About Mickey And Friends Formed in 1997, Mickey and Friends is a non-profit theater organization aiming to promote and educate the public on the rights of children, child labor, girls’ education, human rights, gender equality, the rule of law, good governance, corruption, democratic values, civil services reform, political freedom, racial unity, world religion, universal peace, the environment, child mortality, prenatal care, HIV/AIDS and other public health issues. Mickey and Friends has collaborated on many projects with multiple educational institutions, ministries, NGOs, and the British Embassy in Morocco. Recently the British Embassy, in association with Mickey and friends, funded a national awareness campaign titled “Les Enfants Robots”. In addition to combating the plague of child labor, the campaign also focused on preventing poor rural families from sending their young daughters away to work as domestic servants in virtual slavery, as well as promoting the idea of better education for rural children in general. Mhamed Omar Elaydi the founder and the president of Mickey & Friends, a native of Morocco and a naturalized American Citizen. He graduated from the conservatory of music, dance, and dramatic art in Rabat, Morocco in 1968 and in 1984 from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in Theatre Arts for directing. He has directed more than thirty plays for children and adults and he has made several appearances on the Moroccan television including Channel 1, Channel 2M and the Children channel. Mr. Elaydi served as the Moroccan Chairperson at the Festival of Nations in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA from 1985 to 1995. He is also an active fundraiser for many national associations. Mickey & Friends has performed for more than 800,000+ people in more than 900 schools and institutions nationwide. Values We Believe Equal educational opportunities for all Healthcare for everyone Freedom of Speech Quality education is the ultimate tool to reduce child labor, illiteracy and poverty Human rights education Citizen participation in their local communities The rights of Moroccan women to participate in public affairs, development, planning and policy making Safe drinking water for the impoverished areas and rural population We must encourage the culture of tolerance and dialogue Educating and entertaining the rural population is a key responsibility of Mickey and friends organization Our Mission Mickey and Friends is a Non-Profit Theater Organization created to entertain, educate and fight poverty, illiteracy and child labor in Morocco. Our Vision We will utilize the power of arts and communication to change attitude, open discussion, sensitize, mobilize, touch hearts, build bridges and motivate people to action. Our Objectives To raise public awareness and understanding about child labor To prevent poor families from sending their young daughters to work as domestic servants To change attitudes about the importance of girls’ education To inform rural communities about the laws against child labor To promote human rights To promote the Moudawana (The new Moroccan family code/law) To promote political awareness and the participation of rural Moroccan women To offer approaches to resolving conflict To combat corruption To change people’s attitudes towards hate and prejudice To educate the public about the environment To sensitize high school students about sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases To encourage dialouge on the issues of peace, sustainability and cultural differences