US scholarships for success program expands in Morocco

The US Government has expanded its financial support to the "Scholarships For Success" program which gives 100 additional Moroccan rural girls the opportunity to attend secondary school by establishing dormitories, the US embassy in Rabat said.

The program, started in 1999, provides for dormitory management, tutoring, computers and school supplies, as well as follow-up visits with the scholarship recipients' parents. With the additional funding, five new dormitories will open this year, increasing the total number of girls' dormitories to 19.

The ultimate goal of the program is to keep girls in school through completion of high school, the embassy said, adding that the Ministry of National Education and Youth ensures a place in a high school dormitory for each beneficiary that graduates from middle school, and the Ministry of Health provides free medical check ups for girls participating in the program.