It is hard to remember the sharper edge of reality when wrapped in the warm cocoon of living abroad. For the better part of each day, I am granted reprieve from having to think about anything except “what shall I have for lunch today?” and “what concerts are on tonight?” The weekends are reserved for travel because it is assumed that if you only have a short time living in Europe, it is your utmost responsibility to experience all of it. Normally, I would have no complaints with this agenda, but this week’s announcement of the 2009 Opus Foundation Prize Winner at the Minnesota Orchestra Hall made me start a little. Well, actually, a lot.
Sixty-eight year old Aicha Ech Channa of Casablanca, Morocco is – at this moment – placed perfectly in the middle of my two spheres of existence. She is receiving her prize in Minnesota, where I lived and where Social Earth currently calls home, yet the bulk of her exceptional work and livelihood is carried out in Morocco, just a few steps south of my present residence in Spain. While I am “experiencing” Europe, Ech Channa is fixing the world – right under my nose – and I can’t help, but feel a little guilty for not noticing sooner.
For her work at the Association Solidarite Feminine – a wellness center and safe haven for unwed mothers with children in Morocco – the Opus Foundation awarded its sixth annual $1 million prize to Ech Channa. Founded in 1994 by real-estate guru, Gerry Ravenhorst, the Opus Foundation partners with a Catholic university each year to award one $1 million dollar prize and two $10 million dollar prizes. This year was the first year that the grand prize was given to a Muslim, an honor that Ech Channa admits is a big responsibility, but one that she is willing to undertake.
The money will go to maintaining the beautiful Association Solidarite Feminine complex and mission that Ech Channa first began in 1985. At this time, Ech Channa was working for the Moroccan Ministry of Affairs and she frequently had to deal with societal pressures that caused unwed mothers to abandon their children. Unwed mothers were considered prostitutes or referred to as “the hated one.” Without husband and with child, they had little hope for survival – until Ech Channa decided to break the rules.
She was moved to help one woman convince her parents to keep the child and raise it. This one act of kindness grew into a thousand more and today the Association Solidarite Feminine trains more than 50 women each year in literacy, human rights, cooking, baking, sewing, fitness services, and accounting. Women can receive child care, medical, social, and legal support as well dine at two restaurants and use the fitness center and spa. Ech Channa has transformed “the hated ones” into “the saved ones” and for this, her work deserves much recognition. I am elated to know how closely Minnesota is watching the rest of the world….and give me one more week and I will be booking my ticket to Morocco to see this place for myself. 
Association Solidarite Feminine
Association Solidarite Feminine is dedicated to helping unwed mothers of Morocco raise their children.
- Organization Type: Non-Profit
- Website: http://www.solidaritefeminine.org/
- Founder(s): Aicha Ech Channa
- Founded: 1985
- Location: Casablanca, Morocco
- See complete company list here
Contributor Profile: Ashley
Ashley is a friend of anyone who is fighting the good fight for social change. She currently resides in Bilbao, Spain where she is teaching English and researching the history of the Basque conflict. Personal blog
Twitter: @socialearth
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