Nawal El Moutawakil
Olympic champion, the first Olympic medallist from the Arab and African world.
Life at the boarding house
Life & activities
Cinema, books, stars, stage and code: at the boarding house, every evening is a window opened onto the world.
Role models to dream big
Role models & inspiration
Nawal El Moutawakil, researchers, entrepreneurs, an airline captain: exceptional women and men come to tell their stories. And paths are already being forged here — like the one that led from our shared rooms to international hospitality, all the way to helping organise the Africa Cup of Nations.
NASA speakers
Science & space exploration.
Researchers & scientists
Innovation & research.
Entrepreneurs
Leadership & value creation.
Airline captain
Aviation, exceptional careers.
Dr Katrien Kolenberg
Astronomer and poet, an inspiring encounter.
Our activities
Activities gallery
Culture & arts
Film club
Films followed by debates: “Adam” by Maryam Touzani, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”, “Frankenstein”, “Snow White”.
Culture & arts
Reading club
Maupassant's “The Necklace”, a tribute to Fatima Mernissi on 8 March, portraits of women such as Aïcha Ech-Chenna.
Education & sciences
Astronomy
Astrophysicist visits twice a year, a donated telescope, an observatory project and a link with the Oukaimden OISA observatory.
Education & sciences
Scientific encounters
Dr Katrien Kolenberg, NASA speakers and even an astronaut: role models that widen the horizon.
Culture & arts
Public speaking
“Be a voice, not an echo”: eloquence workshops and a winter tales evening to learn to make your voice heard.
Education & sciences
Digital workshops
With the Fondation Simplon, an introduction to coding to bring more women into the digital world.
Education & sciences
Lessons & coaching
Singing lessons, volunteer French lessons, coaching and personal development.
Events
Awards ceremony
On 8 November 2025, the association celebrates its prize winners before partners and friends.
Events
Academic excellence
Encouragement gifts awarded to boarders who achieved excellent first-semester grades.
Events
Civic life
Green March and 8 March marathon with the Marrakech Municipality.
Education & sciences
Financial education
Our girls took part in the financial education day organised by Bank Al-Maghrib.
Events
Highlights
Induction week, New Year celebration, visits to museums and the gardens of Marrakech.
Exchanges
France exchange
Until 2020, twelve girls were invited to France each year; in return, young French women are welcomed at the boarding house.
Exchanges
International friendships
Visits from the Soroptimist Fréjus-Saint-Raphaël Club (October 2025) and a delegation from the Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Council (November 2025).
Culture & arts
Winter tales evening
On 16 December 2025, a warm storytelling evening: when stories light up the night, the boarders' voices are set free.
Events
Integration week
To welcome new boarders, an integration week led by our volunteers: games, encounters and first bearings.
Events
March 8: tribute to Fatima Mernissi
On March 8, the boarders celebrate the strength of women and pay tribute to Fatima Mernissi.
Events
Dinner at Restaurant Noto
Restaurant Noto treated our girls to a dinner: an unforgettable moment of celebration and generosity.
Exchanges
Hello Germany
A workshop discovering Germany: language, culture and studies.
Culture & arts
Distillation workshop
With the Al-Muniya Association, an orange-blossom water distillation workshop: traditional know-how and aroma chemistry.
Events
Clowns Without Borders
Laughter and emotion with Clowns Without Borders: a show offered to spread joy.
Film club
Film-and-debate screenings: “Adam” by Maryam Touzani, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”, “Frankenstein”, “Snow White”. Every screening is followed by a debate where the residents take the floor.
Book club
At the book club, residents discover Maupassant's “The Necklace”. On March 8, a tribute is paid to Fatima Mernissi, and portraits of inspiring women such as Aïcha Ech-Chenna fuel the discussions.
Astronomy
Astrophysicists visit the boarding house twice a year. A donated telescope makes it possible to observe the night sky, an astronomical observatory project is under way, and a partnership links the association with OISA (Oukaimden International School for Astrophysics). “Girls from rural areas also have the right to dream of the stars.”
Scientific encounters
Dr Katrien Kolenberg, astronomer and poet, speakers from NASA and even an astronaut: encounters that broaden the residents' horizons.
Public speaking
“Be a voice, not an echo”: eloquence workshops, public speaking practice and a winter tales evening to learn to carry one's voice.
Digital workshops
Introduction to coding with the Simplon Foundation, to bring more girls into tech.
Classes & coaching
Singing lessons, volunteer French classes, coaching and personal development.
Awards ceremony
Awards ceremony held on 8 November 2025, in front of the association's partners and friends.
Civic life
The Green March, the March 8 marathon organised with the City of Marrakech, and a financial education day with Bank Al-Maghrib.
Highlights
Integration week, New Year's celebration, and visits to the museums and gardens of Marrakech.
France exchange
Until 2020, 12 residents were invited to France every year for a fully funded week. The programme has been suspended since COVID-19; in return, young French women are welcomed at the boarding house.
International friendships
Visit of the Soroptimist Club of Fréjus-Saint-Raphaël on 18 October 2025, then of a delegation from the Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Council on 16 November 2025.
Winter tales evening
An evening held at the boarding house on Tuesday 16 December 2025: gathered around the storyteller, the girls listened and then told stories of their own. A moment of transmission that builds public-speaking confidence.
Integration week
Every new school year, newcomers are welcomed with an integration week: team-building activities in the courtyard, a tour of the house and its rules, and first bonds with the older girls.
March 8: tribute to Fatima Mernissi
“Celebrating the strength of women”: for International Women's Day, the boarding house pays tribute to Fatima Mernissi, a major figure of Moroccan sociology and feminism — a direct inspiration for our boarders.
Dinner at Restaurant Noto
Among the gestures that mark a school year: a dinner offered to all boarders by Restaurant Noto in Marrakech — an exceptional outing in an elegant setting, with memories to last.
Hello Germany
“Hello Germany”: a meeting full of discoveries led by a volunteer — an introduction to the language, insights into culture and studies in Germany, to broaden horizons even further.
Distillation workshop
Gathered around a traditional still, the boarders discover orange-blossom water distillation: ancestral gestures, precision and perfume chemistry — living heritage passed on by the Al-Muniya Association.
Financial education day
Our girls took part in the financial education day organised by Bank Al-Maghrib.
Encouraging academic excellence
We presented encouragement gifts to the girls who achieved excellent grades in the first-semester results of 2025-2026, in recognition of their efforts and perseverance, and to motivate them to continue on the path of success — because hard work always deserves to be valued.
Clowns Without Borders
The Clowns Without Borders artists performed for the boarders: acrobatics, music and humour — because joy is part of education too.
