AlNour: Morocco’s First Social Enterprise
How AlNour redefines what work can look like for women with disabilities in Morocco.
Photos and Words by Joy Grant
In 2023, the United Nations Development Program released statistics highlighting that 5.5% of Moroccans have a disability, and a 2014 national survey revealed that only 13.6% of adults with disabilities were employed. While Morocco’s government has begun making this population’s needs a priority, there are still challenges being faced. Many of these difficulties are rooted in stigma, discrimination, and a lack of awareness. These difficulties are further exacerbated by poverty. People with both visible and invisible disabilities are more likely to experience multidimensional poverty than people without disabilities. This economic strain often limits their access to essential services and devices that would vastly improve their quality of life.
These constraints weigh even more heavily on women with disabilities. According to Morocco’s Second Survey on Disability Prevalence, only 8.9% of the country’s working population accounts for women with disabilities. The discrimination they experience for having a disability is then compounded by the discrimination they face for being a woman. Framed by this reality, AlNour’s structure and employment record are groundbreaking for a community with limited opportunities for independence.
While the statistics paint a picture of exclusion, AlNour Textiles offers a different scene entirely. Its storefront and workshop sit in Marrakech’s Medina, less than a ten-minute walk from Jemaa el-Fnaa Square. Behind its front doors, the hum of stitching and the rhythm of women working side by side reveal how inclusion can look. When the business first began, one of its largest undertakings was making the building fully accessible. Today, opening the doors from the store into the workshop reveals wide hallways and doorways, open spaces, and bright sunrays spilling across embroidery tables.
During my tour, what stood out most was the atmosphere itself and how infectious the energy was. It was one of those rare occasions when you could tell that it was a joy for them to be at work. The employees are coworkers, but also peers and classmates in a way that rarely happens in a typical workspace. While walking around with Fatima Belayachi, one of AlNours’ coordinators, she explained that their days begin together, and they are picked up and transported to the workshop as a group. “Everything she needs, she finds here,” she continued. They share breakfast and lunch provided by AlNours’ in-house chefs, and their children attend daycare together in the same building. In the future, AlNour hopes to also offer on-site physical therapy, but in the meantime, they pay for the women’s outpatient care. Many companies claim to be “a family,” but AlNour models what that looks like in practice.
From the start, language is prioritized to help with communication and connection. Each woman can learn Arabic, French, or sign language as needed, including those from the High Atlas regions who often arrive with embroidery skills but no formal education in Arabic or French. Those who will be customer-facing are also taught English. Alongside language, they are all trained for six months to a year (depending on skill level) to be able to perfectly replicate traditional Moroccan designs, ensuring that their culture will always be embedded in their work.
As I was taking pictures and observing, each woman was eager to show me their projects, visibly proud of themselves, their work, and the group as a whole. What they create is more than skill; it is a continuation of Morocco’s rich embroidery heritage. Moroccan embroidery consists of seven styles, each named after the city they derive from. At AlNour, these designs are taken seriously. Some women’s sole responsibility is quality control, checking each item to ensure that there isn’t a stitch out of place. Fatima explained to me that this attention to detail isn’t just about keeping customers happy. Each piece needs to be as close to perfect as possible to prove a point: people with disabilities are capable of producing work of the highest quality.
One of the most recognized of these designs is Fes embroidery, which originated in Fes, and is recognized by its symmetrical and meticulous reversible stitching (it looks the same on each side of the fabric). Its motifs include geometric borders and arabesques that represent protection and continuation. Rabat embroidery, on the other hand, is more expressive and known for its bold colors and floral designs. At AlNour, these centuries-old patterns are highlighted and preserved by applying them to modern clothing and textile designs that carry traditions into the present. As Fatima explained, “Our embroidery is always traditional, but the styles are contemporary; no kaftans, or heavy items, only simple, minimal pieces that people can wear or use every day.” From tablecloths to dresses, each AlNour piece seamlessly blends traditional elements with contemporary design, capturing the essence of Morocco today.
"Each piece needs to be as close to perfect as possible to prove a point: people with disabilities are capable of producing work of the highest quality."
While these designs are intended to showcase Moroccan embroidery, they are not exclusive to Moroccans. The balance between culture and modernity has opened doors beyond Morocco. Through its storefront, social media presence, and partnerships with local and international organizations, AlNour’s embroidery has garnered supporters worldwide. One example is its collaboration with The Met Museum in New York, which co-developed a line of products with AlNour as part of its Heirloom Project.
The collection of embroidered home décor items was inspired by the Museum’s Islamic Wing as well as the Met Cloister’s garden. Partnerships like this show how AlNour’s designs connect local tradition to a global stage, extending the women’s work and their stories far beyond Marrakech. Full of pride, Fatima spoke of these partnerships as learning opportunities, stating, “There’s always a new thing to learn and a new challenge to resolve. This allows everyone to keep growing together.” And for visitors who shop at AlNour in person, enterprises like AlNour show how tourism can be reimagined: not as extraction, but as exchange. Every purchase becomes part of a cycle that uplifts women, sustains tradition, and connects visitors to Morocco in meaningful ways. While the weight of that task may seem heavy, AlNour takes it in stride.
Beyond special collaborations, AlNour produces two collections each year, summer and winter, creating a rhythm that aligns the enterprise with global fashion and textile houses. This consistency allows consumers and partners alike to see AlNour not only as a social initiative but as a professional brand of enduring quality.
Fittingly, “AlNour” means light, and that’s what it offers: a way forward for women, for cultural preservation, and for how we imagine business with purpose. In a city shaped by crafts, AlNour is proving what is possible when the artists are supported. The demand is already there; they consistently have more CVs than open positions, and their goal is to open more stores and workshops across Morocco. Each new location would provide more women with the opportunity to learn, support themselves, and carry their traditions into the future.