After three years of successful implementation, the 'Women as Financially Independent Rural Actors' (WAFIRA) project, one of the flagship projects under the MPF’s labour migration portfolio, officially wrapped up activities with a closing ceremony in Rabat, Morocco, on 24 January 2025.
Dr Jennifer Tangney, Senior Project Manager for the Migration Partnership Facility, joined Ms Elma Saiz Delgado, Spain's Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Ms Patricia Llombart Cussac, the Head of the European Union Delegation to Morocco, Mr Younes Sekkouri, Morocco's Minister for Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, and Ms Gladys Cisneros, Head of the International Labour Organisation's Labour Migration Branch for the closing event.
“WAFIRA started as a pilot with support from the Migration Partnership Facility. I am delighted to see that it has already transitioned to become a model for how seasonal worker pathways can be enhanced for the benefit of the participating migrants and their home countries”, she said.
Facilitating economic independence
WAFIRA (which also means abundance in Arabic) sought to maximise the development impact of migration and mobility through the sustainable economic empowerment of female Moroccan seasonal workers already participating in a circular migration scheme between Morocco and Spain (GECCO) that annually places an estimated 16,000 workers in Southern Spain for the harvest. Through the project, a small cohort of Moroccan migrant workers were provided with the necessary skills and financial means to launch their own businesses and/or cooperatives upon return to their rural communities of origin in Morocco to support their out-of-season income generation and provide a means towards economic independence.
Since it was launched, the project reached out to 600 rural women before their departure for Spain. Of these, 287 were selected to follow the training programme, 231 received full support and 209 were able to formalise their businesses. The entire training and support programme was developed, tested and finalised through a close partnership between ANAPEC (Agence nationale de promotion de l'emploi et des compétences) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), culminating in the development of a specific range of services for the creation of businesses by circular migrants on their return to Morocco. The 209 women that launched their businesses ventured into agriculture, food, textiles and livestock, providing a sustainable source of income for themselves and their families and reducing their dependency on migration.
Complementing existing policies
Aside from the impact at personal and community level, WAFIRA is a good example of how governments can undertake pilot projects through the MPF to complement existing government mobility schemes and target vulnerabilities to amplify economic opportunities through legal migration channels. The programme is a flagship for both Spain and Morocco and is a source of great pride on each side of the Mediterranean.
WAFIRA’s successful partnership and model have been presented at numerous international fora, such as the Global Forum on Migration and Development and the Rabat Process. The excellent results have inspired project partners to discuss a new phase involving a greater number of countries to build upon the firm foundations of WAFIRA.
For the technical details regarding the project, you can read the project InfoNote. For press releases, further video testimonies and photo gallery, visit the WAFIRA website (content is in Spanish and French).
_____________________________
The EU-funded project, entitled 'Women as Financially Independent Rural Actors - WAFIRA' was led and coordinated by the Secretary of State for Migration of the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, in close cooperation with the International Labour Organisation and Spanish Agri-Food Cooperatives-Andalusia. The project was co-funded by the European Union and contracted by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) through the Migration Partnership Facility.