Photography for futures and fundraising at SOS Children’s Villages Morocco

There are childhood moments that stick in the memory – your first day at school, perhaps. Or a birthday party. Maybe you fell and hurt yourself? Who was there with you, by your side lighting the candles, tending to your scraped knees? Most of us are lucky to have had parents or grandparents close by, but many others do not. And that’s where organisations like SOS Children’s Villages Morocco step in, to make sure that children’s hands are never left unheld. 

SOS Children’s Villages Morocco is an incredibly special charity which protects, supports and nurtures children who need them most. Their five villages welcome children and young people, replicating family and neighbourhood life for them and offering much-needed stability. Since 2024, the Canon Miraisha team have been regular visitors to these communities, helping them to tell their stories, learn new skills and share their remarkable work with the world. And it truly is remarkable.

“We are active in a few very important ways,” explains Lilia Benjelloun, National Head of Sponsorships at SOS Villages d’Enfants, Maroc. “Around 80% of the children we care for come from orphanages, but we also work with families who are at risk of losing their children”. In addition to this, SOS Children’s Villages played an important role in the aftermath of the devastating Al Haouz earthquake in 2023, supporting grief-stricken families and giving homes and comfort to children suddenly without any family.

The charity believes that it, quite literally, takes a village to raise a child, so there is an entire community on hand for those who find themselves in their care. It’s a carefully designed model which provides a permanent family-style home, education, healthcare, emotional support and guidance, right into independent adulthood. In fact, explains Lilia, “children stay under the care of the organisation until they are completely integrated in society – around 23 years of age – which means having a stable job and place to live. We support their mental health and educational guidance, empower them through training and eventual career integration, but they’re still attached to the village and welcome to visit their family here whenever they want.”

The skills their residents gain through Miraisha support this goal by bringing a sense of autonomy, while simultaneously boosting their career prospects. “In Morocco, but also all across Africa, we are facing a reality where millions of young people don't have a career, studies or skills,” Lilia says. “We believe that photography and graphics are a wonderful way of improving their prospects.” She points to the opportunities presented by sites such as LinkedIn and Instagram, and a need for them to be “more strategic with the way they present themselves online.”

Canon Certified Trainers work with groups of up to 25 of these young people, across each of the five villages in Morocco, beginning with photography basics before moving on to street photography. For Katie Simmonds, our Education Programmes Manager for Canon Central & North Africa, these sessions have been nothing short of inspirational for everyone taking part. “The way some of the students transformed really has been incredible,” she says. “Both in terms of a new skillset, but also with people and life skills, where they didn't have confidence. It’s been wonderful.”

And the young residents aren’t the only ones with the chance to get behind the camera. Another important element of the partnership lies in supporting the SOS Children’s Villages Morocco communications team, giving them essential guidance in visual storytelling. The aim is to help them talk about the charity more powerfully and effectively – and it’s already worked.  “After the training, I was able to share more success stories and report them to our international donors in a new way,” smiles Lilia.

“We’ve also seen a clear improvement in our visibility, particularly since the post-covid lockdown period, thanks to using photos and videos alongside written reports. Images give greater strength to our messages. Our young people understand that it’s not just about telling stories but helping their community shine and highlighting its impact. That comes through visibility and meaningful engagement.”

She adds, “they’ve become very interested in photography – for some of them, it was a new discovery and, at first, they did not really understand what it involves. But now they are very motivated and taking part in communication activities that help raise funds. Others went even further, saving the money to invest in their own cameras and developing personal creative projects, showing a strong sense of initiative and an emerging entrepreneurial mindset. We are very proud of them,” says Lilia.

“I think photography is a sustainable path for us and all children. And after our Canon Miraisha workshops, I was truly happy to be able to inspire our colleagues of SOS Children’s Villages Guinea by sharing storytelling tips and the best practice we’ve learnt.”

Young people supporting others, Lilia and her colleagues supporting each other across countries. That’s fundamentally what the learnings of Miraisha help to make possible and even more so here, at SOS Children’s Villages. Telling their powerful and honest stories is an action that can be used to support one another, whether it’s to share successes or help each other up after a fall. It’s a true joining of hands. In other words, it’s a family.

Learn more about our Miraisha Programme.