Kenza Bouhaj

Joined ALA in 2010

My father was the first man in his family to attend university, challenging traditional “rules” that required the men to work in the family grocery store. For me, he represents positive change.

In contrast, my mother represents struggle. The first child she gave birth to was partially deaf. She has fought an arduous battle to integrate him into an unaccommodating society. In spite of his disability, I saw in Ibrahim the portrait of patience and endurance. To me, he symbolizes success. My family is my source of inspiration.

When I was 14, I developed “Ahly”: an association that helps children from socially disadvantaged background receive shelter and a proper education. Every Wednesday afternoon, I tutored Marzouk and Ayoub, eight-year old children with whom I developed a great relationship. I shared the idea of community service with my classmates and to my surprise, they loved it. We started a club in our school to encourage students to give back to their communities. I am delighted that three other similar initiatives have been taken in my city to help others.

I came to ALA with the ambition to learn about Africa. I now feel more African than Moroccan. My peers at ALA helped me establish a strong bond to the continent’s beauty, but also made me aware of the great challenges that Africa is facing.

My community service project Refilwe tutors children in the outskirts of Johannesburg. As the head of the creativity department, I helped design creative activities for the children so that they have fun while learning something meaningful.

After graduating from ALA, I would like to attend a liberal arts college. I want to have an even more global understanding so I can tackle the issues that we face.

My dream is to become a citizen of the world. After a week of seminal readings at ALA about identity, I dreamt of a unified world in which identity does not separate us but rather consolidates our bond. I believe many conflicts in Africa happen because of divided identities, so the question that I ask myself often is: what can I do to prevent these conflicts? My journey goes on!