Interview 17 – Diplomacy is Important

Can you tell me about your background

My name is Aicha, I grew up in Rabat. My origins are from Souss. My father is from that region, but I was born and raised in Rabat. I studied for some time. I had basic education

Who runs the household economy?

I support my family. I’ve reached an important stage in my life. I’ve been able to help my family. I even supported travel and education for relatives.

Can you explain your job?

I started progressively. People from their homes began bringing me work. I built this (activity) step by step. Now I manage the activity. I organise the work and distribute tasks. There are 20/21 people who work with me. They work from their homes, and I coordinate everything. I receive materials, choose the models, then call the women. They come, work on the pieces, and I pay them. Some pieces are handmade, others use machines. Handmade work is very difficult and requires technique.

The main challenge is dealing with difficult customers. Some clients are demanding and stressful. You need diplomacy to manage them. Diplomacy is important—even in bigger contexts. If leaders weren’t diplomatic, things wouldn’t work either.

Are you part of a cooperative?

I also train women. Some only know basic things, and I teach them more skills. Even men sometimes work in this field. But the work is very complex.