My name is Camélia, and I am fourteen years old. I have always been passionate about reading since my early childhood. I still remember turning the pages of a book while reciting its content. I devoured books by listening to them because I didn’t yet know how to read. It first started with fairy tales, then adventure stories, and more recently, literary classics. My taste for writing came later, through short novels and a journal where I gather my everyday stories, my favourite quotes, and everything that crosses my mind.

I was born into a family where kindness, creativity, and hard work have always held a prominent place. That’s probably where my passion for people and community involvement began. My father is a dedicated doctor who is always attentive to his patients. My mother, who graduated in communication and is passionate about photography and table art, has always been involved in volunteering, teaching us the importance of selflessness. And my brother, a preparatory class student, is a hard worker and a resilient person. Growing up in this environment instilled in me deep values that naturally led me to write to you today.

I never knew my maternal grandfather. He died at the age of forty-five, when my mother was only ten. Even though he wasn’t physically present, he was very much in our hearts. We didn’t feel his absence, because he was constantly spoken of. He was a doctor and a musicologist. He produced many operas, such as Mina Douloumat Ila Nour, the song Moudnaki Ya Malaki, the ballet Had Bal Faa in collaboration with Mostapha Bennis, the opera Ouad Al Makhazine with Driss Cherradi, and the opera-ballet Min Souss Ila Al-Andalous. He left his mark on generations and inspired countless careers.

Much of his life he lived in Russia, where he pursued his higher education as well as his medical and surgical training. He was a polyglot fluent in Arabic, Russian, French, English, and Spanish. My grandfather was always represented in my imagination as a fictional character, a hero from a book. This handsome, elegant, polyglot doctor and musician accompanied my childhood. A veil of mystery surrounded him: I had never met him, but the pictures and stories of those who had known him spoke volumes. He had truly existed.

He was, and still is, the compass that guides me today. To make sure I behaved like a true “princess,” my mother would tell me that if I didn’t sit properly at the table, my grandfather would turn in his grave. Imagining him doing somersaults underground, I would straighten up instantly, proud to be his proper heiress.

Beyond his great manners, he has always inspired me, especially in dance and music. I practiced ballet for six years with a Russian teacher and played the flute for eight. My mother always told me that when I was on stage for a performance, his soul was there, backstage, cheering me on.

For me, this fictional hero will always remain a symbol of high standards, knowledge, and humility. It was in this spirit that the Foundation bearing his name was born, faithful to the values he embodied and which it strives to keep alive every day.

The Dr. Abderrahmane Fennich Foundation lives by a sacred creed:   “Arts and Culture for Everyone.” I have been a volunteer from the very beginning. At only nine years old, at the foundation’s very first event, in Dar Tifl at the Children’s Hospital, I was already singing alongside my flute teacher to bring joy to children.

Not long after came the “COVID episode,” when we were confined at home. We took the opportunity to sort through clothes, books, and many other items to donate. The preparation and organization of these charitable actions became part of my daily life, because the donations received by the foundation were stored in a dedicated room at home. We also encouraged our friends to do the same, and together we prepared boxes full of donations that we sent to hospitals. It was our way of continuing to make a difference from home.

But we didn’t want our efforts to be temporary. We wanted a project that would leave an indelible mark on hospitals and on the lives of sick children. That is how our flagship project, “Music Settles Into The Hospital,” took shape. The program consists of permanently establishing music rooms within hospitals to make them more welcoming. The main goal is to create, each year, a room dedicated to music practice in a Moroccan public pediatric hospital, targeting two groups: children who benefit from playful activities (those who return home afterward) and children who attend academic activities (those with chronic illnesses and repeated long hospital stays).

Children following the academic program receive, after several courses, their own musical instrument so they can practice at home. In June, a music recital is organized to celebrate the end of the musical year.

Today, there are three music classrooms in Rabat’s University Hospital (two in the Children’s Hospital and one in the Pediatric Oncology Center), one in Tangier’s University Hospital, and two others under construction, one in Oujda and the other in Kenitra. This program is supported by the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication.

Moreover, every two months, the Foundation organizes major volunteer actions in hospitals, orphanages, or retirement homes. These always take place on weekends so that every volunteer can participate. Being a volunteer means forming an essential link in a large, united chain. Three core values define us: commitment, equality, and humility. These values guide every action and give meaning to our dedication. The volunteers have become a second family. We are united and constantly support one another. That is what makes us strong.

Throughout my involvement with the foundation, many values have guided me: kindness, attentiveness, and creativity. This experience has allowed me to develop precious human qualities such as empathy, patience, and inner growth. It has taught me to wake up every day saying hamdoullah, in gratitude and awareness of how fortunate I am to be the granddaughter of Dr. Abderrahmane Fennich.

Camélia EL AYOUBI EL IDRISSI