Aïcha Chenna (, also Romanized as Aïcha Ech-Chenna; 14 August 1941 – 25 September 2022) was a Moroccan social worker,

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

advocate and activist. A registered nurse, she began working with disadvantaged women as an employee of the country's Ministry of Health. In 1985, she founded the

Association Solidarité Féminine ''Association Solidarité Féminine'' (ASF) is a non-profit organization founded by rights activist Aïcha Chenna in Casablanca, Morocco in 1985. The association helps single mothers gain work experience by training them at the association's r ...

(ASF), a

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

-based charity that assists single mothers and victims of abuse. Chenna received various humanitarian awards for her work, including the 2009 Opus Prize (worth

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

1 million).

Early life and education

Chenna was born in

on 14 August 1941, during the time of the French protectorate, and spent her early childhood in

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

. Her father died when she was three, and her mother remarried. Chenna's stepfather wished for her to quit school at the age of 12, but against his wishes her mother sent her back to Casablanca, where she lived with an aunt and continued her education at a French-language school. Her mother joined her in Casablanca three years later, having divorced her stepfather, and subsequently sold her jewellery to support her daughter."Discussions with Aicha Ech-Channa, Founder and President, Association Solidarité Féminine, Casablanca, Morocco "
Berkeley Center, 14 June 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2016. Leaving school at the age of 16, Chenna found work in a hospital, working as a secretary for programs doing research on

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. In 1960, at the urging of friends, she took the exams for nursing school and was accepted. After receiving her nursing diploma, Chenna worked for the education unit at the Ministry of Health, eventually becoming a coordinator of health awareness programs. In the 1970s, she began to produce television and radio programs on women's health including "the first televised show on sanitary education".

Charity work

Chenna's first volunteer work was undertaken in 1959, in a child welfare program. In 1985, she founded the

(ASF; "Female Solidarity Association"), an organisation dedicated to helping single mothers and abused women. It was initially run out of a basement in Casablanca. The ASF trains women in cooking, sewing, accounting, and various other skills, with the aim of reintegrating them (and their children) into society and giving them independence. It received official

non-government organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

(NGO) status from the Moroccan government in 2002, and subsequently received a donation from

King Mohammed VI Mohammed VI (; born 21 August 1963) is King of Morocco. A member of the Alawi dynasty, he acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II. Upon ascending to the throne, Mohammed initially introduced several ...

. In 1996, Chenna published ''Miséria: témoignage'' (''Misery: Testimonies''), in which she narrated twenty stories of women she had worked with. The book has been described both as a "feminist proclamation" and a "miscellany of sorrowful stories".Flah, Loubna (8 April 2013)
"Morocco's Aicha Chenna, a Dauntless Activist in Defense of Women"
''Morocco World News''. Retrieved 25 October 2016. It won a prize from the French embassy in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

, and was later translated into Arabic.

Women's rights advocacy

Chenna self-described as having "a Muslim heart with a secular mind". During her time as an employee of the Ministry of Health, she became known for her work in areas subject to social and religious taboos, including

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marit ...

, the status of single mothers, the status of illegitimate children and abandoned children, and the status of incest victims. She regularly received criticism from social conservatives, who said that her work legitimised immoral behaviour. In 2009, Chenna was awarded the Opus Prize (worth

1 million) for her work with disadvantaged women. She was the first Muslim to win the award, which is managed by a foundation partnering with Catholic universities and awarded for faith-based humanitarian work, and said that the prize money would go to ensuring her foundation continued after her death. She also received the Monte Carlo Woman of the Year Award in 2017 in recognition of efforts in "promoting civil rights for a vulnerable social category".

Death

Chenna died on 25 September 2022 at a hospital in Casablanca.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chenna, Aicha 1941 births 2022 deaths Founders of charities Moroccan nurses Moroccan social workers Moroccan women's rights activists Moroccan women writers People from Casablanca