Meet the Board
Meet the Board
MARA CONSERVATION
encouraging empathy for other life
MLP Team in Morocco
Advisors in Morocco
In Their Shoes
What are the main challenges facing your generation?
We asked this question to 100s of students at 9 rural high schools in Morocco and 9 in Kenya, along with their hopes for making the world better. In Morocco, the students were primarily from the southern regions; in Kenya, they were Maasai from Narok, Kaijado, and Samburu Counties. Their essays are honest and eye-opening. If you're a reader in the West, you may be surprised to learn that the world is smaller than you thought, with mental health and social media anxiety high on the list. We held events in both countries to honor these young writers and future leaders, and to give them a platform to speak to an audience of 100s of peers, teachers, writers, and community leaders.
These young writers have a lot to say about the world they're inheriting, with thoughts on what's needed to make it better. Many of their essays will be published in our upcoming book In Their Shoes in summer 2026.
“It is ironic that something created by humanity, the internet, has become one of the biggest challenges... Online communications make me feel distant from the people I see every day. It is hard to talk to them without using phones or emojis, just words do not feel enough.”
~ Maram, Meknes, Morocco, age 15
“Without getting close to them and showing them what should be done and what should not, there will be no Africa tomorrow because this generation are the tomorrow’s leaders... What if the government involve the youth in leadership? Won’t this lost generation be saved?”
~ Gideon, Olololunga, Kenya, age 16
“We therefore continue to walk down the path that has destroyed many of our mothers and grandmothers, in shackles and tears, but with the courage that tomorrow we will be happily married but broken, so help us God.”
~ Hamado, Maralal, Kenya, age 15
"Once you find yourself in such situations, don't accept that this is how your life ends."
~ Godwin, Aitong, Kenya, age 16
"Only then can we live the life that we have all dreamed of."
~ Aya, Moulay Yacoub, Morocco, age 16
