In 1997, the NEF began working with 7 villages in Northern Morocco to promote female education and leadership by organizing local literacy initiatives and associating groups of rural women leaders.

The program has since expanded to 15 villages, and in collaboration with the U.S. State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), NEF seeks to establish income-generating projects with one or more parent-teacher associations (PTAs) within these communities.

One of these projects is to sell locally-produced clay cooking ovens. The collection of firewood can take up 120 hours a year for girls, and is thus one obstacle to the education and development of women; burning the firewood for cooking can cause eye and respiratory problems, and also depletes forests. The clay ovens burn cleanly and reduce firewood usage 50-60%. The plan is to have the PTAs distribute stoves through the network of women leaders, who also will promote the idea and train purchasers. Profits made from the sale of stoves will support local education, scholarships for secondary school attendance, adult literacy, and the repair and maintenance of local schools.