Struggling Moroccan youth find hope in cooking school

A non-profit association for chefs in Marrakech launches a culinary programme to create job opportunities for the youth.

Trainee chefs receive cooking instructions at Agape association, an informal cooking school aiming to support unemployed and disadvantaged Moroccans, in Marrakech, Morocco.
TRT World and Agencies

Trainee chefs receive cooking instructions at Agape association, an informal cooking school aiming to support unemployed and disadvantaged Moroccans, in Marrakech, Morocco.

A retired French chef is working to solve Morocco's youth unemployment crisis one clove of garlic and ripe tomato at a time.

By giving young Moroccan's a taste of mincing garlic, stuffing tomatoes and taking notes in a classroom, a nonprofit culinary programme called Agape is trying to expand their options.

Robert Labat decided to open his non-profit training association for chefs in Marrakech to create job opportunities for people who need it the most: the young unemployed

Cooking teacher Abdelatif Boutad instructs his students how to retain nutrients while cooking and to expand on their repertoires of couscous, tajines and other Moroccan dishes.

Wafaa Kourimi, a 25-year-old from a rural town who never went to high school, is thriving at the cooking school.

She says: "It's teaching me to believe in myself, and work with a team."

TRT World's Clinton Nagoor has the story.

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