Why I Founded Ta’leem Trust

I didn’t set out to start a charity.

In fact, for a long time, I assumed that kind of work was reserved for older people — people with degrees in development, years of experience, and access to major networks.

But as I grew older, especially during my teenage years, I realised something: waiting doesn't change anything. And more often than not, it’s young people who ask the right questions before the world teaches them to settle.

So I asked myself one question that stuck: Why is something as simple as a notebook still a luxury for some children?

✏️ A Familiar Distance — and a Shocking Contrast

I'm of Moroccan heritage, and though I was raised in the UK with access to high-quality education, I always felt a pull toward the towns and villages my family came from. I knew of the warmth, the resilience, and the incredible value placed on learning in rural Moroccan communities.

But I also saw a contrast I couldn’t ignore.

During a trip to northern Morocco, I visited a rural school. The children were bright, eager, and deeply curious — the kind of students any teacher would be lucky to have. But the classroom was bare. Some students shared one pen between them. Notebooks were rationed. And in one case, a child had walked over an hour to get to school without breakfast.

It hit me hard. Because the only difference between me and those children was where we were born.

🌱 Planting the Seed

That visit stayed with me for months. I began speaking to friends, family, and mentors. I started researching. I reached out to grassroots organisations in Morocco to understand the reality on the ground. What I found was both heartbreaking and hopeful: the need was urgent — but the solutions were possible.

One day, I scribbled down a sentence in my notebook: "Education should be a birthright, not a postcode lottery."

That was the moment Ta’leem Trust was born — not as a perfect plan, but as a determination to act.

🧭 Why We Chose to Start Small

We’re often told to think big. But when it comes to change, I believe in thinking deep.

Rather than trying to fix everything at once, Ta’leem Trust starts with the essentials: school supplies, dignity, and belief. We provide the tools a child needs to participate in class and feel like they belong there. We partner with local organisations who already know their communities. And we prioritise transparency — not just to build donor trust, but because we owe it to the children we serve.

This is not a side project. It’s not about building a CV or ticking a box. It’s about standing up and saying: children in rural Morocco deserve more than survival — they deserve opportunity.

🤝 What I’ve Learned So Far

Founding a charity isn’t glamorous. It’s slow, it’s complicated, and most days it feels like there’s so much more to do. But it’s also the most meaningful thing I’ve ever done.

I’ve learned that:

• Young people don’t need to wait to lead.

• You don’t need millions to make a difference.

• Starting small doesn’t mean dreaming small.

  
  

I’ve also learned that people are generous. Even when they can’t give money, they give time, advice, and belief. And that kind of support is what keeps Ta’leem Trust moving forward.

🌍 Why Ta’leem Matters

“Ta’leem” means “education” in Arabic. But for us, it means more than just classrooms and pencils. It means possibility. It means telling a child in a forgotten village: You matter. We see you.

My hope is that one day, a girl sitting in a classroom in rural Morocco — with a pen in her hand and a future in her eyes — will not know my name. She won’t know where the funds came from, or who packed the bag she’s carrying.

But she’ll know that someone believed she deserved the chance to learn. That is why I founded Ta’leem Trust.

And that is why I hope you’ll join us.

🌱 Let’s grow something meaningful together.