Meet Ayesha* from Morocco. Her life has changed for the better. She now feels confident about discussing her rights with her husband since learning about the country's new family law.

And then there's Fatima+. Last year she had the confidence to run as a candidate in local elections in a region where men have traditionally monopolised politics. Both women feel empowered, partly helped by a FCO-led and financed project.

The Women's Empowerment and the New Family Code project has helped marginalised women  in Morocco learn about and use their rights under the country's new family law. It also encouraged women to get involved in the country's elections.

Last year, material about elections and the new code, was distributed to more than 40,000 women. This is now being used in literacy classes in Moroccan schools.

And then there's the literacy skills training.

Teaching skills

The project has helped train more than 500 representatives from 250 Moroccan voluntary organisations to teach these skills and facts about the new family and social law.

The project has been extended to neighbouring Algeria and Mauritania where women have been learning about their own rights under their local family law.

Several women in Morocco closely involved in the project – including Fatima - ran for the local elections last year.

A recent survey of women who took part in the project reveals that 90 per cent of them have seen significant changes to their lives, as well as feeling more confident in discussing their rights and politics with their husbands and neighbours.

The  project has also had the thumbs up from the Moroccan government including the Ministry of Human Rights and Literacy, which has built up regional networks to promote civic awareness among women.

Regional networks

These are run by more than 30 voluntary organisations in each of Morocco’s regions.

More than 165,000 booklets have been distributed throughout the country through a network of more than 200 voluntary groups.

These kinds of programmes have been replaced by projects aimed at supporting the British government's efforts to prevent extremism. See our preventing and resolving conflict pages for more about FCO policy in this area.

* +  Names have been changed