World Bank Approves $450 Million Loan to Boost Morocco’s Early Childhood Development

This loan, the World Bank specifies in a press release, will strengthen the development of early childhood in rural areas and thus finance the third phase of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), mainly young children. For the World Bank’s Director of Operations for the Maghreb, Jesko Hentschel, "Morocco’s future social and economic trajectory will depend on its ability to accelerate progress in the development and equitable distribution of human capital." Thus, "the program will support essential interventions to strengthen access of rural populations to quality early childhood development services."

Furthermore, the inequalities observed at the level of rural children would be related to a lack of access of these children to quality early childhood development programs, noted the program manager for human development and co-team leader of the project, Luc Laviolette. Thus, this program will fully take them into account, because "the first years of life are a period of intense cognitive, social and emotional growth. The experiences of children during this developmental phase are crucial for their future health and well-being," said the lead economist and co-team leader of the project, Fadila Caillaud.

Moreover, "it is essential to monitor the overall development of children from birth to primary school entry to ensure that early childhood development systems around the world effectively support vulnerable children," emphasized Samira Nikaein, the education specialist and co-team leader of the project.