Toastmasters International -Making Moves in Morocco

A large group of people pose for a photo in the foreground in front of a projection screen for the District 107 Spring Conference in the background.

In 2012, a group of motivated individuals moved to launch Toastmasters in Morocco. “Before 2000, the organization had limited visibility in North Africa, especially in Morocco,” says Hanane Bourehiyi, DTM, a charter member of the Rabat Toastmasters Club.

The group had been looking for ways to not only become better leaders and speakers but extend that opportunity to others. Their real impetus kicked in after an online meeting with 2020–2021, 2022 Toastmasters International President Richard E. Peck, DTM. He told them, “Leadership isn’t about being the center of attention, it’s about being the epicenter of action.” This became their clarion call.

Samir Chaqri, who lived in Morocco at the time, saw Toastmasters clubs as a bridge to learning critical skills.

“Our country’s education system doesn’t sufficiently emphasize communication skills, so many graduates and professionals struggle to express themselves effectively and build their personal brand to stand out professionally,” says Chaqri, who now lives in Canada.

So Bourehiyi, Chaqri, and others stepped into the “epicenter of action.” In 2017, they began promoting the club concept, leveraging social media, sponsoring open houses, holding community demo meetings, personally covering some meeting expenses, and even allowing guests to make speeches before joining a club to demonstrate Toastmasters’ unique value.

“Uniting cultures so distinct, countries separated by the sea and two continents, communities that don’t share an easy path to one another—and yet, this is Toastmasters.”

—Cristina Juesas, DTM

Yet club-building was an uphill climb. Chartering the Rabat Toastmasters Club, for example, took eight months. Even when clubs were chartered, they were undistricted and ineligible for official Toastmasters training, materials, or speech competitions. Club development was something of a do-it-yourself mission.

“One of our biggest challenges was that we started the creation of clubs without ever attending a Toastmasters meeting before,” notes Chaqri. “Our program knowledge was entirely self-acquired through Toastmasters’ online manuals and videos on YouTube.”

“Each club was working independently and were mostly focused on themselves,” Bourehiyi adds.

Still, the Casablanca Toastmasters Club chartered in 2017, followed by Rabat in 2018, ALC El Jadida Toastmasters in 2020, and Agadir Toastmasters Club in 2022. Bourehiyi realized joining District 107 would allow Moroccan clubs to “be fully part of the global Toastmasters family.”

The group of clubs reached out to then-District Director Cristina Juesas, DTM. The District responded warmly and formally proposed to the Toastmasters Board of Directors that Morocco be admitted to the District.

In 2021–2022, Morocco joined District 107 countries Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Gibraltar.

Juesas said welcoming Morocco at first “felt like a leap of faith. Uniting cultures so distinct, countries separated by the sea and two continents, communities that don’t share an easy path to one another—and yet, this
is Toastmasters.”

Morocco’s actions likely spurred interest from nearby countries, adds Norberto Amaral, DTM, Immediate Past District Director, noting that Algeria and Tunisia joined District 107 after Morocco. With a surging interest in Toastmasters in the area, Amaral says the District goal is to reach 100 total clubs.

“It’s clear that the decision, bold as it was, was the right one,” Juesas says of admitting Morocco. “Its clubs have grown, Toastmasters presence has grown, and its members have stepped into active District leadership roles.”

Region 10, which includes District 107, is a massive expanse of diversity, representing seven Districts, 58 countries, and 43 languages. District 107 brings more than 2,000 members and 93 active clubs to the count, while Morocco is growing from five active clubs and 105 members.

“It’s a living example of what Toastmasters is truly about: the values of learning, fellowship, and the unshakeable belief that communication has the power to bring any two worlds closer together,” Juesas says.

Bourehiyi sees strength in the mix of cultures, many of which are so different from her own.

“We are different countries, different cultures, united by one mission,” she says.