This
year we commemorate the 10 year anniversary of Sami’s passing. We
continue to remember his smile, love and beautiful memories within us
and through the thousands of kids impacted by Sami’s Project. The
planting and distribution of trees with children are the foundations of
Sami’s Project. It empowers kids by providing a feeling of belonging,
love, and respect. It teaches kids a sense of initiative and increases
their enthusiasm for learning. Through the participatory approach,
Sami’s project delivers transf
Continue...
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COMING OF AGE IN TASSA OUIRGANE
From 1985 until 1986, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer living in the
Azzeden Valley working for the country’s Eaux et Forets (Water and
Forests) Service to study and inventory what might’ve been some of
Morocco’s last herds of wild Barbary Sheep. These wild sheep lived on a
2000 hectare mountain reserve in Toubkal National Park, just across the
Azzeden river from the little village of Tassa Ouirgane. It was from
this little village that my Eaux et Forets counterpart, Omar, and I
would take our excursions into the reserve to document the presence and
movement of these animals. Sadly today, the Barbary Sheep no longer
inhabit the reserve, and according to villagers’ accounts, they moved up
higher into the mountains to escape the influence of humans. Continue ..
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The High Atlas Foundation is thrilled to announce a new partnership with FRÉ,
a company that uses organic argan oil to offer a skincare solution for
women who work out, formulated for skin that sweats. FRÉ uses argan that
is harvested and processed in Morocco, and they are committed to giving
back to the communities that make their world-class product possible.
FRÉ and HAF are working to empower women. Having extensive experience
working with argan nuts, FRÉ understands the crucial role that rural
Moroccan women play in making their first class product available to
world markets. Continue...
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Last
Friday, HAF staff conducted a marketing workshop with the women's
cooperative center in Tenine-Ourika. Our project manager, Amina, and one
of our volunteers, Davide (from Italy), led the workshop. Gal
(myself), the HAF Intern and a graduate student from Jerusalem, took
photos and notes (also kept the kids busy). More than 30 women, of
various ages (including several children as well), participated, asked
questions and shared their ideas. We even got a chance to hear one of
them sing! Continue.. |
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ECOSIA'S RECOUNTING OF THEIR TRIP WITH HAF
The green hills that used to surround the Moroccan cities of Fez, Ifran
and Oujda have turned amber. Years of intensive grazing have depleted
the soil of its nutrients. Only the oldest villagers remember that their
home used to be green, and cooler. The absence of the ancient forests
is so real, so striking, that it’s almost a presence. We traveled to
Morocco two weeks ago, in search of a solution. Here’s what we’ll do:
your searches will fund six new tree nurseries around Fez, Ifran and
Oujda. These nurseries will yield, in a first phase, 1.3 million. Continue..
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INVESTING IN PEOPLE TO INVEST IN PROGRESS
So, how did I, a college student from California, end up in Marrakech,
Morocco for a summer of 110-degree weather and endless tagine dinners?
Well, I happen to go to a school that offers to fund for international
summer internships, and I happened to be scrolling through nonprofits
throughout Africa and was attracted to the description of an
organization in Morocco called the High Atlas Foundation. Once I
researched more about the organization and saw countless images of
Marrakech’s red architecture, beautiful gardens, and proximate High
Atlas Mountains, I think my fate was sealed. I took an internship offer
with HAF to be a social media intern, in line with my interest in
political communication and set up to spend the summer overseas. What
was so special about HAF? Continue ..
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KATHRINE'S STORY
How does a stay at home mom from New York City with a background in
marketing and publishing start a multi-national company and empower
women from rural villages, many of whom are illiterate and have received
no formal education? All that one needs to do to find out is look at
the inspiring work of Katharine L'Heureux.
In Katharine’s story, what was planned to be an exotic vacation to
Morocco, turned out to be a game-changing trip through possibly one of
the most unexpected ways possible. While departing the United States to
fly to Morocco, her facial oil was confiscated by the TSA. Continue..
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PRESENTING TORORDE, A VILLAGE OF CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES
Another pretty productive and successful day today. In the early
afternoon, I had a meeting with the teachers I had met yesterday at the
school in the Village of Tororde in the Azzaden Valley. One of the
teachers, Zahara, was kind enough to set up a meeting with people from
the neighboring Association Koutoubia pour le développement rural et la protection de l’environnement.
Before I knew it I had another semi-structured group discussion going
on with the two female teachers (aged 25 – 35), the president of the
association (Farid, aged 32) Continue..
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