Penn Student Named 17th Most-Powerful Arab Woman

Maha Laziri founded Teach4Morocco.

The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that Maha Laziri, a student in the Graduate School of Education, has been named to Arab Business magazine’s “World’s 100 Most Powerful Arab Women” list.

Because of the work she has done in Morocco, Laziri was named to Arabian Business magazine’s list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Arab Women earlier this month. She earned the number 17 slot for founding Teach4Morocco, a non-governmental organization with the mission to improve educational conditions and prospects in Morocco.

She founded the organization as a 20-year-old college student at Al Akhawayn University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Studies. Currently 24, Laziri is the youngest woman on the Arabian Business ranking and she is the highest listed Moroccan.

Arabian Business writes:

Maha Laziri is one of the youngest names on our list — and is in fact still studying for a degree — but she has already made the most of the limited opportunities available to her. She is the founder of Teach4Morocco, an NGO that employs a team of ten people, all aged under 30. The entity has rebuilt a school in a remote village in the Atlas Mountains, and is building a second school nearby. The projects have been funded by the French institute Sciences Po Aix, and have been helped by volunteers from local villages. Right now, she’s looking at new projects, as well as improving curricula in Morocco’s schools.