and Peace Corps
volunteers will also hand out pencils at various schools throughout
the year.
Stanton hopes the pencils will be received as a gesture of
good will between the peoples of the United States and Morocco
and be useful for the children as they return to school.
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