Ok, enough being tourists for the next few days! We started business with a formal meeting (we all transformed into business clothes suddenly) with IBM Morocco management and <a title="Digital Opportunity Trust" href="http://www.dotrust.org/" target="_blank">DOT</a> – and representative from the NGOs; finally met them face-to-face. After the meeting, each team visited their specific client’s locations and started with their work.

[caption id="attachment_131" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://morocco.chickenfactory.ch/wp-content/uploads/articles/alcs_team1_692.jpg"><img class="wp-image-131" src="http://morocco.chickenfactory.ch/wp-content/uploads/articles/alcs_team1_692-300x225.jpg" alt="Team 1 (left to right: Nidal, Ram, Gerry, Cathy, Patrick, Karima)" width="300" height="225" /></a> (Click to enlarge)[/caption]
We were pleased to meet Nidal and Karima from <a title="ALCS" href="http://alcs.ma/" target="_blank">ALCS</a> (Association de lutte contre le sida) and were even more excited about their presentation of their amazing organization and the work they perform:

<ul>
	<li>Prevent HIV infection</li>
	<li>Provide care and psychological support for HIV-affected individuals</li>
	<li>Deliver advocacy and human rights activities for the support of HIV-affected individuals</li>
</ul>
A terrific experience was the training session for sex professionals about condom usage and tips about what to do if a customer refuses to use a condom. But it took me actually some time to understand what these women were working – they looked like any other ordinary woman… and indeed they are, right?!?

<a href="http://morocco.chickenfactory.ch/wp-content/uploads/articles/alcs_condom_training_1000.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-129" src="http://morocco.chickenfactory.ch/wp-content/uploads/articles/alcs_condom_training_1000-300x179.jpg" alt="Aids prevention with condoms" width="300" height="179" /></a>

<a href="http://morocco.chickenfactory.ch/wp-content/uploads/articles/alcs_hiv_tester_600.jpg"><img class="alignleft wp-image-130" src="http://morocco.chickenfactory.ch/wp-content/uploads/articles/alcs_hiv_tester_600-300x287.jpg" alt="HIV Testing" width="200" height="192" /></a>Next we could talk with medical volunteer who performs the HIV tests. They are able to provide the result after a few minutes; records are kept anonymously and the volunteers are trained to break bad news to the people.

I am aware that these terms and pictures are not very "comfortable" topics, but the ALCS organization is fighting against exactly these kind of taboos – so why not supporting them to spread their message?
Tomorrow we will go deeper into the scope of work.

On the way back to our hotel we walked through the big park and visited the cathedral, which is used as a museum nowadays. We could walk up onto the tower (minding birds nest and eggs) and enjoyed the great view over Casablanca. Strange thing was that we paid 30 Dh (about $3) each – just read in <a title="Sue's Morocco Blog" href="http://cscmorocco5.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sue’s blog</a> that they were charged 20 Dh ($2) only! ;)

[caption id="attachment_133" align="alignnone" width="512"]<a href="http://morocco.chickenfactory.ch/wp-content/uploads/casa_from_cathedral01_1024.jpg"><img class="wp-image-133" src="http://morocco.chickenfactory.ch/wp-content/uploads/casa_from_cathedral01_1024.jpg" alt="View over Casablanca from cathedral's tower" width="512" height="384" /></a> (Click to enlarge)[/caption]
<p style="text-align: right; font-size: x-small; color: #808080;">#ibmcsc morocco</p>