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In Morocco, we are used to seeing a man lying under a car to repair it. When it is a woman, it becomes an exception and a surprise to customers. 27-year-old Najlaa Lachkar is familiar with their highly frequent reactions, as she works as a mechanic.
The job was not fortuitous. Indeed, during high school, she chose, along with her sister Rajaa, to opt for vocational training. In 2014, she studied nursing and first aid for three years before completely changing courses. «After hearing about the Forsati program of the Al-Amal Association of Women of Tetouan, funded by the American Agency for International Development (USAID), I opted for mechanics», she told Yabiladi.
Najlaa Lachkar says she only announced this choice to her mother at the time. «We did not dare tell our father and our brothers fearing their reaction, especially since we live in a conservative city», she explained.
«As a child, I liked to play with cars.Even at home I am used to repairing a set of electronic tools.So I decided to get into this profession to break up with stereotypes assuming that women are unable to work in certain fields, and to prove to myself and to our society the opposite».
A path strewn with obstacles and sexism
Although they are not the only women in their course, the Tetouan-natives completed their training alone, after the withdrawal of the other students. With their diplomas in hand, they feared accessing the labor market as they knew it was full of pitfalls.
«We knocked on the doors of over 20 auto repair shops, but our requests were all turned down», she recalls. «Some told us that we could not be accepted but that they could give us internship certificates, which we refused», she added.
Najlaa and her sister also avoided the workshop belonging to a friend of their father, fearing that their «secret» would be divulged, before eventually asking for his help, following the advice of their mother. Joining this workshop in 2016 marked the start of their career in the field.
While the owner accepted working with them, they faced the «refusal» of some customers. «They refused to have their cars touched. We heard several comments like «what are you leaving men with?» or «your place is in the kitchen», the mechanic declared. «Sometimes, some passers-by in front of the workshop would record us in secret. It just stayed that way until they got used to seeing us», they recalled.
«One day a customer came to fix his car, and the owner of the workshop asked me to take care of it.The customer, on his return to the workshop to pick up his vehicle, said to the owner: ‘Do you want me to get into a car accident? I asked you to fix it, not to give it to the girl’.These words hurt me enormously».
Teaching mechanics to young girls
Sexist comments were almost going to discourage Najlaa and her sister, who considered giving up at some point. «However, every time we would try to comfort each other. Sometimes I try to cheer her up, sometimes she does it for me», declares the young woman who will succeed, later, in overcoming these difficulties and prove herself in the field.
«We have become experts in our field of work and among the vehicles that I have repaired and which made me proud of my work, there is a car from the DeSoto brand that was entrusted to us», she recalls. Manufactured in 1905, the car appeared in one of Belgian-American actor Jean-Claude Van Damme's films. «It took us three months», she said.
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By the end of 2018, Najlaa received a job offer in an automobile factory, which allowed her to acquire «good experience», for two years, in the automotive assembly industry.
With her sister, Najlaa is now thinking of setting up a training center to «teach women how to react in the event of a breakdown on the road and to rely on themselves». The two sisters also aim to set up an automobile repair workshop to teach mechanics to young girls. «I don't want what happened to me and my sister to happen again with other women and to be denied opportunities», she concludes.
