Civil Society in Morocco Benefits from Tanmia.ma’s Success

When the local group Tanmia.ma teamed up with the Morocco Trade and Development Services (MTDS) on a MEPI-funded project more than a year ago, the two organizations thought they had a special partnership going. Little did they know then they would soon create the number one online resource for civil society groups in the country.

“I can’t be sure that NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are better run thanks to us, but we have made all the knowledge necessary for their success readily available to them,” said Sandy Wark, the project director for MTDS in Morocco.

Run by a dynamic and passionate executive director, Majda Bessaih, Tanmia.ma is an NGO that resembles no other in the country. With premises that look more like a Silicon Valley start-up, populated by a team of energetic and creative young people, it only took a few months for the web portal to capture the top spot for online use among NGOs.

Designed to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Moroccan civil society by using information and communication technologies (ICT), Tanmia.ma has achieved some pretty impressive results. More than 1,600 NGOs are listed in their database, while their bi-weekly newsletter is disseminated to 550 subscribers, and 162 NGOs actively use the web-mail service.

In addition, Tanmia.ma hosts the website of four other NGOs, as well as providing an extremely popular calendar of events service. But the section of the website Majda Bessaih is most proud of is the topic pages, where users provide input and become involved in debates on a series of topical and often controversial subjects related to civil society. “We planned seven topics to be developed in two years, but it had so much success that we now have 17 of them,” she said.

The topic pages are moderated forums on various subjects, often including sensitive and formerly taboo questions. Issues such as child abuse, children’s labor, and women in government have garnered testimonies and reactions from a wide array of NGOs and individuals. “We were very surprised by the involvement of all the contributors and the success of every subject that we have tackled so far,” Majda Bessaih said.

Tanmia.ma is not only an information resource, which makes available documents to assist NGOs to manage their affairs, but it also provides an online space for groups to promote themselves, exchange ideas with partner organizations, advertise employment opportunities, and receive training to help lower barriers to internet access. Several Moroccan NGOs have expressed their thanks to Tanmia.ma for assisting their operations, including connecting them with donors and business partners.

Through Tanmia.ma, one small NGO received television coverage, enabling it to reach an audience it had never dreamed of before. “In less than two years we switched from a situation where we were begging NGOs to participate to the gateway, to a situation now where NGOs are rushing to subscribe to our programs,” said Majda Bessaih.

Added MTDS Director Sandy Wark: “The Tanmia.ma project demonstrates how MEPI can contribute to reinforce NGOs and enhance the civil society framework.”