High Atlas Foundation

Tree Planting Day with InDrive
By Ansh Jakatimath

On June 12th, I ‘planted’ my first tree! Pairing up alongside Hanane and Abdejalil from the High Atlas Foundation and three employees from InDrive, we all made our travels to Sidi Badhaj in the beaming summer sun to witness the step-by-step, incremental process of planting a single tree.

Seeing extravagant numbers like 75,000 or 100,000 trees on a brochure or pamphlet has a palpable numbing effect that makes us dismiss how intricate and effortful the process of planting even a single tree may actually be. In reality, one must survey land, mark potential locations, manually dig holes, and only then does the thought of planting a tree even arise.

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away, the sapling nursery is in bloom. Nursery attendants manage the hyper specific temperature or growth conditions in order to sprout year old saplings that can then be transported to fields for planting.

For us, ‘planting a tree’ simply means taking that prepackaged sapling that has been nurtured for several months and carefully wrapped for transport, ripping it out of its bag, and then carefully placing it into the hole that has been dug. The funny thing being that after doing such a simple task a dozen times, one starts to think “wow, there are still a dozen more till the end of this line.”

Our singular step is representative of the absolute middle of the tree planting process. Even after the sapling has been placed into the ground, the work remains vastly unfinished. Caretaking and management for months on end mark the life cycle of that sapling into an actual tree. That process from the nursery, to the fields, and eventually the growth of a full-fledged tree marks the addition that ultimately sums those quantities in the tens and hundreds of thousands that we have become accustomed to.

While we took our rest, being lured by the offer of biscuits and tea, the field’s farmers, far more effective in their approach, continued. As we relaxed, the time between conversations primarily held in Darija offered me some time to reflect on this process and its sheer magnitude.

Each sapling requires such care and attention. Each tree only compounds upon that effect. The work is the mesh of artisanship and manual labor that takes in complex conditions and generates visible environmental impact en masse.

The vision of the green future of Morocco is only made possible by such work, and the High Atlas Foundation is at the forefront of it. Through offering students like myself and corporate partners opportunities to be a part of (a generously estimated) one percent of the process, those enormous numbers we too quickly look past are made even greater in their significance and magnitude.

For me, in becoming part of that mere one percent, my attention for the true work that goes into a single plant has grown inexplicably. And for those, that after reading my account still may not believe me, I would advise them: “go ‘plant’ a tree!”

Ansh Jakatimath is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been interning with the High Atlas Foundation for the past year.

On one of our first few dates in Morocco, we visited the hillsides of Talit Mamoun with someone who has now become a familiar, friendly face. Abdujalil from the High Atlas Foundation is a native of the area, who knew the native flora and fauna like the back of his hand. He was the link of the operation from the office to the fields. He steered us bright-eyed university students, who were clearly unfamiliar with the intricacies of what an unripe fruit even looked like as we managed to enthusiastically misidentify fig, olive, and carob trees. We all collectively laughed off what we could hopefully call our American naivete, but one last plant lingered as our opportunity to save face. We kept walking, slowly coming across a cluster of plants, a few low to the ground, its ruby-colored flowering caught in the sunlight. One of us paused. “Is this pomegranate?” they guessed.

Our streak of incorrect answers was finally broken as Abdujalil nodded. Our relief quickly transformed into a holistic lesson that explained the deeper meaning of the fruit– not just as something to eat or sell, but as a symbol carried through centuries of spiritual tradition and communal life. In that moment, it was clear that the pomegranate was more than a crop, but rather a key that could unlock the opportunity to extend its story–one of resilience, opportunity, and shared growth onto the communities that needed it most.
That small moment — basking under the sun, gleefully identifying fruit — unfolded into something far larger. As we listened to Abdujalil speak, it became clear that the pomegranate wasn’t only rooted in soil, but in story: one told across faiths, cultures, and generations.
An interfaith symbol of provision and paradise, the pomegranate in North African and Abrahamic culture has long been regarded with cultural value and communal reverence. For instance, the holy Quran mentions pomegranates on three separate occasions explicitly, associating the vibrant reddish-purple fruits with the notions of blessing and an imagery of what is to be seen upon attaining entry into God’s paradise. On the other hand, the Torah or the Old Testament goes on to compare the bounty of a pomegranate’s seeds, specifically noted as 613 in count, as directly representative of the 613 mitzvot or commandments in the religiously significant Jewish scripture. For both groups, however distinct or similar they may be, the recognition of the pomegranate’s value is certainly a shared ideal. While it may be the case that the religious texts serve as evidence of this recognizable value, there remains an urgent need to use this spiritual significance as a motive to invest into pomegranate’s future to act as a medium to alter rural poverty in Morocco.

Currently, Morocco produces over 80,000 tons of pomegranates every year, over only 4,000 hectares of land. At prima facie, this may seem standard, but when put into contrast with the world’s biggest pomegranate producers, such as Iran and India the ratio of efficiency becomes very clear. While Indian and Iranian producers use more than 100,000 hectares of land to produce 1 million tons of pomegranates, the Moroccan pattern acts to be evermore impressive and doubly efficient. Culturally speaking, the Moroccan pomegranate is considered a national treasure. From the fields in the foots of the Atlas Mountains to the bustling road medians along the boulevards in Marrakech, the pomegranate exists everywhere in Morocco dripping its bright color across a landscape of desert sand. Its reputation for its sweet and tender arils are well loved in the fruit juice stalls in the busiest medinas and in the hot fields of rural farmland alike. For all Moroccans it has become inextricably linked to cuisine, commonly serving as a tangy side character in the famous Moroccan tagine, creating a flavorful symphony along the notes of lemons, dates, meats, and broths.

This effect and meaning is not isolated to Morocco as on a global scale, as pomegranates and its resulting products are coveted far and wide. They are known to be chock-full of nutrients and the benefits to human health and wellness associated with their consumption and usage. Pomegranates are distinguished amongst the class of superfruits for being exceptionally high in antioxidants, making them anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, unlocking a wide range of use cases in cosmetics, food & beverages, and pharmaceuticals.

For Moroccan farmers, the pomegranate is a story of culture and resilience, deeply intertwined in their food, customs, and daily livelihoods. Amongst the effects of global warming in North Africa, the increasing droughts in the semi-desert regions of Morocco mean that the fruit is even more valuable as a drought resistant crop. For them, the pomegranate not only represents a commodity that can be converted into cash, but something much larger on a systemic level – a tool that can alleviate poverty intergenerationally. Rural poverty on a global scale remains to be unchecked en masse, in Morocco, however, there exist numerous opportunities of combatting this phenomenon. An investment into the profitable generation of pomegranate products is one of these critical avenues towards enacting systematic change.

Today, the potential for the pomegranate’s future is in the hands of individuals who not only recognize, but more importantly, act on this crucial value. Magnifying this lens onto the town of Beni Mellal, which sits in the heart of northern Morocco at the foothills of Jbel Tassemit, while producing two-thirds of Morocco’s annual pomegranate production sheds light on a prospective platform for this action. A region ripe with growing conditions suitable for the pomegranate, a track record of reliable harvest volumes, and logistically significant brief transit duration to consumers in Europe, Beni Mellal is a model of a region prime for investment with guaranteed growth potential.

The High Atlas Foundation, in partnership with the Oulad Abdellah Cooperative—responsible for 15% of Morocco’s national pomegranate production—has taken initiative to reimagine the fruit’s future in the Beni Mellal region. Backed by the Ministry of Agriculture, their efforts align local expertise with ideal growing conditions to build a sustainable foundation for growth. By merely increasing the quantity of raw pomegranates sold only scratches the surface of the story for the future of pomegranates that can be written. By investing in value-added production—juices, peel powders, concentrates, seed oils—this partnership envisions a model that transforms a beloved fruit into a driver of systemic, community-led development. With the right support, this initiative can serve as a blueprint for rural resilience far beyond the orchard.

For Moroccans of the past and the present, the pomegranate has always promised paradise and bounty. As we move into the future, there is an urgent need for investment that will guarantee and optimize its impact for tomorrow and the generations to come.

Students in the Field: Partnering with the High Atlas Foundation for Real Impact

By Federico Ramirez, Penn International Impact Consulting

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of working with the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) through Penn International Impact Consulting (PIIC), a student organization at the University of Pennsylvania that partners with NGOs across the world in year-long, pro-bono, capacity-building projects related to long-term sustainability and growth. As an Associate Consultant and Volunteer, I collaborated with HAF to evaluate and strengthen their circular finance programs. These initiatives use carbon offset revenue to help scale tree-planting efforts from 3.2 million to 10 million trees, while supporting reinvestment in more than 15 rural communities.

Our team also contributed to the development of investor pitch decks, grant applications, and communications materials designed to support HAF’s multi-million-dollar fundraising goals. One of my main projects was developing a strategy for a pomegranate processing plant, aimed at increasing local agricultural value and economic opportunity.

As a culmination of our work, we had the opportunity to travel on-site to Morocco and visit key HAF project sites. We met with multiple women’s cooperatives, explored carbon-capture tree nurseries, visited a restored Jewish cemetery, and engaged with local professionals working in development. These visits gave us a deeper understanding of the cultural and operational context behind HAF’s work.

One visit that stood out was to Talat Mimoun, a rural village in the mountains where HAF maintains a tree-planting site and has distributed resources to support sustainable agroforestry. As part of their broader support for community development, HAF also provided sewing machines to help a group of women form a cooperative. While this initiative is still in the early stages and has so far received one-time material support, there is strong excitement amongst the women and families of the village in expanding it into a long-term income-generating project with additional investment and training.

We were welcomed with a traditional breakfast and tajine, and had the chance to learn about the challenges women in the village face. Most girls stop attending school after sixth grade due to the absence of a nearby middle school and lack of transportation. Even in the lower grades, children often walk long distances in high heat to attend school and return home for meals.

Despite these obstacles, the cooperative members are deeply committed to learning and building skills. Through HAF’s support and their own community, they are gaining literacy and numeracy skills, I found it particularly humbling how the women spent more than 4 hours Monday through Friday together, teaching one another how to read and write Arabic, learning to sew, and working together to prepare for future income-generating activities. Younger girls have helped older women learn how to read and take measurements, which is essential for sewing work.

This reflects HAF’s approach to development: grounded, long-term, and based on community priorities. HAF builds trust by asking communities what they want to plant, what training they need, and what goals they want to pursue. From there, they offer additional support that communities can shape in their own way and carry forward.

In some cooperatives, for example, women now produce biodegradable seed pouches for HAF’s tree nurseries. This initiative was originally proposed by a PIIC team three years ago and has since become part of the Foundation’s carbon offset program. Seeing a past project like that continue to grow showed us what long-term collaboration can look like when it’s done right.

Our visit to Talat Mimoun reinforced how thoughtful and consistent HAF’s model is. This kind of work takes time and trust, but it builds lasting results. As student consultants, we were invited to contribute seriously and meaningfully, and that’s something we deeply appreciated.

I’m proud of what our team accomplished, and even more grateful for the opportunity to learn from HAF and the communities they serve. For students seeking hands-on work that is taken seriously and makes a measurable impact, HAF is a standout partner. They don’t just welcome student input, they integrate it into real programs and long-term strategies. For any college-level, impact-driven students or organizations, HAF is a partner that values your contribution and helps you turn ideas into meaningful change.

Federico Ramirez is a student at the University of Pennsylvania. Over the past year, he has interned with the High Atlas Foundation through Penn International Impact Consulting.

Sewing Sustainability: The High Atlas Foundation’s Zero-Waste Initiative

Bryn Galumbeck
HAF Volunteer

Today, on the third annual International Day of Zero Waste, we recognize the urgent need to transform waste management and promote sustainable consumption and production. This year’s theme, Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles, highlights the pressing environmental and social challenges caused by the textile industry and emphasizes the transition to a circular economy.

Current production and disposal processes in the textile industry pose significant risks to the environment. Every year, approximately 92 million tonnes of textile waste are generated worldwide, accumulating in landfills at an alarming rate—equivalent to one truckload per second. The rapid increase in textile production and consumption contributes to increased non-renewable resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and water and energy consumption.

The fashion industry contributes to resource depletion as it relies on non-renewable resources, which are projected to comprise three-quarters of all textiles within the next decade. Fashion production accounts for 10 percent of global carbon emissions, and textile manufacturing emissions are expected to rise by 60 percent by 2030. Furthermore, textile dyeing and finishing processes contribute to approximately 20 percent of global clean water pollution. The industry is the second-largest contributor to water contamination, as untreated wastewater is often discharged into rivers and streams.

In response to the global textile crisis, governments, organizations, and other stakeholders are working to transition from a linear to a circular economy for the textile industry. Adopting a zero-waste approach not only reduces environmental harm but also brings economic benefits. The circular economy focuses on minimizing waste, enhancing durability, reusing materials, and recycling.

The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) is dedicated to sustainable development initiatives in Morocco and actively supports zero-waste efforts across industries. HAF’s Tree Sacks Project fosters sustainable production practices for textiles in the agriculture industry. This initiative not only reduces plastic waste and emissions through local production of biodegradable tree sacks, but also empowers women by providing hands-on training, cooperative development, and empowerment workshops.

Since its inception, HAF has registered three official cooperatives in the Al Haouz province, supplying them with 50 sewing machines and essential resources. In the two months testing and learning period, the program has produced and distributed over 14,500 tree sacks to nurseries around Morocco. HAF’s vision is to produce 1.4 million biodegradable tree sacks in three years to promote enhanced sustainability in tree planting. With continued collaboration and investment, we can further reduce plastic waste in agriculture by expanding our production and distribution networks.

Youssef Mazdou, the program manager, shared his experience working on this project, “It was not easy to implement this project, especially in remote areas. In the beginning, I conducted a community meeting to explain the project’s vision and scope. The women could not imagine undertaking this initiative. Understanding cooperative operations, management, and production was a major hurdle. I was with them through every step—from their first visit to Polydesign, which gave them inspiration and a vision for their own cooperatives, to the moment they submitted their legal documents at the court. I never thought that I would work with women, but it was a great experience. They were happy with the work and benefits from the empowerment workshop. I will have a lasting connection with them.”

The shift toward sustainability requires commitment from governments, businesses, and individuals. By embracing circular economic models, investing in innovative waste management solutions, and making conscious consumption choices, we can reduce environmental impacts and build a more sustainable textile industry.

On this International Day of Zero Waste, we encourage all stakeholders to engage in local and national zero-waste initiatives and advocate for responsible production practices.



Bryn Galumbeck is a volunteer at HAF, first introduced through the University of Virginia’s global internship program in 2020. Passionate about women’s empowerment and economic development, she advocates for sustainable solutions that drive social, economic, and environmental impact.

Planting Trees, Building Futures

By Valentin, Intern at the High Atlas Foundation, 20.1.2025

On a quiet morning, I left Marrakech and traveled to Mohammedia. It was the annual Tree Planting Day, an important event for the High Atlas Foundation. My goal was to help plant trees with a group of students at a university.

When I arrived, many students were already waiting. They were excited to take part. Before starting, the team gave a short lesson about planting trees. Students learned why it is important, how to plant correctly, and how trees will help their community.

We started working together, planting small fruit trees like olives and almonds. For some students, it was the first time they worked with soil or held a shovel. Everyone was eager to learn and help. The field quickly became busy with digging and planting.

As we worked, I noticed how students helped each other and shared ideas. It was not just about planting trees; it was about teamwork and learning something new. By the end of the day, we planted many rows of trees that will grow to provide food and shade in the future.

On the ride back to Marrakech, I thought about how small actions like planting a tree can make a big difference. It felt good to be part of something that will help both the environment and the community. Tree Planting Day showed me the power of simple actions and teamwork to create change.

While I was at the High Atlas Foundation as an intern, I was able to research and write about the Foundation's various initiatives and cultural preservation projects. See an example of one below:

"Breaking with Tradition: Including Young Voices in Decision Making in Bir Gandus"

In a rural community in the Dakhla Oued Ed Dahab region, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), with the support of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), successfully included the voice of children in a community participatory process that was launched to design solutions for local education. In March 2024, HAF hosted a forum for local community members to discuss priorities and challenges in the arid rural municipality of Bir Gandus, which is located over three hours outside of Dakhla, and is largely ignored by development agencies.

This community of around 5,000 people faces numerous challenges including a lack of access to government services, the ongoing impact of climate change with the longstanding drought and soaring temperatures, stagnating youth and women social indicators, threats to the traditional nomadic herding livelihood, and periodic tension from the nearby border with Mauritania.

HAF facilitators accompanied the community members through the participatory experience of identifying a problem, mapping out local resources and goals, and developing a solution based on local conditions and needs. Community members reached consensus that educational regression, especially in primary schools, was an urgent priority that needed immediate attention.

HAF facilitators accompanied the community members through the participatory experience of identifying a problem, mapping out local resources and goals, and developing a solution based on local conditions and needs. Community members reached consensus that educational regression, especially in primary schools, was an urgent priority that needed immediate attention.

Students are not meeting critical developmental milestones such as arithmetic standards and many are dropping out at a young age. Community members selected a local educational association called Qodwa to be the lead implementer in developing a program to make local education more attractive and interesting as a way to keep students engaged and achieving beyond the traditional educational approach of memorization. Traditionally, in this region children are not considered capable decision makers and are not consulted regarding issues that impact their lives, however the community understood the value of breaking with tradition to include young voices in the participatory process.

From January to June 2024, HAF and Qodwa kept the voices of the students and the local community members as the drivers of the participatory process by facilitating four sessions (each for three days) of civic awareness and participatory planning, and two community forums, with 73 students (38 girls, 35 boys). These local forums drew lots of attention and even included participation from local government officials, including the El Caid of Bir Gandus, and local teachers who will be the lead implementers of the new educational approach.

Community members, many of whom are also parents, encouraged their children to share their opinions directly, and the program also hosted school events. Additionally Qodwa hosted a visit to a local utility company as a “career day” event to help the students envision where education can take them.

“I was very happy when I was part of a group of 16 students who met with local decision makers, and I think I will be a young engineer in Bir Gandus in the field of drinking water, because I liked the way the officials explained their work with passion. I would like to be part of the team that helps provide drinking water to Bir Gandus in a safe way one day,” said Mohammed Salem, a student at Bir Gandus primary school.

During the participatory approach, students expressed a desire for a new educational approach that fosters their creativity and innovative intelligence and keeps learning interesting. Students expressed awareness of modern and international techniques in education that included “makerspaces” and hands-on approaches to developing skills and hobbies that can help students set career goals or hobbies including computer programming, foreign language, and art. The students of Bir Gandus have dreams and want their local educational system to help them on their journey.

The outputs from the HAF facilitated process were outlined into a community advocacy letter sent from the local parent association to the provincial director of education of the Aousserd Province defining the community’s needs, the plan to improve education, and requesting resources to help make the student's dreams a reality. The community action has continued with teachers, schools, parents, government authorities and students remaining in frequent contact.

New formal advocacy initiatives are being formed including the Citizenship Tent for Capacity Building which was selected for funding as part of the MEPI program. The Citizenship Tent serves as a community liaison between local schools and the government, introducing instructors to new participatory pedagogical methods and training students to proactively advocate for their needs.

Next month, all stakeholders, including officials, students, parents, and teachers will gather for another forum. They will evaluate the achievements of the education initiative and build greater public awareness about the Citizenship Tent initiative and the other four community projects launched by the MEPI-HAF program. The new participatory network in Bir Gandus made and composed by members of communities, civil associations, and local government agencies, continues participatory planning, design, evaluation and advocacy in envisioning its future, and most importantly, now it includes youth as valuable decision makers.

Success Story: Sanad Association launched its community initiative

Two years ago, Halima, 52-years-old, had a severe headache. She lives in the Dakhla municipality. “As all the women do, I took some medicine that we have usually in our home and I drank some traditional drink. The pain didn’t stop but it increased day after day,” she said.

Hamila’s headache continued like this for a week. One day, “I lost concentration, then found that I had a cancer which needed an urgent surgery,” she explains. The surgery was successful, and now Hamila advises all women to never ignore their health problems.

She is now participating in a program with 84 other women from Dakhla, run by the Sanad Association and funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative. In Arabic, “sanad” means to support or to be someone that can be leaned on. The association has taken on this role by providing accessible, close healthcare services for marginalized people, like these women, through this community initiative.

The association aims to protect the rights of women and promote their status within society. This includes, but isn’t limited to, social justice, equality in the right to economic and social participation, and raising awareness of women' s rights, combating sex-based discrimination and all forms of violence that prevent women from participating in public life and decision-making.

Four days of workshops were conducted in the two centers of the L’entraid Nationale. Nurses led these workshops, with a focus on healthy lifestyle and diseases that women are vulnerable to, like chronic illnesses, sexually transmitted diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, skin diseases, and stress aggravation. Prevention of these conditions, as well as treatment and the follow-up procedure with doctors were also discussed.

Participants were given time to share their experiences and ask questions about their healthcare. This platform also enabled the nurses to hear about these womens’ experiences with healthcare in the past, enabling them to better understand how they can minimize fear and anxiety during check-ups.

Through community initiatives like this, women gain knowledge to control their own lives: they know what to do and where to go when they need medical help, and how to set boundaries. By empowering them and providing the know-how, women gain the autonomy to work independently, make choices in life and in society.

Trees, Community, and Climate


By Michaela Creel,
Marrakech, Morocco

Monday, January 15, 2024, kicked off the community affair of tree planting. To maximize the scope of impact, High Atlas Foundation (HAF) staff and volunteers split up and traveled to locations across Morocco: Cadi Ayyad University, Azmour High School, Wlad Azzouz Wa Koba Primary School, and more.

In each location, community members joined HAF to help with each step of planting, fostering the valuable connection between HAF and the people we work with. At Wlad Azzouz Wa Koba primary school; the planting day went beyond the community as a father joined his young daughter in tree planting. As the man planted trees, his daughter watched, inspired to follow suit. These interactions fuel the initiatives of HAF, encouraging local role models to advocate and act for environmental change.



Upon my arrival at the primary school, I could immediately feel the students’ excitement as they crowded together, buzzing as we began bringing out the materials for the day’s tree-planting activity. As one staff member began corralling the children with a playful call and response activity, a few students and teachers helped HAF staff fill up the water pails. As students and HAF members joined hand in hand in a circle, HAF staff Mustapha Tarhbaloute began to explain what the tree planting would look like. However, his explanation went far beyond simply the steps of tree planting and the basics of why it is important.

With the students' attention, Mustapha engaged them in a conversation about climate change, seeing who could name natural disasters, leading to a discussion about how Morocco is impacted by certain catastrophes. Listening to Tarhbaloute and watching the kids’ reactions quickly became a highlight of my day. Seeing the kids get excited learning about climate change prompted enthusiasm from HAF staff and community members alike, creating the perfect environment for a fun and productive tree planting day.



Split into small groups so each student could clearly see each step, each spot was carefully dug, allowing enough room for the sapling to grow. Towards the end of our time at Wlad Azzouz Wa Koba, the girls noticed that the HAF and community members digging these holes had all been men. After bringing this to attention, the women staff, volunteers, and locals took turns digging. From this, I was reminded how the missions of HAF are all intertwined and that without the empowerment of girls and women, success will be limited.

By the end of our time at Wlad Azzous Wa Koba, the head of school planted the final tree and gave us parting words of gratitude and hope for the future. As HAF members, students, and local community members said goodbye, I was left thinking of how an act as seemingly small can spread so far. In my group alone, there were individuals from all around Morocco, the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, and Lebanon, making this a local act with a truly international impact.

Michaela Creel, an undergraduate student studying International Affairs and Cultural Anthropology at Northeastern University and currently an intern at the High Atlas Foundation.

Cultivating Sustainable Futures: A Holistic Approach to Development

By Oscar Klein
HAF Intern / Austrian Service Abroad

In the heart of Morocco's scenic landscapes, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) endeavors to create a lasting impact on both nature and communities. As an Intern of HAF from Austria, the experience of visiting the nursery in Akrich, where organic trees flourish amidst Jewish burial sites, evokes a complex array of emotions. Surrounded by thousands of growing tree saplings destined for neighboring agricultural communities, there is a palpable sense of peacefulness and harmony. However, the stark reality quickly emerges – these trees face an uphill battle for survival in the face of record-high temperatures and water scarcity.

HAF's commitment to sustainable development goes far beyond the nurturing of tree nurseries. With nine nurseries containing over 2.3 million trees, the organization recognizes the multifaceted nature of community empowerment. Women's empowerment takes center stage as a catalyst for a more collaborative and socioeconomically integrated future. Through initiatives like the IMAGINE workshops, Legal Clinic program, and Family Literacy program, HAF has been able to touch the lives of thousands of women and girls in Morocco.

Amidst these initiatives, the core of HAF's work lies in planting and distributing trees, providing rural communities with the means to diversify crops and explore higher-value products. Beyond the potential for increased revenue, trees contribute to stabilizing eroding areas, providing shade, improving soils, and storing carbon. In the 2022-23 season alone, HAF supported the planting of one million trees, benefiting 5500 farming families.

Morocco, like many regions, faces the grim consequences of climate change, exemplified by an increase in wildfires. HAF, in partnership with the Moroccan National Agency of Water and Forest and local communities, is actively working to rehabilitate agroforestry systems in areas devastated by wildfires. The goal is ambitious – to plant 15 million trees on 51,173 hectares, restoring forests and agricultural orchards.

WE4F, a joint international initiative, plays a pivotal role in supporting organizations like HAF, and we are profoundly grateful for the invaluable support from its esteemed donors. Through generous contributions from partners such as the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union (EU), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), WE4F empowers innovations that unlock missing inputs, finance, technology, and markets for farmers around the world. This support is crucial for achieving climate resilience and reducing CO2 emissions in the agricultural sector.

In the face of climate change and recent seismic events, HAF remains committed to sustainable development. The importance of adapting methodologies to enable communities to thrive in their unique ways cannot be overstated. The journey of challenges and triumphs, made possible by WE4F, underscores the urgency of collaborative efforts for a functioning future.

As one sits in a nursery in Morocco, it is a universal truth that similar scenes unfold in nurseries worldwide. Each community adapts methodologies according to its values, priorities, and goals. The common thread is the shared goal of sustainable development – a world where nature and humanity coexist harmoniously. HAF's journey, documented for WE4F, becomes a testament to the power of collective action in the face of global challenges.

#WE4F #BMZ #EU #Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands #Norad #Sida #USAID

“All life is interrelated”: MLK, the principle of Interrelation and Environmentalism

By Charles Pantelick
HAF Intern

On the day of remembrance of Martin Luther King and the ideals he espoused, it is valuable to reflect on the power of his ideas and words. Dr. King’s orations rallied the public and united diverse peoples, groups, and communities to pursue a common goal of combating societal challenges that directly or indirectly affected them. Even when a particular hardship does not impact one group, he reminded us that it is the collective duty of all people to rise together to combat it. This fundamental principle of interrelation is the essence of boundless communal action and solidarity. Expounding on the topic of interrelation, in 1967, Dr. King gave five lectures, “The Trumpet of Conscience,” under the CBC Massey Lectures, an annual Canadian broadcasting special. In his final lecture on Christmas Eve, Dr. King said, “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly” (King, “Peace on Earth,” 1967).

Understanding the interconnectedness of people and problems worldwide fundamentally changes one's perspective. No problem exists in a vacuum; thus, understanding Dr. King’s principle on interrelation helps us comprehend that issues of injustice have a ripple effect. When a problem occurs in one realm, it can often touch different, disparate areas of the world. Conversely, solutions can travel over time and space to mitigate turmoil in individuals and communities.

Turning to our modern-day environmentalist movements, one can clearly see how Dr. King’s interrelation, unity, and equality ideals provide sustenance and convergence. A fellow civil rights activist, James L. Farmer Jr., vividly applied the notion of interrelation in the context of the environment: “[I]f we do not save the environment and save the Earth, then whatever we do in civil rights or in a war against poverty will be of no meaning, because then we will have the equality of extinction and the brotherhood of the grave” (Farmer).

Tree planting campaigns fully embody Dr. King’s principle of interrelation. Planting trees can help solve environmental injustice and create a virtuous cycle that remedies other intractable problems plaguing vulnerable or under-resourced communities. In this regard, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), fulfills a vital role. By following a participatory development process created through invitation, interfaith nurseries, distribution, reforestation, and monitoring, communities can counteract issues surrounding the environment and socio-economic challenges. HAF’s partnering communities see the multifaceted benefits of tree planting that can target multiple injustices simultaneously. HAF believes that bringing communities together through collective care for the trees allows Moroccan citizens to work together despite differences in religion and gender. Trees benefit the environment by improving soil fertility, air quality, and water retention while helping prevent erosion, acting as windbreaks, providing shade, and reducing the harmful effects of climate change. The benefits do not stop with the environment; communities can reap monetary benefits by selling the products from the trees. Planting trees has a positive ripple effect in communities, from clean water initiatives to women’s empowerment. Bringing the community together to plant and maintain trees creates a platform to address other systemic issues. Through tree planting, communities can target their interrelated problems and reap the multifaceted benefits of overcoming them.

On this day of remembrance for MLK, one can not help but be awed by his legacy but also be mindful that change does not happen on its own. First, a multi-front approach must be taken to truly vanquish global injustice, targeting all kinds of interrelated injustice. Second, all people, even those indirectly affected, must be engaged in eradicating injustice. One among many examples of MLK’s efforts in this regard occurred in March 1968, when he supported the sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee. The strike protested the pay and working conditions differences between Black and white sanitation workers. Black workers were subject to polluted air and water but also to hazardous chemicals, while white workers were not. When Dr. King joined the protest, he organized demonstrations that raised awareness of racial and financial inequality alongside the environmental inequality involved in the workers’ plight. Although Dr. King did not live to see the fruits of his labor, he recognized the importance of viewing issues of inequality from multiple perspectives to understand their interrelation better.

Without justice in all areas of life, the world can not achieve lasting and effective equality. Simultaneously pursuing environmental justice and striving to mitigate other inequities is paramount to ensure lasting positive change for all.

Charles Pantelick is a freshman at Colby College in the United States majoring in Government and Economics, interning at the High Atlas Foundation Marrakech, Morocco.

On the Brink of Earth

By Safa Aguerjout
Psychosocial empowerment Facilitator

After three months have passed since the devastating earthquake that occurred in the region of Al-Houz and other affected areas on September 8, 2023, with a reported toll of 5,500 injured and 2,900 fatalities, including 86 individuals from Douar Amkdoul in the municipality of Talat N’ayacoub in the Al-Houz province, among them 21 children. Each person affected by this tragedy has lost more than one family member, whether from their immediate or extended family.


From a distance, it may seem as if life is back to normal and everything is fine. However, each step forward reveals shocking scenes that make it apparent that the earth has split open and swallowed everything in its path.

During our interactions with the community members, we have come to realize the vital importance of providing psychosocial empowerment. This support is offered through workshops organized by the High Atlas Foundation in partnership with Project HOPE. The aim is to help women and children affected by the earthquake regain a sense of normalcy despite the deep cracks left by this disaster—a task that cannot be fully restored within just four days of a workshop.


The psychological condition of children in this region is extremely challenging, and they are in desperate need of special support and follow-up due to the traumatic experiences they have endured at such a young age. During my conversations with them, I was struck by their maturity as they described the severity of what they witnessed, especially Amina, who lost Two of her brothers. She would even imitate her brother's cries from under the rubble to some extent. Life moves on unaware of what she has been through, as well as her separation from her best friend Zakia, who is nine years old. Every time she tells me about Zakia's actions or words, it seems as if she is trying to hold onto a memory that she fears will fade away.

The workshops serve as an opportunity for individuals to receive much-needed emotional guidance and assistance. They create awareness about psychological well-being and the importance of addressing mental health issues in the aftermath of such a traumatic event. It is a platform for individuals to share their experiences, express their emotions, and learn coping strategies.

The workshops also emphasize the role of community support and resilience. By coming together, sharing stories, and supporting one another, affected individuals can begin to rebuild their lives and find strength in unity.

It is crucial to acknowledge that the healing process takes time and ongoing support. While the workshops provide initial guidance, long-term efforts are needed to address the lasting effects of the earthquake on individuals' mental well-being.

As we continue our work with the community, we remain committed to providing sustained support and assistance as they navigate through this challenging period. Together with our partners, we strive to restore hope, rebuild lives, and contribute to sustainable development in the region affected by this earthquake.

Empowering Civil Society with University Engagement: Insights and Advocacy

By Oumaima Riad
HAF Volunteer

On December 16th and 17, 2023, the Training of Trainers (TOT) program on "Promoting Civil Society-University Engagement" began its 4th and 5th training sessions. The program, organized by the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in collaboration with the University of Cadi Ayyad and the Legal Clinic of the Faculty of Law in Marrakech, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), commenced under the guidance of the esteemed Professor Mr. Mohamed Ben Talha. This session's focus is on "Public Policies and Advocacy Strategy."

The day began with a warm welcome and introductory remarks by the Program Manager, Mr. Abdellah Laaboudi, setting the tone for the upcoming sessions. Professor Ben Talha, an expert in the field, led the participants through a comprehensive exploration of advocacy, covering its definition, various strategies, advocacy campaign intricacies, and different approaches. The morning session included spirited debates and insightful discussions that laid the groundwork for further deliberations. In the afternoon, the focus shifted towards a deeper understanding of the reasoning behind advocacy efforts.

Participants learned about the levels of advocacy and identified the key elements for a successful campaign. Professor Bentalha provided an extensive overview of the conditions and rules that support a sound advocacy strategy and the steps involved in formulating an effective plan. The interactions between Professor Ben Talha and the participants were highly engaging, with attendees expressing gratitude for the valuable insights gained.

As a culmination of the two-day, participants were divided into groups and tasked with drafting a petition addressing a specific societal issue. This activity aimed to apply the knowledge gained throughout the two days and develop practical skills in advocacy strategy. The collaborative efforts of the participants showcased the immediate applicability of the concepts discussed. In summary, the two-day sessions in the TOT program on "Promoting Civil Society-University Engagement" were a resounding success. Professor Mohamed Ben Talha's expertise, combined with the enthusiasm and active participation of the attendees, set a promising precedent for the rest of the training session.

Integrating theory and practical exercises ensures that participants not only understand the complexities of advocacy but also gain hands-on experience in applying these principles in real-world situations. The program holds great potential in empowering a group of trainers capable of fostering meaningful civil society engagement through effective advocacy initiatives.

The two-day training session concluded successfully, leaving a lasting impact on the participants. The collaborative atmosphere fostered a sense of community and engagement among representatives from various organizations.It is expected that the knowledge and skills gained during this TOT session will have a positive impact as participants return to their respective roles, promoting civil society-university engagement and contributing to the formulation and evaluation of effective public policies. The commitment and dedication demonstrated by all involved, along with the practical knowledge shared, ensure that the outcomes of this training will resonate positively in the realms of civil society and public policy advocacy.

Cultivating Harmony:
The Revitalization of Akrich through Shared History and Environmental Stewardship
By Nouhaila ELfatimi
HAF Program Coordinator
Morocco is characterized by its cultural and historical diversity. This land is marked by the presence of various religious and cultural groups, including the Jewish community, which is a vital part of the social and cultural fabric of the Kingdom. The Jewish community in Morocco has a long and inspiring history that spans across two millenia, telling a story of constructive coexistence and interaction between this community and Moroccan society.
The Jewish presence in Morocco made significant contributions to shaping Moroccan identity, becoming integral to daily life, the economy, and civilization. This influence is evident in many cultural aspects. Moroccan cities bear witness to the existence of their ancient synagogues and historical quarters that narrate tales of shared life between Jews and Muslims. This is particularly evident in the city of Marrakech, especially in the village of Akrich, which had a profound impact on me during my visit. Its Moroccan Jewish history is clearly visible as an inseparable part of the village’s heritage.
When I stepped into the Akrich Jewish cemetery, I felt like I was embarking on a journey through time, with graves and tombs where the Cohen family was buried, recounting stories and memories that span centuries. The spirituality in this place heightened, and I realized the importance of preserving the shared cultural heritage and respecting others, sparking an unparalleled curiosity in me, as if my eyes were opening doors to a mysterious world of history and culture.
This curiosity stemmed from my deep desire to understand the story of this place, carrying within ancient events and diverse experiences.
Among the graves of the cemetery, I felt a vivid translation of the Jewish history of Akrich, as if the ancient stones were telling me stories about the lives of individuals who contributed to building this community. I wondered about the historical events that took place in this location and the names engraved on the tombstones.
This led me to explore the corners of the cemetery carefully, pondering the life stories of these individuals until it became a focal point for hundreds. This sacred place serves as a pilgrimage destination for the Jewish people, guarded by the Abderahim Al-Hameen family, who have inherited this responsibility from his grandfather and father. This family has witnessed the developments of this sacred place for nearly 100 years.
When I met him, his face harmonized with the roots of the place, as if he were a part of the living history that this cemetery carries. The conversation began simply about the daily aspects of his work as a cemetery guard, but it quickly turned into a journey through the years and the transformations of the cemetery since its establishment. He spoke about the times when the cemetery was crucial for the Jewish community, pointing to the period when the cemetery was restored in 1990 and how it has been visited since that time.
He talked about the efforts made to preserve this place as part of the local heritage, and his words transported me back in time, allowing me to see vivid images of those periods. Mr. Abderahim reflected deep nostalgia and respect for the cemetery's history and the efforts aimed at preserving this shared cultural heritage between moments of decline and the revival of this cemetery.
In 2012, Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir, the President of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), visited the cemetery. He played a prominent role in revitalizing the Akrich Jewish cemetery, transforming it into a vibrant and environmentally active place. This inspiring man led pioneering efforts to contribute to preserving the cultural and historical heritage of the region. With a clear vision for positive change, HAF, the Moroccan Jewish Community, and local partners inaugurated a nursery adjacent to the Akrich Jewish cemetery in 2012.
Life and growth flourished in this place, becoming a symbol of coexistence and renewal. Plants and trees grew, reflecting the philosophy of life and hope for survival. As the days passed, the nursery expanded, benefiting public schools as well. Donations of various seedlings contributed to creating an eco-friendly atmosphere at the schools, enhancing environmental awareness among students and encouraging them to participate in planting and caring for plants. This donation diversified the school environment, improving air quality and the aesthetic appearance of the school.
The nursery also transformed into a center for international students to learn about different faiths and ethnicities in Morocco, most recently from the University of Virginia’s Darden business school. The story of the Akrich nursery serves as a symbol of intercultural communication and understanding between Jewish and Moroccan people, fostering regular visits and knowledge exchange. In the context of social impact, a women's cooperative for making traditional Moroccan carpets called "Zarbia Ashbarou" emerged. When delegations visit the nursery, they also learn about the dedication and strength of rural women capable of working and investing. This cooperative not only provides income for local women but also contributes to the preservation of heritage.
This nursery not only enhances communication and understanding among community members but also represents a symbol of collaborative work and positive interaction between different communities. As a Muslim, I felt proud to witness joint efforts to improve living conditions and support traditional crafts.
The nursery has become a hub for development and the stimulation of the local economy, bringing invaluable benefits to the village of Akrich. Among its key aspects is the transformation of infrastructure, providing modern roads and potable water, making life easier and more comfortable for the village residents. Improving infrastructure has a positive impact on the quality of life and promotes sustainable development.
The efforts led by Dr. Ben-Meir reflect his deep commitment to achieving sustainable development and promoting cultural communication in an environment where history and the present uniquely blend. The curiosity that overwhelmed me to learn about the history of the Jewish cemetery in Akrich made me understand that ancient places carry stories worth exploring. Every place holds a unique history that deserves reflection and contemplation.

Psychosocial Empowerment Workshops

Aguerjout Safaa
Facilitator of the High Atlas Foundation


The earthquake in the Al Haouz and surrounding provinces caused profound loss. NGOs mobilized their resources to provide vital assistance to the affected families. The High Atlas Foundation established partnerships with international organizations, including Project Hope. Together, we launched psychosocial empowerment sessions with communities, as we continue to distribute essential supplies, such as food, blankets, and tents, and assess and implement water infrastructure projects.

Psychosocial empowerment comprises a series of support workshops aimed at healing the emotional pain and trauma caused by the crisis. As part of a collaborative effort, 4-day workshops were introduced to the affected areas, including Tikste, Tinmel, Tizgharine, Ait Ayoub, Azro, Ashbarou, Tafza, Tagherghis, and Tifkritt. A total of 279 women and girls benefited from these workshops.

Recognizing HAF’s commitment to serving to restore the emotional balance of families, we provide parallel care of school-age children. This was particularly important due to the disruption of regular schooling caused by damaged infrastructure and school buildings awaiting repair. Approximately 186 children, aged between 4 and 11, both boys and girls, benefitted from this initiative.

Upon our initial encounters with women in these areas, grief and pain in their eyes were evident. Their faces were swollen from mourning over the lost relatives and neighbors. The landscape was dominated by damaged homes, rickety fences, and scattered furniture. It was difficult for anyone to witness the extent of devastation, with the memories of these events deeply etched in the minds of those impacted.

Upon our arrival in Tinmel, we were greeted by Ms. Widdad, who guided us to the school where we met with women who were desperately seeking support. Among them were those who had lost their entire family and those who had lost their main sources of support.

The first workshop centered on themes of mourning and surviving disaster, evoking most deep emotions. However, as the facilitators began their discussions, the woman regained composure and expressed their readiness to share their experiences.

Fatima shared her story, saying, "I don't know how I survived the wreckage and the sound of the earthquake still didn't make my head apart, wherever I went, I heard that sound." She continued, “the sound rarely leaves my head and it causes me pain in my whole body, wondering when that pain will end.” Rashida added, "I lost my son who was the age of flowers, how can I live with the situation?"

The tragedies these women experienced were heart-wrenching, and words cannot capture the extent of their suffering. And so while we cannot alter reality, the aim of these workshops is to offer hope with these women. The workshops seek to encourage them to believe that the future can hold better days. While the material losses cannot be fully compensated, we can gain mercy and work towards supporting these individuals in their recovery.

The workshops were designed to explore the psychological trauma experienced by the women; not to rekindle the painful memories, but to assess the impact of the trauma on their well-being. The trauma of the earthquake affected every woman differently. Each woman has varying degrees and types of trauma based on their personal experiences. Each woman has unique ways of processing trauma. Given the diverse reactions to trauma, facilitating a space for all to feel comfortable expressing their feelings is challenging, and imperative.

In contrast, children responded more positively to the workshops. They actively engaged in activities such as drawing, coloring, and games that involve numbers and letters in Arabic. While schools remained closed, it was essential to create a suitable learning environment for these children. Through their engagement at the workshops, it was evident that the children held significant hope and aspirations for a better future, despite the challenging circumstances. This observation highlighted the resilience of children in coping with crises compared to adults.

The project of psychosocial empowerment recognizes that the road to recovery for those who have lost their loved ones and homes will be neither swift nor easy. But it is necessary to sustain to help these families recover their lost self under the rubble, which has not yet been recovered even though they are alive. The project will require sustained efforts and support to help these families regain their sense of selves and rebuild their lives, a task that remains ongoing.

Hamid's Lasting Legacy: A Tale of Selflessness in the Face of Tragedy

In Temsult, there was one man who encapsulated the very essence of community living: Hamid. He had spent his entire life in this picturesque village, dedicated to its people and their well-being. His old, weathered car became an emblem of hope and connectivity, for he was not just a driver but a lifeline for all those who depended on his services.


Hamid was the kind of man you could simply call, and he'd be there, ready to help. He was an unwavering pillar of support for the community, always willing to assist with a heart full of generosity. It wasn't just goods and belongings that Hamid transported; he carried the dreams and hopes of those he served.


He was more than a good man; he was an exceptional human being. Selflessness flowed through his veins, and his actions spoke louder than words. Hamid's wife resided with his father, and they eagerly awaited the arrival of a new life into their family, for she was pregnant at the time.


As we walked through the devastated remnants of Temsult, it was Hamid's brother who guided us, providing insight into the village Hamid had held dear for 35 long years. There was a sense of melancholy that hung heavy in the air as we listened to the tragic story of Hamid.


The man's courageous attempt to save his pregnant wife had cost him his life when a massive chunk of debris struck him in the face. He had fought valiantly for survival, but in this remote and isolated land, help was too far away. The heart-wrenching truth is that these villages are a world apart from the assistance of modern civilization and Essaid, our guide, wept as he recounted the harrowing tale.


Amid the ruins of Temsult, Hamid’s brother found the strength to thank us, expressing his deep gratitude that we had come to bear witness to their tragedy. He wished for the world to know that the man they had lost, Said’s dear friend and his own brother, was the most celebrated person in Temsult. His words were a poignant reminder that Hamid was an institution unto himself, offering his help when he had almost nothing to spare.


Hamid's story wasn't just one of sorrow; it was an ode to the enduring power of compassion and selflessness. It was a testament to the unwavering spirit of humanity, even in the face of overwhelming adversity. Though Hamid was no longer with them, his legacy continued to inspire, a beacon of hope for the people of Temsult and a shining example of the incredible impact that one person's kindness could have on an entire community.

The Paradoxical Powers of Consensus

In contexts with a strong diversity of thought and background like Morocco, creating development projects that will be accepted by the population can be extremely difficult. How can one project simultaneously address the needs of such varied groups? Organizations like the High Atlas Foundation have found an unlikely solution in the form of consensus decision making, where they are seemingly doing the impossible. By bringing diverse groups together and increasing the challenge of the already difficult process of consensus building, the High Atlas Foundation has been able to create more sustainable outcomes in the long run. How does this happen, and why aren’t more organizations using consensus?
Well, compared to other methods of decision making, consensus seems to have a relatively negative reputation. Forbes Magazine published an entire article tearing it down, the Harvard Business Review called it "excruciatingly slow", and Psychology Today questioned whether consensus or even agreement is really needed to make good decisions. Consensus is seen as too slow, too inconsiderate of individual differences, and ultimately not effective. However, coming to a consensus before making major decisions, while painful at first, remains a powerful tool by giving stakeholders the opportunity to decide what is most important to them. Having this extra information allows for alliances that would have at first seemed unlikely and creates a lively debate that can spur innovation more than a unilateral decision ever could.
Critics of consensus argue that consensus often ignores the individual preferences of participants. This argument suffers from a serious flaw: it assumes that information on individual preferences is immediately available in the process. Behavioral scientists have argued that preferences are formed during the decision-making process and that certain cognitive biases prevent us from knowing or accurately articulating our individual preferences. The consensus method accounts for this by giving time for preferences to fully develop and by rigorously and repeatedly checking our cognitive biases against the challenge of public debate. This information allows for the creation of alliances between stakeholder groups in a way that is simply impossible without the challenging process of building consensus. With a better idea of what is truly important, groups can more easily focus on their core values as opposed to surface-level differences. Participants will continually try to innovate and adjust to align their goals with those of the other participants in a way that simply does not happen in a faster process like a unilateral decision or a vote. In short, the debate and slowness of consensus could help lead to decisions that better address the true preferences of participants instead of their initial preferences, even if it can’t meet everyone’s preferences fully.
There continues to be a fierce philosophical debate about the tension between the individual and the collective, whether it be the social contract of enlightenment thought, the class upheaval of Marxist thought, or somewhere in between. The consensus process finds itself at the center of this tension, as it is the process of making the collective from a variety of individuals. There is no way for consensus, or any group decision-making method outside of a dictatorship, to always produce a final decision as proven in the famous Arrow Impossibility Theorem. But, while consensus cannot solve the collective-individual dilemma per se, its ability to collect accurate information about what participants truly value can be invaluable to finding synergies between individual and collective priorities, not only synergies between different individuals.
There are some situations in which consensus is truly impossible, and in those moments even consensus-oriented organizations like the High Atlas Foundation use a voting method to make a final decision (albeit a more informed vote than if it were simply voted on at the start). But while consensus does not always produce a result, the process to get there is worthwhile. Ultimately, consensus is slow, challenging, and inefficient, but that is exactly what makes it such a vital tool in today’s development landscape, especially for diverse countries like Morocco and those across Eurasia.

Maxfield Evers is a third-year undergraduate at Princeton University and is a writing and analysis intern for the High Atlas Foundation of Morocco.

Lydia Grossman, Intern

It’s impossible to travel to Morocco without encountering the Argan tree (Argania Spinosa L.) or its products. Morocco’s multipurpose Argan trees are known around the globe; particularly for Argan oil, which is used in cosmetics and cooking. While argan oil only emerged as a worldwide household name in recent decades, the argan tree has a long-standing cultural and social significance to rural communities in Morocco.

Today, argan trees are a symbol of resilience that further multiple sustainable development goals. Not only do they provide income to marginalized populations, but they also combat climate change and symbolize Morocco’s cultural heritage. As the world celebrates the International Day of Argania on May 10, we highlight the economic, environmental, and social significance of argan trees to Moroccan society today.

While argan products have long been used for medicinal and cooking uses by rural communities, argan oil’s more recent status as a hot commodity on the global market has fueled the growth of argan tree farms and the formation of women’s cooperatives that process the oil and undertake other income-generating activities. Women’s cooperatives, which are largely made up of indigenous Amazigh women, have played a key role in fueling Moroccan rural development and advancing the role of women in society. Cooperatives give rural women, who traditionally have not worked outside of the home, the opportunity to make income for themselves and thus serve as a source of empowerment for women. Many cooperatives also offer childcare and literacy workshops as a benefit to members.

Argan trees also serve an important environmental purpose in Morocco. The trees thrive in harsh conditions, making them well adapted to environmental fluctuations which are typical in Southwest Morocco and have increased significantly due to global climate change.

The trees’ deep root system and resilience to drought mean that they have been key in combating erosion and desertification in the region, thus preventing advancement of the Sahara desert. Furthermore, argan forests work in tandem with the traditional pastoralist systems (don’t forget about the tree-climbing goats!), thus providing dual economic and environmental benefits to the region.

While the importance of argan trees to sustainable development in Morocco is clear, some researchers have criticized the national strategy towards developing the argan oil industry as prioritizing commercialization over local ownership of argan production. Furthermore, climate change and overexploitation threaten the longevity of the argan forests. Looking forward, it will be important to ensure that local producers, particularly women, have a voice in shaping future developments in the argan oil industry and in the protection of argan forests.



HAF has made Argan a central part of its work by planting trees and working with women’s argan oil cooperatives around Morocco in partnership with international organizations including FRÉ Skincare, UNDP, and Ecosia. The organization’s presence in the Marrakech-Safi region is advantageous, due to the province’s high demand for argan planting projects.

In the Khat Azakane commune in Oulad Talha, a total of 6300 argan trees have been planted by HAF, generating an additional source of income for the local community, increasing employment and productivity, and creating a basis for future social development. This momentum carries into surrounding communities such as the Ejdour commune where HAF is aiming to bring back the argan ecosystem that used to thrive many years ago.

A new HAF initiative in partnership with FRÉ Skincare, is addressing this need through dividing 200 hectares of land into planting space for about 31,500 argan and 65,000 caper trees. For these local communes, the trees provide ecological services which benefit local farmers, and their implementation helps to lessen the negative impacts of climate change, such as drought, erosion, desertification, and high temperatures.

Reflecting on the past and engaging in future initiatives, HAF has confidence in the investment of argan for sustainable community development. As we celebrate the cultural, economic, and environmental significance of Argan to Morocco, we look forward to seeing how Argan continues to shape human development in Morocco in the years to come.

I read a thought provoking opinion article about how the recent drought (last 5-7 years) has negatively affected life in Morocco more than the Covid-19 pandemic. Knowing how much the pandemic affected my life and people around the world, this observation really struck me. Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are some of the most vulnerable in the world to the effects of climate change. The drought that Morocco is experiencing is the worst in decades and the IPCC predicts that drought conditions and temperatures will continue to rise in the MENA region for the foreseeable future. The drought affects every Moroccan through food system strains (and price increases) and directly affects the agriculture sector. Moroccans do not have the luxury of thinking about how climate change will affect just their future. Potential catastrophic climate change is their reality right now. They are in need of innovative and proactive solutions with the support of government and non-governmental organizations. The farmers of the Bio-Agri Atlas cooperative of Ouled Mbarak in the Beni Mellal region are to be commended for their eagerness to learn, adapt, and solve issues on their farms related to drought. I am honored to have been invited back to Ouled Mbarak to facilitate a workshop on Climate Smart Agriculture.

Climate Smart Agriculture contains many of the same principles as organic and regenerative agriculture, which was the focus of my last workshop in 2021. This visit gave me a chance to see if the farmers had been able to adopt any of the practices we discussed during the last workshops.

The effects of the drought were very visible. Many olive and citrus trees were dry and weathered. Farmers talked of their decreased yields in olives specifically resulting in very high prices for olive oil in the country - almost double from the previous year. Due to the increase in drought intensity over the last two years farmers had not been able to take many steps toward implementing organic agriculture practices on their cash crops. In fact, farmers that rely on rainwater and irrigation from the dam (that has been shut off to irrigation due to insufficient water levels) have not been able to plant many or in some cases any cash crops with their return on investment being little to none. Many farmers are unable to provide enough sustenance and income through farming and have left to find work in bigger cities, leaving farms sitting fallow. In fallow fields soil structure and nutrients are lost and erosion increases quickly.

During the workshop we spent considerable time talking about cover crops and no-till methods that could be used that are low in cost and can provide much needed nutrients to the soil. We also talked about cover crop residues, specifically leaving the winter wheat residue (stalks) after harvest in the ground and directly seeding the next crop (corn, beans, alfalfa, etc.) into the wheat residue when it is time to plant. No-till agriculture is an older method of farming that has been lost world wide as our farms have grown in size to feed a growing population. Tilling the soil with machinery became the fastest and preferred method of preparing the soil. Additional time saving methods of adding nutrients through chemical means and reducing crop diversity in favor of subsidized monocrops have also contributed to soil that is devoid of microbial life and organic matter. The soils in Morocco naturally have very little soil structure and are extremely susceptible to erosion through wind and water. When land is deep disc tilled there is a net loss in organic matter and soil microbes which are necessary for building a soil structure that can sustain plant life - even in drought conditions. A return to our ancestral methods of no-till farming and cover cropping is necessary for soil health and thus healthy crops. This will not only increase the fertility of the soil and boost crop production, but these steps will also sequester carbon from the air and return water to the water cycle for more predictable weather patterns. In the workshop we talked about the role of agriculture in climate change and how we can help as farmers. As farmers we have the power to significantly reduce climate change just by caring for our soil in a more holistic way. Caring for the soil this way will also help increase our yields and reduce the effects from severe weather.

Also at the workshop, the regional representative from the Department of Agriculture was present, which was very valuable to the participants. He was able to talk about the use of wells to withdraw groundwater for irrigation and what the possible long and short term groundwater and thus community impacts may be from this method. We discussed the need for a more coordinated effort of withdrawing groundwater and the Moroccan ancestral methods of khettara. The Department of Ag representative was also able to provide detailed information about applying for drip irrigation financial assistance incentives through the government’s Green Morocco Plan followed by a discussion of the barriers for applying.

I was honored to be able to visit a local farm of a farmer that attended the workshop. He graciously walked us through his land showing us his solar-powered well. The constant source of irrigation water has meant that his farm has suffered less than neighboring farms without a well. His well tended farm and garden was incredibly diverse in its plant and tree species and honestly one of the most beautiful I’ve seen. I was delighted to share a couscous meal with the team under the shade of a large carob tree! Discussion, research, and community engagement surrounding groundwater wells for irrigation seems to be of utmost importance for Morocco.

Aziz Taouri is a farmer and community leader in Ouled Mbarak who works tirelessly to improve his community through partnerships with national and international organizations, latrine projects at schools, homestay coordinations with the Semester at Sea program, helping establish and support cooperatives, and so much more. Aziz coordinated the cooperative of farmers for the climate smart agriculture workshop and also arranged a meeting for us with the Sultan Moulay Slimane University climate change researchers. These phD researchers are studying how climate change is affecting the surface water in the region’s watersheds. They are also bringing awareness to their research with public events and informational sessions. This research is the first for this Beni Mellal region and is vitally important to understanding the impact that climate change is having on the region and the country. The researchers expressed limitations in publishing, resources, and funding to properly continue and possibly expand their research.

Nothing quite fills one with hope as spending time with young children. We were invited to attend a primary school with an ecological focus to see their campus and plant some trees and aromatic plants with the students there. We met with the teachers and administrators beforehand and I was humbled by their dedication to the children and their emphasis on environmental education. One teacher had been teaching for 41 years! When we met with the students to plant a carob tree I was amazed at the knowledge of these students! At 11 and 12 years old they knew about soil erosion from water and wind and how trees help hold the soil in place. They knew the type of tree we were planting just by looking at the sapling. They also knew exactly how to plant a tree and what all the parts of the plant are called. They are the future of Morocco and our world. It is so important that these future generations know about the natural world, problems in our environment, and how to think about ways to solve these problems. These kids are problem solvers, eager to help their home and their world. The future looks very bright for Morocco with these kids as its leaders.

I was invited to participate in “Environmental Days” at the Sultan Moulay Slimane University School of Human Resources and Management organized by the environment club at the university. This group is dedicating their free time at school to learning about environmental issues and how to bring awareness to these issues at their school. Errachid Montassir with HAF talked about what HAF does in Morocco and challenged them to think about what “environment” means to them. I was able to speak about my schooling, my time in the Peace Corps in Morocco in 2004-06, my agricultural and environmental education experience since then, and finally my time volunteering in the Farmer-to-Farmer program. They had provoking thoughts and questions about the differences between American and Moroccan agriculture, and what they can do to combat climate change in their everyday life. They asked me why I keep coming back to Morocco. The answer was simple - it’s the people. They are warm and welcoming, eager to learn from me, and I from them. The generations of agriculture in their families and communities is a wealth of knowledge and I learn so much with every visit and conversation. The participatory approach to community development works well in Morocco because the people care deeply for their country and their fellow Moroccans. I am honored to be a part of it. I also love speaking Darija with Moroccans, playing soccer with them (Sir Team HAF!), and learning from them. Their simple lifestyle that focuses on relationships and taking time to enjoy the important things like eating good, wholesome food with friends and family warms my heart and fills me with hope for the future. I honestly cannot wait to return again.

Nature, Culture, and Art in Akrich and Achbarou

This week, we had the great opportunity to visit one of the High Atlas Foundation’s 15 tree nurseries as well as the town’s women’s cooperative. We were joined by Nancy and Lucy, two friends of HAF who came to Morocco from the United States and were enthusiastic to visit the countryside and meet HAF’s partners.
Our first stop was Akrich’s Jewish Cemetery and tree nursery, located in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. As the location of a Jewish saint’s tomb, Rabbi Raphael Hacohen, and the resting place for many Moroccan-Jewish people, this 700 year old cemetery is an especially peaceful and beautiful place.
More than 10 years ago, HAF had the wonderful opportunity to develop its organic tree nursery project by partnering with the Jewish Community of Marrakech-Safi and creating an agricultural space adjacent to the burial site. This partnership was the first of many between Moroccan Jewish and Muslim families with HAF to develop inter-religious community relations through tree nursery projects.
The location’s wide empty terraces provide the perfect place to grow saplings and plant trees. Due to the elevation and colder and drier climate, the nursery mainly grows trees for the southern and mountainous regions of Morocco. We happened to come there when they were preparing to transplant carob and olive trees to nearby farmer families, both species that thrive in the Atlas Mountains.
On the second leg of our tour of the town, we stopped by Aboghlo Women’s Cooperative and learned about how the cooperative uses their artisanal knowledge to develop their business and hone their weaving skills. It was really impressive to see that all of the rugs are completely handmade and the materials, such as wool and dye, are all sourced from local places and 100% natural.
While the women are working at making rugs, their time at the women’s cooperative provides a time for self care and socialization as well. The women explained that they take care of their households at home in the morning, come to the cooperative in the afternoon, and then take care of their children when they come home from school. The cooperative gives them a moment to meet each other and take some time for themselves during the busy day.
Aside from their artisanal craft, these women spend time learning at the cooperative. In the past, they had benefited from one of HAF’s IMAGINE women’s empowerment workshops. With that boost of confidence and self-reflection, the women continue working with HAF to learn entrepreneurial skills, take literacy classes, and discover themselves further as individuals. It is always impressive to see how such a simple concept, like taking an introspective empowerment course, can lead to such growth and long term benefits in any community.

Soufiane: A Student Clinician Success Story

“Joining the legal clinic was the best decision I made in 2022. It has greatly contributed to my academic and professional growth.”

Soufiane is now a 26-year-old legal clinician trainee with a master’s degree in business law. During the second year of his graduate studies and last planned year of formal education, he felt the need to deepen his knowledge and sharpen his skills to better face the job market, be ready for the post-graduate world, and feel more legitimate and confident. As such, he applied to be a part of the Legal Clinic of the Faculty of Law (CJFD) in Fez.

From the beginning of his tenure with the “clinic,” he made a good impression and easily stood out through his commitment, participation, and curiosity. He put his heart and soul into the program’s activities and participated ardently in all of the organized events. The experience allowed him not only to perfect his knowledge of the law and to satisfy his unquenchable thirst for learning by offering him a myriad of fruitful and eclectic activities, such as study days, practical workshops, and field trips, but also to perfect his public speaking and oratory skills through debate and moot court competitions and, finally, to enlarge his professional network and to meet new people.

“It is a complete, qualitative, and no-frills experience,” says Soufiane. “The legal clinic is an absolute godsend that allowed me to think outside the box and learn the law by doing. And all for free. What more could you ask for? I would do it gladly if I had to do it again.”

According to Soufiane, his integration into the program was the turning point in his academic and professional life.
First, he succeeded in joining the Youth Parliament of Morocco, occupying the position of legal assessor since his first participation and being elected as a Minister for the next legislature, which will take place in July 2023. He claims to owe much of his success in joining the inner circle of young Moroccan parliamentarians to the “clinic” and the various skills he learned as a student clinician.
Secondly, his interest in defending the cause of women increased tremendously after meeting and assisting women who have experienced abuse and gender-based violence during his year as a student clinician. Wanting to do even more to help them, he created, with several of his peers, an association called eve4ever to improve the status of Moroccan women and promote their socio-cultural and economic condition.

Even in light of his notable success, Soufiane does not claim it for himself. He always insists on expressing his gratitude and appreciation to all those who helped him along the way. “Being a clinician is more than an experience. It’s a valuable identity that sticks with us, makes us proud, and helps us shine in all areas,” he says.

The Legal Clinic of the Faculty of Law (Clinique juridique de la faculté de droit – CJFD) in Fes aims to elevate the status of youth, women, and underrepresented communities by providing pro-bono legal aid and entrepreneurship training as a means to engage civically and economically.
Over the three years since its inception, the program has trained 231 (50% women, 50% men) master’s and doctoral students of law to administer legal aid and facilitate capacity building with community beneficiaries in the Fes-Meknes region of Morocco. In that time, student clinicians have worked on a total of 267 case files pertaining to entrepreneurship, immigration and asylum, family mediation, psychological support, human trafficking, employment, and real estate. Additionally, 256 have benefited from establishing or growing 39 private income-generating projects and entities following entrepreneurship training and mentorship.
The program was established first as a pilot project in 2019 as a collaboration between the High Atlas Foundation and the Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fes. From 2020 to 2022, the program’s continuation and expansion to include a concentration on the promotion of entrepreneurship were funded by the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).

Soufiane speaks during a field trip to Sefrou to train members of various cooperatives, May 2022. Photo: HAF

HAF Takes A Step in the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab Region

Cheikh Akmach
Site Coordinator

As a young man who seeks to make a positive impact in my region, I believe in the ability of youth in preserving Moroccan natural resources, and this would be possible by empowering and accompanying them until they become responsible and visionary leaders.

Since 2000, HAF's mission has been promoting sustainable development in Morocco through agriculture, women’s empowerment, and education.

Following the same strategy, HAF is in partnership with the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). A new project will be implemented in the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region titled “Institutionalizing Participatory Governance the Dakhla Oued Ed Dahab region, which will work with 150 participants from civil society and government in the area to benefit from a series of training workshops that will improve their ability to design social, economic, and environmental projects that respond to local community needs.

The team responsible for this project assembled on the 4th of November, 2022, to attend the 6th Edition of the International Forum for Small Enterprises. This event was marked by the presence of many key players in the region and other national institutions.

Hana Ezaoui discussed the HAF project with Mr. Consul of the Union of Comoros

The event comes as a continuation of the country’s strategy of supporting and pushing people to become entrepreneurs by offering various initiatives like Mobadara and Forsa.

Having received an official invitation from the event organizers. We attended this forum as one of our initial partnership-building steps in the city. Our goal is to build a network with the region’s civil society associations, and this event was a highly supportive beginning in this regard.

Our Project Manager asked questions to the speakers' panel in the evening; she introduced HAF with conviction and great belief before asking her question, which led us to get many contacts who simply got interested in our projects and like to know more about it just because of the persuasive way our project manager talks.

The HAF Team in Dakhla attended the International Forum of the TPE

We have gotten to exchange business cards with civil associations that are focused on different domains. Some pursue sustainable community development, some focus on economic initiatives and entrepreneurship, and others are dedicated projects owned by women’s groups.

Surely, with such a noble mission handed to us, we are working to adapt to this new environment and to embrace cultural diversity.

Finally, I think that this is a good first step for us because the name High Atlas Foundation rolled like thunder in this forum. We have gained momentum that will propel us forward. I feel that this forum gave us a great opportunity to see closely how much the project we work on - participatory governance - is needed in the region.

Participatory governance is all about local communities and sectors working together for the betterment of us all. If we want to make the project a success, we need to start with this inclusive and an integrated and welcoming mindset.

Experiencing the World as Miss Universe Morocco

On my way home, the taxi driver told me about the soccer game he had been watching. The team he was rooting for had lost. I, in turn, told him about the event I had just attended, explaining that after 43 years of absence, Miss Morocco was now back on the map of the Miss Universe competition. When I shared with him that I came in second place, he, strangely enough, informed me that I may be called to represent Morocco in case of injury involving the first place winner. I immediately discarded the idea, as I did not wish such a thing upon Fatima Zahra, the newly crowned Miss Morocco. She carried the title beautifully, and we were all so proud of her. I arrived home and continued my night telling my aunt and mother about the emotionally-charged experience I had during the pageant, feeling as if my grandmother was hovering above me the entire time.

Call it a premonition or fate - the taxi driver’s words later became a reality, which meant I was going to Israel to represent Morocco during the Miss Universe 2021 competition. Life’s events are not as arbitrary as they may be perceived, after all. Although Fatima Zahra’s injury was unfortunate, I think that it served to teach us different lessons. She kindly expressed her trust in my abilities, her benevolent candor highlighting her inner radiance. Today, she continues to personally and professionally blossom, and it has been a true pleasure witnessing it from afar.

Not everyone was supportive. The political climate around Israel and Palestine has always been delicate, and the subject's fabric is still very fragile. As such, when the Miss Universe event location was announced, people immediately began to express discontent on social media. At the same particular time, the political relationship between Algeria and Morocco was also sensitive, and my grandmother’s Algerian roots created an additional issue for some people. As soon as I was announced as the newly crowned Miss Morocco, a video depicting me sharing my grandmother’s life story in order to demonstrate the power of choice provoked a public debate about my legitimacy as an ambassador of Morocco.

My name seemed to suddenly appear in the news as some journalists evidently sought to commodify the story. Others working in the media described the phenomenon as a strategic maneuver to generate more “buzz” - a publicity stunt. On the other side of the screen, I continued to ponder the notion of identity.
Jerusalem is described as the city of peace, yet it holds the pain and passions of diverse peoples. We walked along its storied streets marked with remnants of religious patrimony, a pattern of temples, churches, mounts, and mosques across its surface, mapping something like a constellation. This route of sacred sites held more than nominal significance for me. As my ears rang to the greetings of “shalom” and “salam,” I wished for just that: peace.

With over one million people in Israel being of Moroccan Jewish ancestry, I was frequently approached by individuals who proudly expressed their families’ Moroccan origins. They generously offered me tokens of appreciation, including my evening gown and various foods as well as smiles, hugs, songs, dances, and cheers, sharing a deeply rooted sense of amity. With a declining Moroccan Jewish population, its stories felt like echoes of a distant past. I had educated myself and was aware about this history of my country, but the experience of being exposed to the number of people who came to me and expressed how widespread the Moroccan Jewish past is remembered and celebrated was eye-opening and wonderful.

One evening, Miss Universe 2020, Miss USA, Miss Israel, and I all had the pleasure of dining at the home of the mayor of Eilat, Eli Lankri. His wife, who was contagiously jolly, had prepared an array of familiar dishes—couscous and shebakiya among them. The melodies of an oud accompanied us as we spoke of the childhood memories the hosts had formed in Morocco.


Stories that came into being long before my existence were intergenerationally transmitted so that what had previously felt like echoes of the past instead took shape as symphonies. While in Israel, I became fascinated by the land, by its juxtaposition of faiths, by the fact that the nearby Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth. I contemplated that maybe, just maybe, this mix of the high and low has created a unique midpoint, one that celebrates difference, coexistence, and understanding.

Growing up, I attended an American school in the morning and returned home to speak Darija and French. I then extended my academic journey in France while pursuing an anglophone program. Exploration was my native language, and the cultural dichotomy I grew up in was where I felt most comfortable. The people I met during my stay, though they had not been to Morocco in years, considered themselves to be as Moroccan as any other Moroccan citizen. So, how does one measure Moroccanness?

For me, being Moroccan means to have the ability to hold space for two. Being Moroccan means to have freedom inculcated in our biological blueprint. Adorned with colorful intricacies, our tables, tapestries, ceilings, floors, and living rooms continue to celebrate our innate vibrance. The Moroccan man walks to the end of his sentences with hope and gratitude. The Moroccan woman wears courage on her sleeve as she gracefully embodies liberty. Morocco is where despair surrenders to faith and where cynicism is traded with a wise smile or a warm piece of homemade bread - empathy being the currency.

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Kawtar Benhalima is the Miss Universe Morocco 2021 runner-up. She is an avid philanthropist, artist, and entrepreneur who has co-created a jewelry line with her sister. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from ESSEC Business School in Paris and has been involved in the world of expression and celebration of identity since the age of 7. Ms. Benhalima has worked with various Moroccan associations advocating for education and distribution of goods to people in need, including as a volunteer with the High Atlas Foundation. Today, she works with a French marketing agency and looks forward to pursuing a graduate degree in the field of communication.

By Souad Al Khadiri

The “Self-Empowerment" workshop was organized as an outcome of the partnership between the High Atlas Foundation and the European Union. It targeted the Douar of Tachedirt, Asni Commune, in the Al Haouz Province. Attended by 18 women, the workshop focused on developing women’s capabilities through individual and group practical exercises, including themes that will help women develop themselves within the society they live in.
The workshop adopted a standard learning method among the participants based on understanding and focusing on their knowledge. On the first day, the participants were introduced to the meaning of self-empowerment. It is noticeable that these participants, at their young age, showed an apparent discrepancy in their level of understanding despite them dropping out of school. The participants realized that, as much as they were able to do so, they could increase their confidence and strength to set realistic goals for their self fulfillment.
After the prayer break, we explored the motives of their development and conducted an exercise called the Internal Soil Test. Amina El Hajjami presented the inhibited convictions of women, emphasizing that they can be stronger, emphasizing that they should be changed. The second day began with a general assessment reflecting on the first day, which was successful due to the outstanding participation of the women in evaluating the experience. This day’s activities included identifying and searching for sources of personal strength through a room-visualization exercise, followed by a tunnel exercise to free emotions. This exercise aims to help us understand and acknowledge our feelings, which helps us eliminate the issue of mixed internal emotions. The day was concluded with the exercise of self-love, where the participants were asked about their achievements in their lives. One woman said she had been able to climb the top of the Likemt Summit above the Tachedirt village. Another mentioned that she had been able to climb to the top of Okaimeden Mountain, while another said she was constantly cleaning the mosque. The women were also asked about the most courageous work they had done. One participant stated that she had been able to save her nephew and called an ambulance. During Eid, they also used to prepare desserts free of charge for their neighbors, and they gave other heart-warming answers.

The third day was like the other workshop days. The women of Tachedirt were asked what they had learned the previous day of the workshop. After this, we focused on two crucial axes of human life, starting with the body. The facilitator explained a body dialogue exercise consisting of questions to ask one’s body in order to better understand what it feels most. Through participant responses, the women were encouraged to give comfort and attention to their bodies, which is unusual for women in villages. We ended our last day by discussing the work, with Amina El Hajjami linking it to the cooperative project they aim to establish. On the last day, we focused on analyzing and discussing the remaining axes. The first was money. This workshop was finished with an assessment executed by the participants on this
day.

At the end of the workshop, the participants expressed gratitude, remarking that this workshop would be an essential step to fulfilling their wishes. We concluded the workshop by distributing the certificates in an atmosphere that showed how close we had become to each other during the workshop.

Replenishing the argan forests, together
by Jude Jacob
https://www.freskincare.com/blogs/the-fre-life/replenishing-the-argan-forests-together

FRÉ's One Set, One Tree Program means that for every skincare set or bottle of argan oil you buy, FRÉ plants an argan "Tree of Life", to help replenish the endangered argan forests and support women who harvest argan oil in Morocco. Thanks to you, our amazing community, we have planted a total of 63,000 argan trees in Morocco since FRÉ was born 6 years ago.

To plant trees in Morocco, we partner with the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), an NGO that works hard to preserve the natural heritage of Morocco. The organization sets strategies and projects for the purpose of promoting tree planting, especially the argan tree, due to its importance and status among Moroccans.

Reforesting the Safi region
Together with our partners at HAF, we are now working on a new project to reforest the Safi region of Morocco. We will be planting argan and caper trees across 40 hectares of land this coming October. These two trees are native to Northern Morocco. Planting these trees will benefit the local ecosystem and socially and economically empower the Tularuz women’s cooperative that will harvest the argan oil and capers.

The magic of argan
Argan is the heart and soul of all FRÉ’s products. It’s a uniquely nourishing ingredient harvested from resilient trees that weather the most extreme climates. Scientifically known as Argania Spinosa, it is the only type of argan tree around the world; it’s a tree endemic to Morocco that has great biological, nutritional, socioeconomic, and ecological value.

In Morocco, argan grows mainly in the Essouiera region, close to the coast. We are now working to restore areas of argan forest that have been damaged by deforestation. In addition, we are planting argan trees in communities. One of the challenges in Morocco is that communities have large tracts of land, but don’t have the irrigation infrastructure and investment ability to plant thousands of trees.

Irrigation to transform the region
Currently, FRÉ is investing in 40 hectares of communal land in the Safi region of Morocco. Young trees will be planted in the area and need to be irrigated until they reach maturity. The key is bringing water to the area. First, HAF assesses where to build a well together with the Provisional Office of Hydrology. At this stage, the participation of the local community is essential, proving their interest in the project. Once the plan is established and a well is dug, the next step is to install a solar water pump system and build a basin to contain the water. Finally, the young trees are moved from the HAF nurseries to their new home on the communal land and a pipe pressure drip system is set up to irrigate them.

The wonderful thing about argan is that you only need to irrigate the trees for the first few years. When they are around 5 years old, they become self-sustaining and can live 250 years in the arid Moroccan climate. The idea of this project is to place the well and the basin in a location where the water can be redirected to another large plot of land, around 40 hectares, once the trees in the first area have been irrigated. This project will plant and irrigate 8,000 argan trees together with medicinal plants to provide additional revenue for the Tularuz community. In turn, these plants will inject nutrients into the soil and regenerate the biodiversity of the region.

Empowering women
Traditionally in Morocco, the harvesting of argan oil is done by women and the agriculture is done by men. However, in this irrigation project, all aspects will be done by women, which will require providing the women with skills training. A new women’s cooperative will be built and launched in Tularuz and up to 25 women will be trained and empowered with an INSPIRE workshop. The workshop deep dives into confidence and self-belief, relationship to self, body image, relationship to money and more. The goal is to concretely establish a new cooperative to manage the trees that will be planted as well as to give the women the tools to plan for the cooperative’s future growth and development.

Unlike providing trees to individual villagers, planting trees and creating cooperatives provides enormous benefits to the local community. It increases girls participation in education, it means more food security and it means women are more involved in community decision making. In addition, once the argan is ready to harvest, FRÉ will purchase the oil directly from the cooperative, creating an ongoing source of income.

The development of the argan forests in Morocco provides nutritional, socioeconomic, and ecological benefits to the local communities. Young argan trees need consistent irrigation for 5 years until they reach self-sustaining maturity. Irrigation infrastructure, which is expensive and technical, is the basis for the trees’ growth and profound change in the local communities’ development. Insufficient funds often limit communities’ abilities to build irrigation infrastructures, but thanks to FRÉ and to you, our wonderful community, the Tularuz irrigation project is underway.

On Wednesday, June 29th, I attended a virtual Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) workshop on how to use the SDG Impact Assessment Tool. SDSN member organizations from around the world, including the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), were invited to participate in this two-hour long workshop and familiarize themselves with the online tool. Although I am generally not enthusiastic about lengthy Zoom meetings, the opportunity to represent HAF in this workshop was one I refused to miss. I have extensively researched the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a part of my undergraduate capstone project and still have unanswered questions regarding the United Nations’ assessment of sustainable development. When the CEO of HAF, Yossef Ben-Muir, offered me the opportunity to attend the SDG Impact Assessment Tool workshop on behalf of the organization, I eagerly accepted as it was a chance to get some of my lingering questions answered.

According to the 2022 Sustainable Development Report, the Middle East and North Africa are only on track to reach two of the seventeen SDGs by 2030. Every other region in the world is experiencing widespread underperformance in the SDGs as well. In my capstone project and with my work for HAF, I am driven by the question: What is responsible for this trend of underperformance? Further, what can sustainable development organizations like HAF do to improve their impact on the SDGs? And to what extent is the United Nations, the most influential intergovernmental organization, at fault for the world’s alarmingly poor SDG performance? The most convincing explanation I have found lies in the assessment of sustainable development progress. This entails how civil society organizations, like HAF, alongside other stakeholders evaluate their contributions to sustainable development progress in addition to how the United Nations monitors and measures SDG performance. While the SDG Index, for example, attempts to provide an accurate, numerical representation of each country’s progress towards reaching the SDGs, the metric is flawed by data gaps and inadequate indicators. Other official dashboards and reviews are similarly hindered. The SDG Assessment Tool, however, provides a potential solution to limitations in measuring sustainable development progress and helps further standardize the assessment of sustainable development. With a rigid, systemized, and accessible way for entities to track their impact on the SDGs, data collection expands and groups can more effectively align their work with the SDGs, thus ultimately advancing sustainable development. Before the workshop I thought to myself, “Maybe this is the saving grace for reaching the SDGs!”

I joined the Zoom meeting for the workshop a few minutes late. I had to scramble to find Wifi and a quiet place to set up my laptop as I had been attending another conference at University Sultan Moulay Slimane. Once I finally entered the call, I felt a wave of relief. Then, I quickly noticed that there were much fewer attendees than I had expected - the original registration email noted a cap of sixty attendees; there were around twenty on the call. Truthfully, it was somewhat disappointing seeing fewer participants than expected, especially as I recognized the potential of the SDG Impact Assessment Tool. Some of this disappointment eventually dissipated when other attendees began asking questions about the tool and sharing where they were from. Oslo, Mexico City, and Atlanta were some of the places represented in the workshop. The exciting mix of backgrounds and perspectives made me optimistic about the reach of the tool.

As the workshop went on, a handful of questions were asked to the SDSN facilitators about the usefulness of the SDG Assessment Tool in relation to their institutions or organizations. Most responses were vague. I believe this is partly because the SDG Assessment Tool is open-ended and its application varies by case, and partly because the SDG targets themselves can be vague and ambiguous. Personally, I found some ease in mentally connecting the usefulness of the SDG Assessment Tool to the activities of HAF. This ease is largely attributed to my prior knowledge of the SDGs and the inherent straightforwardness of connecting a sustainable development organization to their sustainable development impact. Once we transitioned to the small group exercise portion of the workshop, one of my group members still struggled to realize how her university would benefit from using the tool. The sample case we examined focused on the SDG impact of a city council’s decision, which provided our group little clarity on applying the tool to the work of a private organization. When an SDSN facilitator joined our breakout room, our group prompted him for clarification on how the SDG Assessment Tool can best be used by universities and civil society organizations. Again the answer was vague. This led me to question if this version of the tool really can be used by “anyone who wants to learn more about their impact on the SDGs.”

By the end of the workshop, I developed a fair grasp of the SDG Assessment Tool. My main takeaways were that such a tool will promote sustainable development, but the current version needs refinements to be more clear and systemized. The SDG Assessment Tool will encourage groups to critically assess their SDG impacts and strategize how to improve them, especially as the tool requires users to consider indirect and direct impacts and provide explanations for their impact on all seventeen goals. Additionally, I believe that the tool can be improved by providing specific direction to different user groups through outlining relevant examples, indicators, and activities. I firmly believe that the SDG Assessment Tool can be the saving grace for SDG advancement, but adjustments need to be made to position it as an easy-to-use and attractive resource for all users.

Cut, Fit, Stitch: From Ourika to the OR
Cyrena Matingou, HAF Intern and University of Virginia Student

We spent two days this week in the mountains of Ourika Valley on vast plots of land. On Tuesday, we were more engaged with the tree planting team, and I genuinely felt I was helping further HAF’s mission, but Monday presented me with an invaluable learning experience. Abdeljalil Ait Ali introduced us to the farmers working in the area and informed us that we would learn about the specific irrigation practice used on the plot of land and how fruit-bearing carob trees are produced. This was my first in-person exposure to farming, a vocation I knew required diligence and dedication, but the level of precision I saw on Monday’s trip amazed me.

When we reached the top of the hill where the trees were being planted, the terrain was rocky and dry, so the young carob and almond trees were hidden from my sight. It took the trained eye of the community partner to point out the holes with saplings in them, waiting to be watered and grafted. The farmer squatted down next to a carob tree and explained that it had grown for about three years without any fruit, an indicator that the plant was male. He then pulled out some branches cut from a female tree and a clunky handheld tool. At first glance, it reminded me of a can-opener, but I soon realized the purpose of the device. I squatted down in the dirt to get a better view, disregarding the cleanliness of the slacks I carefully laid out the night before. I noticed how the device pierced the plant as the cut was made and asked to take pictures of the tool to understand how it worked. I was enthralled as he removed a triangular piece of the branch, then made a corresponding incision was made on a branch of the plant in the ground. The cuts were clean, and everyone in my group audibly “WOWWW”ed when he put and taped the two parts together; they fit like puzzle pieces.

When I first heard that we were grafting trees, my mind went back to my medical summer camp during high school when I learned about various surgical techniques and practiced dissecting pigs. Most people would say that being a surgeon is a job that requires more skill and attention than farming, and before this trip, I would have, too. However, the day in Ourika Valley opened my eyes to how trivial of a comparison this is. Surgery or farming? Spending the day in an operating room or in the intense Moroccan heat? Instead, it is more productive to consider the similarities between the occupations. Both require a skill set of physical stamina, attention to detail, long-term planning, and adaptability. A field of trees could flourish despite inadequate environmental conditions. A patient having undergone multiple unsuccessful surgeries could make a shocking recovery. Both rely heavily on careful forethought and monitoring of their practice, but have elements of chance – or possibly miracles.

I’ve spent the majority of my life in an academic bubble. While eternally grateful for the gift of a formal education from primary school to university (and graduate school, Inshallah), I’ve realized that I comparatively have much less knowledge of life outside the classroom. Besides limiting the breadth of information I have access to, not having these experiences also prevents me from making connections between ideas and practices that span across different spheres of life. Despite learning about how plants can be manipulated to produce fruit in my introductory biology class, I would not have made the connection to surgery without examining the shears and seeing the care the farmer took when he placed the two branches together. Perhaps the most important similarity between these two fields is the ultimate goal to serve their community. While there are practical differences between these two fields, this is a unifying and leveling idea. Everything else falls away when you realize sustaining life is at the center of farming and surgery. Keeping this simple fact in mind will be crucial to grounding myself as I pursue a career in medicine by emphasizing that I should not value my hard work over someone else who is working towards a similar goal of serving those we care about.

نورالدين الباهري
كأس شاي بطعم الهوية
تأتينا الذكريات من حياتنا على أوتار التجارب الجديدة ، بعضها يسحبنا إليها لأجل العودة لتخيل سحرها مرة أخرى والتنقل بين لحظاتها الفريدة والمميزة ، لا شبيه لها ، لا في تفاصيل كبيرة ولا صغيرة ، يسهل تمييزها وفرزها من بين الذكريات. هذه تجربة أمُرُّ بها مع فريق مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير التي نظمت رحلة استكشافية جديدة ـ على الأقل بالنسبة لي ـ ، كان مقصدها باتجاه نواحي المدينة الحمراء "مراكش" في طريق مؤدِّية إلى جماعة "تامصلوحت" على مناطق تتناوب وتتلاحق فيها السهول والهضاب نحو منطقة اسمها "أقريش". كانت نقطة الانطلاق من بيت مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير في شمس الصباح التي أعلنت احتضان اليوم بكل صفاء والجميع مستفيض بالفضول لمعرفة المجهول ، دارت عجلة يومنا هذا ودارت معه عجلة الحافلات مطلقة إشارة البداية ، وانطلقت معها دردشات مطوّلة حول المكان المنشود وألحان الموسيقى تلون أجواء الرحلة أو تقلل وحشة الجلوس وحيدا ، وأقلام تلتقط الذكريات وعيون متأملة لضفاف الطريق ، طريق استمرت بعد خروجنا من المدينة على شكل خط مستقيم قليل المنعرجات والمنعطفات إلى حدود منطقة أقريش التي فيها توقفت العجلات على سهوبها معلنة عن وصولنا وقد سبقها أطفال القرية باستقبالنا وهم عائدون من المدرسة ، وبالمثل استقبَلنا المكان بجماله الأخاذ في مجال مفتوح واسع الرحاب مع سماء زرقاء خفيفة الضباب ، لتبدأ بعد ذلك الذكريات تُلتقط هذه المرة بالهاتف من بعثة الطلبة الأمريكيين التي صاحبتنا في الرحلة تعبيرا واضحا منها بجمال المكان.
افتتح السيد رئيس مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير "يوسف بن مئير" بكلمات ترحيبية بدايةً ، ثم بكلمات تلوح بمعانيها وتكشف لنا هوية المكان الذي يحتضن مشتلا جميلا خاصا بمؤسسة الأطلس الكبير ، مشتل له إخوة في جميع أنحاء المملكة المغربية ، كلها موجهة بكل عزم للمساهمة في الحد من التغير المناخي. أما مشتلنا الجميل هذا والذي يقع بمنطقة أقريش فله خاصية مميزة وفريدة ، وهي أنه يحتضن جزءً لا يتجزأ من تراث المنطقة ، ضريح يهودي مع مجموعة من القبور التي دَفن فيها اليهود موتاهم في مرحلة من محطات الزمن ، وأكمل السيد المسؤول عن المشتل ما بدأه السيد "يوسف بن مئير" بتعريفنا بقصة المشتل والضريح التي كانت مثيرة للاهتمام ، فعائلته لها تاريخ في هذه الأرض ، وهي التي جعلت المكان حيا لا يزال صامدا ليحكي قصته ، عبر تلاحق أجداده وعلاقتهم المتلاحمة والوطيدة باليهود.
استمررنا في التوغل شيئا فشيئا داخل الضريح المتدرج ، كل درجة نخطها تقع أعيننا على قبر أو قبرين في اليسار ومثلها على اليمين ، كل قبر يحمل كلمات تكشف نفسها باللغة العبرية تمنيت لو استطيع سبر أغوارها لتحكي لي قصة كل واحد من هؤلاء الناس الذين دفنوا هنا. وهكذا تابعنا جولتنا في المشتل إلى أن وصلنا إلى أسفله حيث يتواجد فيه الضريح داخل غرفة يسكنها وبالضبط في واحدة من زواياها ، تحيط به صور من كل جدار لأشخاصَ يهود تُشعرك صورهم بأنهم أشخاص لهم تاريخ عظيم للطائفة اليهودية رغم أني أول مرة أرى صورهم ، ولا معلومة قد مرت في ذهني عنهم. وفي هذه الغرفة بالذات شكل موكب الرحلة حلقة من كل الأعراق والأجناس والديانات للاستماع إلى حكاية تأخذنا من الحاضر إلى الماضي مع أسئلة أو أجوبة من الحضور تُلوّح من هنا وهناك ، تجيب أو تضيف قصةً إلى قصة أخرى ، يربطها جميعا الشبه أو المثل بقصة المكان ، تغني النقاش وتطرح أبعاد جديدة للتأمل.
ومع تاريخ الضريح الذي أخدنا معه إلى ماضي المنطقة ، ها نحن نعود إلى الحاضر للاستمتاع بجلسة شاي مع الأصدقاء ، جلسة شاي فريدة من نوعها ، بل يمكن أن نطلق عليها تناول كأس من الهوية ، وقصدي هنا هو أن في جلسة الشاي هذه ، رافقها مائدة حوارية طُرح فيها سؤال دسم جدا وهو: ماذا تعني لك الهوية عبر تناولك الشخصي ؟ سؤال بعث في الحوار فرصة للتعرف على أفراد الرحلة على اختلاف أعراقهم وألسنتهم المتنوعة. تَمّ تقسيمنا لمجموعات مختلطة ومتنوعة من كل فرد مختلف عن الأخر ، تنطلق منها الخلفيات والمرجعيات الخاصة ، ووُزِّعت الأقلام والأوراق للتعبير عن الإنتماء ، ويُكْتَب للقلم أن يتبنى هوية كل مجموعة ، و قُدِّر للورقة أن تعلن عنها ، وفُرِضَ على كأس الشاي فوق كل مائدةٍ أن يستمع ، ثم بدأت الهويات تتكلم والأذان تستمع : تاريخ وأصولٌ تَحْضر ، ودينٌ ووطن يُعْلَنْ ، وعِرقٌ وقبيلة تُمَجّدْ ، وتجارب وأحداث تُسطّر ، والعديد والمزيد من الآراء كلها نحتت في كل فرد منا على ما هو عليه وشكلت مخزونه المعرفي عن كلمة "هوية" ، وهاهي الجدران تقوم بدورها بالإعلان عن هوية كل مجموعة ، كل ورقة تختلف من حيت الشكل والرسم وهي تُلّمح بمسار الحوار، وبدأت كل مجموعة بالتعبير عن نفسها وعن مكنوناتها حول سؤال الهوية ، منظر مدهش لم أرى له مثيل ، فمع كل مجموعة تكشف عن نفسها إلا وتُصرّح بشيء جديد لم تراه ولن تراه في أي كتاب إلا في جلسة حوار فريدة من نوعها مثل هذه ، أضمن لك فيها أن تجد عددا من الأجوبة وهو نفس العدد الذي ستحمله معك من الأسئلة.
بعد هذه الجلسة الحوارية الممتعة ، تَأتَى لنا أن نحضر إلى مقر تعاونيةٍ تابعة لقرية "أشبارو" ، تعاونية خاصة بنساء هذه القرية ، جعلوها مكانا للوحات فنية من الزرابي ، صنعتها أنامل ذهبية مبدعة لنساء أهل القرية ، كل زربية تحكي قصة مختلفة بألوانها وخطوطها ومنحنياتها كأن سؤال الهوية لحق بنا إلى مقر التعاونية مجددا ، يا لهذا الإبداع ، عقلي يتساؤل من أين أتى الخيال والإلهام إلى هؤلاء النساء ليرسمن لوحات بتنسيق وتمازج دقيقين باستعمال أصابع اليد فقط مكان الريشة ، وبخيوط الصوف مكان ألوان الرسم ، و أكثر من ذلك بأدوات يدوية متوغلة في القِدَم بل هي عبارة عن تراث أُعيد إحيائه من جديد بكل مهارة واحتراف. كانت هذه فرصة للبعض لاقتناء بعض من منتجات التعاونية تذكارا له في المستقبل ، تُسعف في العودة به إلى الماضي لتذكيره بكل سرور وترحيب بهوية المكان ، وعلى اختلاف الهويات والأجناس اختلفت كذلك الأذواق في الألوان والأشكال و الأحجام في اختيار المنتجات ، يا إلهي أليس للهوية جواب واحد ، أليس لها لون واحد ، أليس لها شكل واحد ، قد أحزن إن كانت كذلك ، كيف لا وفي جوهر اختلافها هو بالذات ميزتها ، وإن موطن الإختلاف فيها هو مركز إبداع الثقافات واكتمالٍ للوحة الإنسان في نهاية المطاف ، ومصدرا للفخر والإنتماء عبر ترك بصمة خاصة في التراث الإنساني.

Zoe Costello
Blog Post: Unanswered Questions are an Inevitable Facet of Life
While roaming through the winding hilly streets of the Tangier Kasbah, I made a friend. He was laying in front of a shop front as we walked by, with ribs protruding and matted dirty fur. The merchant shooed him away; sickly strays are bad for business. We all stopped to look at the dog and a small boy walking by called him perrito, little dog. For unknown reasons, perrito chose us as companions. As we continued to shop, he trotted alongside us, limping as he went. When we stopped, he stopped. When we walked, he walked. What at first seemed like coincidence of a stray in search of shade soon revealed itself as a strange sort of bond. We assumed he must’ve been hungry and hoping to score food from some guilty tourists. We bought perrito a slice of bread and held it out to him to feast on; however, he turned his nose away and refused to eat.
“He won’t eat it,” a man sitting nearby said in French, pointing at the dog. “He never eats because he is sick.” We offered the bread to the man, who accepted. I wondered aloud if there was anything that could be done. By sheer coincidence had we crossed paths with Perrito, and in an hour we would be leaving Tangier forever. I wanted to help the poor dog, to take him to the vet or to hide him in my carryon and take him back to Marrakech. But there was nothing I could do beyond offer the bread and the companionship. He followed us further until we left the winding roads toward the sea, where he took off to roll in a patch of grass.
I’ll never see perrito again, nor will I know his fate. The longevity of a limping, starving and sick stray are not optimal. Our brief crossing of paths was the only opportunity that I had to make a positive impact.
A few days later I was planting trees and felt a similar fleeting helplessness. I was aware of my temporary and minute impact in a moment that was months in the making. The saplings were the result of a year of growth, care, and dedication. The holes that we planted them in were the result of hard work and labor by farmers who dug them. I held each plant gingerly, unwrapping them from their casing and slowly placing them into the deep holes, guided by local farmers who explained the correct way to bury the saplings. I must have planted at least 30 trees, but I’ll never see them grow to adulthood. There is nothing I can do beyond that moment in present that will empower or harm their growth. The trees I planted might one day produce fresh produce that enables the farmers’ economic growth, or they could die.
Most encounters in life are fleeting. Most impressions that individuals have of us are based off short interactions, and most of our impacts on the world are minimal. I have made dozens of strong bonds in Marrakech but had hundreds more short and minimal interactions. From the children at the many schools we visited, to the cooperative owners and university students from Beni Mallal. All that these individuals will remember of me (if they remember me in general) is whether our interactions were positive or negative. The long-term outcome of these interactions and moments is invisible to me.
Dealing with the intangibility of impact has been a struggle. Tangible results are satisfying and putting your name to a result is gratifying. Coming to terms with the fact that my overall impact on HAF is in the form of tiny little ripples of interaction is to cope with my own selfishness. I am not a big fish in a small pond, I am a cog in a machine. Western work ideology tells us that this is a sign of failure; success is defined by working up the ranks, by name value and accreditation, by personal and individual success. I’ve began to reconsider whether this is accurate. Leaders are important, but not everyone can be president, and not every action in the workplace can be met with immediate results.
Such is life. I could continue to go through all the unresolved threads in my life and unknown impacts, but it would be monotonous. I hope our furry friend from Tangier is okay, I hope the trees we planted blossom, I hope every child at the schools we visited grows up to be successful. A thousand ripples of impact are not as satisfying as one massive wave, but that is something I must learn to be okay with.

Grafting: From Farm to Table

On Monday I made couscous. That morning, we traveled to a HAF tree planting site to learn about grafting. Abdelilah taught us that grafting is important to the carob trees he supervises because when grafting, the farmer can select for the best flavor and the trees produce fruit years faster than otherwise. We fastened male branches to female trees with strips of plastic and learned that the spot would be fully healed in a month. The tree can accept and integrate a foreign limb into itself in a matter of weeks—standing on the mountainside among farmers who had welcomed and fed us breakfast that morning, I wondered how long it would take for them to integrate me into their community if I stayed. How long would it take for our relationship to bear fruit? Certainly longer than a day.
Maybe shorter than a month. After watering and grafting the saplings, we waited for lunch. I wanted to make myself useful, so I asked Abdelilah to introduce me to the women in the kitchen. They were preparing couscous, and had already cooked it twice. Luckily for me, couscous needs to be cooked three times. I learned how to mix couscous so it doesn’t clump between cooking—all three women supervised me. I washed the dishes before we plated the meal, and helped level the couscous before we added vegetables. The process was methodical and clearly intuitive to the women, which meant that each time we miscommunicated or I made a mistake, we all laughed. I imagine that my biggest strength in that kitchen was being comfortable as the butt of the joke.
Although I did not belong in that kitchen—I would describe myself as a welcome interloper—I learned more and connected more with the women in the half-hour I spent with them than I did all morning as the farmers taught us about irrigation practices and carob trees. Perhaps I had an easier time in the kitchen, a women’s space, as a woman. I remember that one niqabi had to re-veil herself every time a man entered the kitchen, but uncovered her face when he left: I was only privileged to see her face because of my gender. One grandmother gave me a chair and hugged me while we watched the others ladle chicken onto the beds of couscous. Neither of them thought twice about these everyday intimacies, but they have stuck with me through the week.
When we finished lunch and left their village, each of them hugged me and kissed me good-bye. There was no tape to hold my branch to their tree, so I left. Throughout my time in Morocco, I have made mayfly friends: we know each other for a day or two and then we part ways forever. Even though the graft has no time to heal, I do feel nourished by the connections I have made. Given a month to grow together, I imagine that the women could teach me to integrate into their lives. I would know how to cook couscous, and my hands would stop burning when I mixed it. I would know how much water to draw from the well and how much to dedicate to washing dishes and hands. I would know how to express my gratitude to the women who taught me.
HAF’s mission of community-led sustainable development seems to work on two mutually constitutive levels: first, the Foundation works with cooperatives and communities to plant trees, empower women, dig wells, and so on. These organization-level projects are designed with the intention to improve people’s lives. But the organization-level projects, like the carob trees we irrigated on Monday morning, are only feasible because of human connections forged between individual representatives of HAF and the communities: individual, human level connections like making couscous is necessary to the broader mission of the organization. Mayfly friendships are the tape which enable HAF and local communities to join together.

UN 2030 Water Conference First Stakeholder Online Briefing

By Hanna Tuoriniemi, HAF Intern and University of Michigan Student

Water has a complex relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals. On one hand, water is a necessity that everyone deserves access to. However, water can also be dangerous in terms of climate change, when we experience an increase in flooding and hurricanes. How will we balance this fine line between too little and too much water? This enormous question will be answered during the UN 2023 Water Conference.

The First Online Stakeholder Briefing for the event took place on June 15th. The briefing previewed how the Water Conference will be structured and the importance of holding the event. The conference will be guided by three pillars: everyone will be involved, there will be solutions proposed for many, and the solutions will be utilized to create impact.

The 2nd Dushanbe Water Conference was a preview for a similar context that will be implemented during the 2023 Water Conference. The event highlighted actions that must be taken in the Water Decade. Henk Ovnik also indicated that the event proved that there is a willingness for stakeholders to come together and act. The story of Mina Guli, a runner who is an advocate for water, was told. Guli has started the mission to run 200 marathons in 12 months, ending during the conference. If Guli can achieve this massive feat, then we can achieve a solution to all water-related issues.

The 2023 Water Conference will decide what we must continue doing and what we must change in terms of dealing with water-related events. The event must challenge its current framework and create new initiatives that will provide water equality and protection from water-related disasters.

The High Atlas Foundation is fully committed to assisting rural communities in Morocco in achieving their water provisional, infrastructural, and management goals. HAF builds with farming communities drinking water systems, including ones based at schools. Further, HAF supports water for irrigation infrastructure for both organic fruit tree nurseries and fields of cultivation, especially such initiatives entirely managed by women’s cooperatives.

Many Threads, One Fabric: Akrich and Moroccan Culture


Ryan Winegardner, UVa/HAF student-intern
When the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) team took the University of Virginia interns to Akrich, it was the first time we had left the red walls and palm trees and cool avenues of Marrakech since arriving four days previously. Compared to Charlottesville, it was a landscape enveloped in the wind and the sun. The hills rose and fell and the Atlas mountains towered in the distance, but it seemed there was nothing separating Akrich from the sky above.

After we got off the bus, the Muslim guardian of the Jewish cemetery met us and retold the story of the cemetery. It was here that Raphael HaCohen, a Jewish saint, had died seven hundred years ago. A shrine was then erected in his honor, and a cemetery followed. Here, the guardian’s grandfather, and his father, and finally the guardian himself have maintained the shrine for the Moroccan community. While the cemetery is reserved for Jewish people, the shrine was not a site maintained just for them but anyone who came to visit and pay respects. But when many of the Jewish-Moroccans left for Israel in the 1950s, their sites began to be forgotten by the broader community. So this shrine, under the Muslim guardian’s care, was re-dedicated as a place of pride for Akrich when HAF partnered with the Moroccan Jewish Community to establish a tree nursery at the cemetery. From seed to sapling, the tree nursery grows commodity products such as figs, pomegranates, and carobs that will be delivered to farmers across Morocco. The guardian retold this inside the shrine, where Raphael Hacohen’s body still rests, visited by people of all kinds seeking blessings of health and healing. Meanwhile, the trees grown just outside the shrine will prevent soil erosion, return Carbon Coin investment, and enrich communities across Morocco. Thus, the shrine at Akrich heals in many ways.

Then HAF took the UVa interns to the women’s cooperative, who held an exhibition of their rugs. Art exhibitions always have a sanctified air—introspection and outrospection. We admired the rugs, and the women watched us admiring the rugs, and we watched the women watching us. We wondered what they thought of us. Maybe they wondered the same. Recursive forever like a hall of mirrors, you look outwardly at an art exhibition, but become compelled to study yourself just as much as you do the world around you. No one spoke here. No one needed to speak.

After a while, I climbed up a hill behind the shrine and sat and watched the landscape. Kestrels circled overhead on a vent; songbirds called to each other from olive branches; the wind blew softly over the town and towards the Atlas. While I sat here, a shepherd drove his flock up the hill. He stood proud and straight, as if reaching toward the sun, and I was crouching low to the earth. I raised my hand; he raised his. In this brief moment, we each wondered what the other was thinking, what the other was doing, what we wanted to do; and in this moment, we recognized each other in a mutual greeting that could perhaps be considered respect. Not a word was shared. Not a word was needed. He continued down the other side of the hill, and I remained among the kestrels and songbirds and shrubs. For just a moment, there was a thread, a yoke, a bridge that connected him and me in mutual introspection. It was a moment much like the rug exhibition of the women’s cooperative. It was a moment like kneeling before the shrine of an ancient and revered saint.

Since arriving in Morocco, I’ve often wondered why I came here, and what good I can even do. Besides buying a couple rugs from the cooperative, the UVa interns did nothing during our visit to Akrich. This troubled me at first. But I think that we were meant to learn what a Moroccan community can look like: a Jewish site, a women’s cooperative, a Muslim family, and village people working together to help themselves and each other. This type of community of plurality, while not completely alien, is not as well practiced in the States as in Morocco. I think the UVa interns touched the essence of this: certain moments in Akrich zapped me, like grazing an electric node, to introspection and awareness of myself. What constitutes me? What constitutes this shepherd? Though the threads of our lives are different, they can be woven together into one fabric. A community isn’t a perfect thing. Just because people work together doesn’t mean they’ll do good. But in order to tackle the looming challenges of the 21st century, being bound like a fabric with your neighbors is better than being a loose thread.

Analyse – Maroc, pays du vivre ensemble
17 juin 2022

Par Dr. Mohamed Chtatou

Un regard sur le programme USAID Dakira

Le but du programme Dakira de l’USAID est d’explorer et de renforcer la solidarité interreligieuse et interethnique par le biais d’efforts communautaires qui préservent l’héritage culturel au Maroc à travers deux objectifs primordiaux :

Objectif 1 : Renforcer la préservation religieuse et culturelle, l’apprentissage et la cohésion sociale; et

Objectif 2 : Soutenir les initiatives qui favorisent la tolérance, le dialogue interconfessionnel et le multiculturalisme.

Pour préserver le patrimoine culturel du Maroc, Dakira engage un réseau solide d’organisations de la société civile locales diverses pour soutenir la mise en œuvre du programme. Grâce à ces partenariats, Dakira catalyse l’engagement diversifié et coordonné des acteurs de la société civile, des dirigeants communautaires et des parties prenantes locales pour discuter, réfléchir et apprendre sur le patrimoine religieux et ethnique du Maroc. Ces partenariats permettent la documentation et la diffusion des pratiques, des expériences vécues et des témoignages partagés par les parties prenantes, ainsi que la restauration du patrimoine matériel.

Le programme développe une approche intégrée et participative axée sur l’autonomisation des communautés par le renforcement des capacités et l’apprentissage par l’expérience afin de promouvoir le multiculturalisme, la cohésion sociale et la diversité. Cette approche participative est également à la base de la création de plans d’action partagés pour améliorer les futures opportunités de subsistance au sein des communautés ciblées.

Si la mémoire de la cohabitation entre musulmans, juifs et chrétiens est préservée, et si Dakira peut amener les gens vers une plus grande compréhension culturelle, alors une solidarité renforcée émergera qui améliorera les moyens de subsistance et servira de modèle pour le dialogue interreligieux au Maroc et dans la région.
Les résultats attendus de cette remarquable initiative sont comme suit:

1- Localiser, préserver et numériser les histoires collectives et individuelles, les visions et les archives (sous leurs différentes formes) de la diaspora marocaine et des communautés religieuses et ethniques migrantes;

2- Créer des outils éducatifs et de sensibilisation pour les facilitateurs et les participants aux initiatives de dialogue interconfessionnel, y compris les guides touristiques, les étudiants et les associations;

3- Démontrer – en particulier aux jeunes – l’importance d’apprendre, de comprendre et de préserver leur histoire locale, notamment en ce qui concerne les minorités religieuses et ethniques, le multiculturalisme et l’harmonie interconfessionnelle;

4- Améliorer les compétences techniques et narratives, le sens de l’objectif et la confiance des jeunes et des associations, afin qu’ils puissent mettre en œuvre des projets patrimoniaux utiles aux communautés; et

5- Augmenter la portée des campagnes de sensibilisation multimédia à travers le Maroc et la diaspora marocaine, en incitant les membres de différents groupes religieux à interagir sur des intérêts communs et des identités partagées.

Dakira, pour sauvegarder la mémoire collective

Le programme Dakira de l’USAID, mis en œuvre par la High Atlas Foundation et ses partenaires, l’Association Mimouna, la Fondation Mémoires pour l’Avenir, l’Association Mogador d’Essaouira, l’Association Argania, l’Association Sefrou pour les arts multidisciplinaires et la Fondation Miftah Essaad, vise à développer et à lancer une approche participative unique pour la préservation éducative de l’histoire multiculturelle du Maroc.

Le programme encourage les communautés locales à saisir, préserver et transmettre leurs souvenirs collectifs afin qu’elles soient mieux équipés pour s’approprier la revitalisation de leur propre histoire.

Cette approche d’introspection et de partage d’expérience entre les participants locaux maximise la construction de relations menant à des actions collectives qui améliorent les moyens de subsistance et une découverte approfondie de l’identité multiculturelle du Maroc.

La conférence a présenté des conteurs, rassemblé les gardiens du passé pluriel du Maroc, exposé des voies artistiques pour le dialogue communautaire, souligné les points communs entre les groupes religieux et ethniques à travers l’art et le sport et a réfléchi au rôle des jeunes et des femmes dans la durabilité du patrimoine. Des témoignages et des conversations avec les partenaires et les participants du programme Dakira ont incité les participants à contempler et à explorer les méthodes traditionnelles et nouvelles de préservation de l’histoire multiculturelle du Maroc grâce à des efforts communautaires collectifs.

Maroc, pays multiculturel

Dans un discours, feu Roi Hassan II avait déclaré que le Maroc est un pays qui puise ses racines en Afrique et respire par ses branches en Europe. Une belle métaphore qui résume la position géostratégique et l’identité culturelle plurielle de ce pays.

En effet, le Maroc a toujours été un pays carrefour, un point de rencontre entre différentes cultures et civilisations. Un pays de rencontre entre le monde occidental, le monde arabo-islamique et le monde africain mais aussi un pays d’échanges, de dialogue, de tolérance et de vivre- ensemble.

Le Maroc, sur le plan archéologique est le pays qui abrite Le site de Jebel Irhoud, devenu le nouveau « berceau de l’humanité » depuis la découverte de restes d’Homo sapiens de 300.000 ans considérés comme les plus vieux du monde, et qui a été classé patrimoine national par les autorités marocaines. La décision de préservation a été publiée dans l’édition de janvier 2018 du Bulletin officiel marocain. Sur le plan historique, le Maroc, en tant qu’entité politique et culturelle a plus de 6 millénaires d’histoire connue.


Sefrou, capitale du vivre-ensemble
Le Maroc à travers sa longue histoire a toujours été un pays d’accueil, de dialogue et de vivre-ensemble. Il a accueilli des populations juives expulsées en l’an 568 Avant Jésus-Christ par les Assyriens, en l’an 70 Après Jésus-Christ par les Romains et en 1492 par les catholiques espagnols après la Reconquista.

Le Maroc a été aussi le point de départ de l’Islam vers l’Afrique lors des dynasties amazighes des Almoravides (1040–1147) et des Almohades (1121/1147–1269). Un Islam qui est rentré dans ce continent par le biais les caravanes commerciales marocaines. L’islam africain s’est enrichi par la suite par l’expérience soufie marocaine de Sidi Ahmed Tijani.

En effet, une des écoles de pensée islamique les plus fortes et les plus puissantes présentes aujourd’hui en Afrique est sans aucun doute la tarîqah tijâniyyah qui trouve son origine dans la zâwiyyah tijâniyyah de Fès où son créateur Sidi Ahmed Tijani (1737-1815) est enterré. Pour le musulman africain, Sidi Ahmed Tijani est une figure islamique importante et son école de pensée soufie a indéniablement influencé positivement sa vie dans tous ses aspects à tel point que la ziyyârah de sa loge à Fès est devenue, pour lui, d’une importance religieuse secondaire après l’accomplissement du cinquième pilier de l’Islam : le hajj.

Le substrat culturel judéo-amazigh
L’un des pays les plus uniques d’Afrique du Nord et du Moyen-Orient est, sans aucun doute, le Maroc, non seulement en raison de ses nombreuses identités et racines culturelles coexistantes, mais aussi pour ce que ces influences ont apporté à ce pays, à long terme. Une question persistante se pose : d’où vient ce statut unique ? Les peuples et les cultures qui ont influencé le Maroc sont venus de différentes origines, mais ont laissé des héritages différents tout au long de son histoire, ce qui soulève la question de savoir comment l’héritage d’un pays ou d’une religion d’envahisseur ou de visiteur peut influencer la culture, les traditions, et même la religion d’une manière aussi profonde ?

À la base de toutes ces influences différentes qui proviennent du colonialisme, de la migration, du commerce ou de l’invasion, il existe des dénominateurs communs très forts qui ont permis aux deux plus anciennes fondations et influences de la culture marocaine, à savoir l’amazighité et le judaïsme, de persévérer par leurs influences et leur impact la culture, les valeurs du vivre-ensemble et la tolérance.

Le Maroc est largement connu comme une nation islamique, mais même avant l’arrivée de l’Islam au Maroc en 694, les Amazighs étaient les principaux habitants de l’Afrique du Nord, en général. Après la destruction du Second Temple juif en 70 après J.-C., la population de la région de Palestine, a fui principalement vers l’Afrique du Nord, en plus d’autres endroits comme l’Asie, l’Espagne et le Moyen-Orient, où elle a trouvé un accueil très amical pour leur mode de vie et leur religion. I

lls sont arrivés dans une Afrique du Nord occupée par les Romains, mais ont trouvé respect et compréhension mutuelle résultant de la rencontre des tribus juives et amazighes et de leurs civilisations respectives. Ils ont pu créer une base très solide et influente non seulement pour l’histoire , mais aussi, et surtout, pour la culture marocaine d’aujourd’hui.


Yossef Ben-Meir, président de la High Atlas Foundation, prononçant le discours d’ouverture de la conférence Dakira
Une influence durable comme celle-ci n’aurait pas été possible sans la relation et la compréhension solides que les tribus juives et amazighes ont eues dès le début de leur rencontre. Le mélange et la coexistence ont été le début de la relation judéo-amazighe qui a abouti à l’une des bases les plus durables, les plus influentes, et les plus transformatrices sur les valeurs et la tradition marocaines telles qu’elles sont aujourd’hui et qui seront connues sous le concept du substrat culturel judéo-amazigh.

Avant l’arrivée de toute religion monothéiste en Afrique du Nord, il y avait de nombreuses tribus amazighes différentes qui vivaient dans la régio

Experience Dakira: Diversity and Home in ‘Little Jerusalem’
By Sabine Stratmann, UVa student/HAF volunteer

What is an example of ‘home’? This question was asked numerous times during the Experience Dakira conference held from June 8, 2022 to June 10, 2022. With visitors from France, Africa, America, and other places of the world, each person attending Experience Dakira traveled to Marrakech to learn of Morocco’s heritage sustainability and multicultural preservation. This three-day conference, organized by the USAID Dakira program and held in Morocco, encouraged story-sharing and cultural outreach to promote intercultural dialogue and a remembrance of Morocco’s pluralistic past.

This question of what ‘home’ meant to people floated around the Palm Plaza Hotel and Spa’s auditorium, yet it remained unanswered for a while. Because the word ‘home’ does not have a direct translation from English to Arabic, many individuals with Arabic as their first language struggled to find a perfect definition. Those attending the forum tended to find it difficult at first to find their own meaning for the word. After some consideration, answers to the question ranged from one’s birthplace to where one comes back to when in need. But once the conference began storytelling of Morocco’s past, examples of what home was and can be in Morocco were portrayed.

One of the conference’s many spotlighted speakers, Dr. Mohammad Chtatou, captured the essence of the word ‘home,’ as well as Morocco’s history of pluralism. Illustrating the tolerance of diversity in Morocco, Chtatou cited the locality of Sefrou, which he referred to by its famous nickname: ‘Little Jerusalem.’ Speaking before some 150 people, all from various backgrounds and belief systems, Chtatou described Sefrou as a city near Fez, set directly next to the Atlas Mountains, and an area in which Muslims, Jewish people, and Christians lived with one another in harmony and acceptance. Chtatou argued that there is a distinction between occupying space side by side as opposed to the different ethnic and religious groups in ‘Little Jerusalem’ living with one another.

Founded in 682, Sefrou was a home for tolerance. Dr. Mohammad Chtatou began his description of the locality by recounting how Jewish mothers breastfed Muslim children when needed – emphasizing the sense of community and trust that thrived in Sefrou. Among its many waterfalls and fruit trees, Sefrou inherited multiple languages as well, with Hebrew, French, and Arabic spoken -- each language valued and preserved. Near the Wad Lihoudi, meaning “The River of the Jew,” lay the heart of the city and the Jewish district, known as the mellah. Chtatou argued that the positioning of the mellah and its walled off fences further illustrated the cultural tolerance and brotherhood that marked ‘Little Jerusalem.’ Because of its significant positioning in the city, its formidable walls, and settlement within Muslim neighborhoods, those who lived in the Jewish district were given a sense of security.

A center for trade, Sefrou was considered both an economic hub and the home to one of the largest settlements of Moroccan Jewish people. Due to the locality’s close positioning to the Middle Atlas Mountain range and prior Saharan trade routes, people of various religious and ethnic backgrounds flocked to its locality. As the starting point of the caravan trade, salt and gold were often transported and traded intercultural.

The great Jewish presence of ‘Little Jerusalem,’ Dr. Mohammad Chtatou explained, critically diminished during the reign of Idris II of Morocco, who enforced Jewish conversion to Islam. As a result, many Jewish people immigrated to Israel or France. Along with the 1960s war in the Middle East, the population of Jewish people dwindled more greatly in Morocco by 1967. Today, Sefrou is a reminder of the religious and cultural diversity only by the remaining architectural structures dedicated to the Jewish population and a yearly festival that honors its past diversity.

Experience Dakira called for attendees to remember past Moroccan stories and culture, like the history of ‘Little Jerusalem.’ Dr. Mohammad Chtatou, like many of the speakers that brought light to Morocco’s often forgotten past, called for those attending to not only remember Morocco’s multicultural tolerance, but to emulate the same morals today.
So, what is ‘home’? An answer to that question can vary greatly depending on a person’s background and culture. But when asked about what ‘home’ meant to a room with some people not knowing what home truly is to them, Chtatou offered an answer. What once was ‘Little Jerusalem’ was a home to the mosaic of religions and ethnicities – it was safe, exercised brotherhood, and offered prosperity. Sefrou offered no judgment during its prime of diversity, and was a home to many.

“The Role of Higher Education in Addressing the Global Refugee Crisis”: Reflecting on a Webinar

By Yassine Ismaili Alaoui, Legal Aid Clinician, Master’s student of International Business Law

It was a pleasure to attend a recent webinar about the connexion between refugees and education hosted by McMaster University. The theme was “The Role of Higher Education in Addressing the Global Refugee Crisis,” and it covered a variety of strategies to enable refugees to benefit from education.

This webinar allowed me to have a real and concrete knowledge that I did not have about the refugee crisis and the obstacles that they have to face in having a good education. Among the challenges that they have to face are these:

● Distinct procedural barriers (e.g., to disclose their status)
● Financial challenges (e.g., to pay international student fees without access to financial aid, such as scholarships and/or institutional awards)

These barriers not only close doors to opportunities that others take for granted, but also force these young people into precarious employment, housing, and social situations that make them vulnerable to abuse.


The webinar also focused on the different initiatives that the international community must take. Without immediate and bold measures adopted by it to counter the catastrophic effects of Covid-19 on refugee education, the potential of millions of young refugees living in some of the most vulnerable communities in the world will be put a little more at risk.

Although children in all countries have suffered the impact of Covid-19 on their education, refugee children have been particularly affected.

In crisis contexts, consideration must be given to the social and emotional issues that affect the learning of displaced students and those of host communities.

Finally, the present webinar that I attended, proposed a package of recommendations that are very relevant such as the following:

● Educational institutions and other bodies, such as student unions, advocacy groups, and non-governmental organizations, need to work together to address the global refugee crisis. There is power in the collective and power in numbers.
● A long-term commitment from higher education institutions is needed for refugees' education, resettlement, and integration.
● Reimagine internationalization policies, practices, cultures, and programs. Be intentional about including refugees in those strategies.
● Create and develop a support infrastructure for refugee students including access to educational pathways and programs and other academic support programs, integration such as leadership, and economic empowerment programs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected children and young people, their parents, and their communities in almost every country in the world. The resulting global education crisis will have far-reaching long-term consequences for all those displaced from their homes.

Inclusion of refugee/migrant children and youth in education systems, therefore, needs to be accompanied by system strengthening, which requires support from humanitarian and development agencies.

Despite the short period of time of the webinar, I am grateful to the Legal Clinic who shared with us the link. It was a pleasure to attend it, and it enabled me to obtain information that I did not know before.

Photo credit: AAREF WATAD / AFP / NTB Scanpix

The اشبارو Women

by Kelsey Cashman, UVa student/HAF volunteer

Behind every handmade rug, there is a story. Tucked away in a rural community of the
Tamaslohte commune in Akrich, a mere 30-minute drive from the center of Marrakech, is a
cooperative of women from the اشبارو (Achbarou) village. These women have been making rugs
for generations. Rugs are made to memorialize emotions, stories, and love. When the women
see the rugs, they remember something of the past. Moroccan women make rugs to pass on to their families. When their sons or daughters marry, a rug is made for them to signify the new stage in their lives. Behind the design of the rugs, there is a message. Every shape and every design has a meaning. When a woman’s daughter is pregnant, the mother begins a rug and works on it throughout the whole nine months. The final string is added at the exact moment of birth, signaling the moment when the new life is brought into the world.

The women in the Achbarou Cooperative, through the help of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), the Empowerment Institute, and the US Embassy, have been able to transform this tradition into an economic activity that helps them cover their household expenses. The twenty-two women working at the Achbarou Cooperative first participated in the HAF’s
IMAGINE workshop. They benefited from the participatory approach and their empowerment.
For the first time, they were asked about their desires and goals for their lives, and then were
told that these goals were possible. Inspired by the empowerment workshop, these women
took something with immense cultural and traditional importance and turned it into a
successful business. The women of Achbarou village, as a part of the project for Bolstering
Women’s Development in Rural Morocco, handmake the rugs through every step of the
process. Beginning with wool from local sheep, they produce yarn and string. This is dyed with local plants and herbs and hung outside to dry in the cooperative’s courtyard. The yarn is then strung across massive looms and the women begin the process of weaving the rugs. As the women only have time to work in between caring for their home and their family, these rugs can sometimes take years to complete. They are a labor of love.

When I walked into the display and work room, I was struck by the beautifully intricate designs covering the walls. There were rugs of all sizes, colors, and patterns. Half-finished rugs stood attached to the wooden loom. I was looking at thousands of hours of work. The women primarily sell these rugs to the High Atlas Foundation, but they are working towards expanding their clientele. Staff and volunteers buy these rugs for personal use, but many of these rugs also adorn the floors of the office work spaces and prayer room. One can buy a rug for $15 to $50, depending on the size and design, a price that does not nearly reflect the amount of time and effort put into each creation. The women are then able to use this money to help pay for the expenses of food, clothing, and utilities. In the spirit of Moroccan hospitality, the women invited us to tea and bread before we left their cooperative.

The Achbarou Cooperative is only one of the eleven women’s cooperatives that the HAF has
helped to create. It is also not the last, as HAF has facilitated sixty IMAGINE Workshops thus far, benefitting 1,242 people in 19 provinces, and more are completed each year. Women make up 97% of these participants. They approach these workshops with a desire to learn and to grow, and HAF does everything it can to fulfill this desire.

A major part of development is empowering women to embrace their potential within the workforce. Women from all over rural Morocco have been inspired to start cooperatives based on their passions, whether those may be cookies, salty snacks, quinoa, Argan or olive oil, clothing, rugs, or fruit trees from a nursery. There is so much that can be learned from each of these cooperatives, and I am forever grateful that I had the opportunity to experience the tradition of the اشبارو rugs.

« Cet article met en lumière la loi n° 27-14 relative à la lutte contre la traite des êtres humains au Maroc. Un simple résumé de cette loi et ses percussions. Cet article n'est pas encore publié. »
La traite des êtres humains au Maroc

Par Ayoub LAHMIL, Clinicien d’aide juridique 2021-2022 et étudiant en deuxième année master droit privé et sciences criminelles



Atelier de formation visant à doter les cliniciens d'un ensemble d'outils et de compétences pratiques dans le contexte du débat et du plaidoyer
Crédit Photo: Safae Bouhlala, Responsable de Programme, CJFD

Avec le trafic de stupéfiants et le trafic d’armes, la traite des êtres humains est l’une des activités les plus lucratives du crime organisé. Ce fléau constitue une violation des droits de l’Homme et une forme de criminalité qui affecte des personnes dans le monde entier et qui porte atteinte à la dignité humaine des victimes et leur inflige un traumatisme psychologique et de lourdes séquelles en exploitant leurs vulnérabilités.

Signataire de nombreuses conventions internationales visant à prévenir et à réprimer la traite des êtres humains, le travail forcé ainsi que le travail des mineurs, le Royaume du Maroc a fait un pas décisif qui marque davantage sa volonté de lutter contre l’ensemble de ces phénomènes en adoptant la loi n° 27-14 du 25 août 2016 « relative à la lutte contre la traite des êtres humains » qui incrimine explicitement la traite des êtres humains aux fins d’exploitation par le travail, infraction désormais passible d’une peine de 5 ans d’emprisonnement allant jusqu’à la réclusion à perpétuité (articles 448-1 et suivants du code pénal marocain).

Cette loi marocaine n° 27.14 souligne également la responsabilité de l'État à identifier et à aider les victimes. Les principales dispositions visant à prévenir la traite et à protéger les droits des femmes et des filles comprennent : préciser les infractions, les peines et les sanctions pénales applicables aux auteurs ; prioriser l'identification des victimes ; fournir aux victimes des services publics de protection, de soins psycho-sociaux, d'assistance médicale et d'aide juridique gratuite ; et créer une commission nationale pour combattre et prévenir la traite des êtres humains.

Dans ce courant, le nombre de victimes de la traite des êtres humains au Maroc a connu une augmentation significative au cours des trois dernières années avec un total de 719 victimes. L’exploitation sexuelle est la forme la plus courante de la traite des êtres humains au Maroc, avec 283 cas. Il convient de mentionner l’affaire la plus récente au Maroc qui a fait la une des médias marocains à savoir le « scandale du sexe contre les bonnes notes dans les universités marocaines » (Faculté de droit Hassan 1er à Settat ; ENCG de Oujda ; EST Casablanca ; l’école du Roi FAHD de traduction à Tanger) qui a révélé un flagrant abus de fonction de la part d'enseignants universitaires du fait de leur implication dans des crimes de traite d’êtres humains.

D'après une copie du procès-verbal de l'affaire, relayée par des médias locaux, les enseignants cités dans ce scandale ayant secoué l'opinion publique marocaine sont impliqués dans des crimes de traite des êtres humains et d'abus de fonction. Ce scandale a cloué les responsables de ces établissements au pilori.

Cette affaire parmi d’autres révèle au grand jour les lacunes et les manquements que connaît le Maroc dans la lutte contre ce phénomène planétaire. Il doit redoubler d’efforts pour renforcer ses capacités institutionnelles en vue d’instaurer un arsenal juridique complet qui permettra d’éradiquer ce fléau.

Moroccan Culture and The Radiance of Pluralistic Values
by: Ikbale Bouziane
Moroccan Jewish people’s material and moral conditions and cultural identity are important as a subject of study at this time given the significant role that Moroccan Jewish heritage plays in the tributaries that form the Moroccan identity.

According to today’s successful cultural development options, the Jewish dimension in Morocco’s history and heritage is at the heart of some cities’ territorial strategies in improving their attractiveness, including the city of Tiznit.

In fact, throughout the Kingdom’s history, the Moroccan Jewish people have been able to cultivate a collective identity, culture, and heritage in intimacy with Muslims within the framework of a shared destiny and future.

Morocco’s geographical location, position, political dynamism, and economic attractiveness have made it the home of the convergence of civilizations. Its evolutionary path imprints the features of synergy, coexistence and acculturation between a myriad of religious groups and cultures.

The tolerant spirit that characterized some periods of Morocco’s history, made Moroccan Jews even more involved in the politics and economy of the country. Not only that, they also had a distinguished presence in public life. They promoted notable cultural and intellectual Moroccan traditions, making the Kingdom a model to follow by nation-states in the region. Thanks to this harmony, the Moroccan Jewish model is cherished in the system of Jewish thought in general. And, this denies the claim of the absence of the Jewish groups from Morocco’s world of thought.

Efforts to dust off this multi-disciplined Jewish contribution have been relatively modest considering the richness of material available in collective memories and popular culture. The sustainability of Moroccan Jewish people’s experiences and skills in business, crafts, and trade is being valued and studied, causing a revival of culturally significant crafts and sites.

Based on the foregoing, a group of local researchers and experts conducted a scientific symposium in Tiznit due to its history as a stronghold of lively Jewish community since the end of the 19th century, investigating the topic as follows:

Highlighting selections from the history of the Jewish people in Souss by presenting cases and models of jurisprudential calamities between Jewish people and Muslims in order to study and document the historical structure that created the conditions for the involvement of Moroccan Jewish people in the world of thought and culture.
Looking at aspects of the social history of Jewish people in Oued Noun—Guelmim and Yefren—to demonstrate manifestations of cultural continuity and renewal as seen through similarities in traditional women’s outfits, jewelry making, and cultural celebrations (i.e., weddings, circumcisions) between Jewish people and Muslims
Examining the manifestations and idiosyncrasies of Moroccan Jewish cultural heritage and its approximation to current generations through local Jewish literacy (A Boy from Ifrane by Judeo-Moroccan novelist Asher Knafou and excerpts from a paper on Jewish funeral rites).
Reuniting researchers in the field of Moroccan Jewish studies, and putting together updated documents on the developments related to this field of specialization by making recommendations and sharing upcoming publication titles.

Atelier IMAGINE au Douar Al Makhzan
Majda Stitou, Assistante de programme de Union Européenne dans la région de Marrakech-Safi

L’atelier d’autonomisation IMAGINE effectué par la Fondation du Haut Atlas dans le cadre du projet ”Alphabétisation Familiale à Marrakech-Safi” financé par Union Européenne, a fait participer des femmes et de jeunes filles à une formation de 4 jours sur la découverte de soi, en renforçant leur capacité à surmonter les obstacles internes et externes et à réussir leur vie personnelle. L’atelier a été réalisé à douar Al Makhzan, qui fait partie de la commune Ijoukak, province Al Haouz, avec les femmes de la coopérative Douar Al Makhzan pour la valorisation des produits locaux.

Au moment de l’animation de cet atelier, les femmes participantes ont été motivées, enthousiasmées et souhaitent en savoir plus. En effet, Il y avait une véritable participation lors de l’atelier, nous étions proches d’elles, un point qui a facilité la communication. Le premier jour de l’atelier, c’était le jour de connaissance, de présentation du programme et la présentation des principaux axes de l’atelier. Les femmes ont été ouvertes pour recevoir, curieuses de savoir et de s’instruire encore plus.
“ les femmes sont très intéressés par l’alphabétisation’’ K.A
Lors de la deuxième journée de l’atelier, les femmes ont pu identifier les sources de force personnelle, dont les plus importantes sont la discipline et l’engagement. Elles ont pu aussi raconter, s’exprimer ouvertement de leurs sentiments tels que le bonheur et l’amour. Selon elles, l’amour est très intéressant, elles ont mentionné que « le vrais amour c’est l’amour des parents, l’amour de soi et l’amour de Dieu ». Un exercice de libération des restrictions a été effectué par les femmes pour dégager les sentiments négatifs qui bloquent leurs développements et cela grâce à la communication et l’expression.
“La coopérative doit être considérée comme une école” A.H
Le troisième jour, nous avons remarqué un changement de comportement des femmes en matière d’engagement et de discipline et aussi un changement de psychique et de mentalité. Les femmes ont été satisfaites de ce qu’elles ont appris et motivées pour acquérir des nouvelles connaissances et compétences. Cette troisième journée a été commencée par un Feed-back sur les points forts traités. Puis les femmes ont commencé à lister les points essentiels pour le renforcement de leurs personnalités. D’après ce qu’elles ont acquis durant les deux jours précédents, une participante a pu confronter son mari, alors que une autre a ressenti un grand confort psychique après le retour à la maison. Ce jour-là, les femmes avaient une énergie positive exceptionnelle qui leur donnait de l’optimisme, l’amour, le courage et une pousse vers l’avant pour réaliser leurs rêves.
‘’ je suis capable de confronter et capable de me défendre” Fatima.
Le dernier jour de l’atelier, le thème des relations a été abordé, les femmes avaient souligné que les relations sont basées sur la compréhension, la patience, le dialogue, le respect et la confiance. Elles ont aussi effectué un exercice d’amour de soi, elles ont discuté le sujet des relations conjugales, définissant les concepts de base et corrigeant les croyances erronées liées à ce sujet. Durant cette discussion, toutes les femmes ont convenu que le mariage est une institution sacrée et un projet lié à la religion, basé sur le respect et la communication et renforcé par l’amour éternel. Elles ont discuté aussi le sujet de religion, qui a un impact important sur leur vie, leurs l’attachement et leurs discipline en tant que pilier de base et source de confort et de force.

On a passé des moments inoubliables avec elles, des moments chaleureux pleins de joie et de bonheur et on a créé avec elles une relation solide.

Among friends in Tameslouht

By Hiba Oulaasri
HAF Volunteer

It was a pleasure meeting new people from different cultures and religions during Friday's event.

Firstly, I did not have an idea what I would learn until I discovered that the event's larger purpose was to encourage cooperation between two countries, Morocco and Israel, and two religious peoples, Jewish and Muslims. I was very appreciative of this goal.

Our trip started traveling from the High Atlas office in Marrakech to Tameslouht. We arrived there and then started by meeting with a mixed group of Moroccans and Israelis.


As usual, we did our introductory presentation, "names, ages, what we all do for a living...", and then we conducted a workshop where each group would write about their idea of the other's religion, both before and after.

For my group's idea, we decided to draw a tree expressing the purity of a human being when they are born and then we wrote words that explains what social media and illiterate people said when we were younger. We then drew a leaf inside the tree and wrote words that describe our relationship now and expressed our feelings.

During this workshop, we discussed and clarified many of the wrong ideas and stereotypes about Jewish and Muslim people, which made us feel that we are more than friends but mostly like sisters and brothers and that at the end, all religion is humanity.

I want to thank Batel, Ronit, Ester, and Youssef for being my team partners and helpers, and a big thanks to the High Atlas Foundation, especially Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir, for these unforgettable efforts to cooperate with our friends".

by Youssef Mazdou ,

" تعميم دور العيادة القانونية "

" بناء على فلسفة مرحة ، وبعيدا عن كل الالتواءات في التعبير؛ إن ما يحتاج إليه الإنسان في الوقت الراهن هو الخروج من حالة الانغلاق حول الذات إلى إقامة التواصل مع الآخرين". خانتني الذاكرة في استحضار قائل المقولة ، لكن مضمونها راسخ في الذهن أي أن الإنسان بحاجة ماسة في فتح علاقات جديدة بهدف كسب تجارب جديدة لإحياء الذات وخروجها من كنف الإنغلاق.

خطوة تلوى خطوة أخرى ، والإحساس يصور لحظات نابضة بالجمال ؛ حتى أصبحت أمام باب فوقه طبلت أنامل ناعمة ولافتة بيضاء تحمل شعار " المركز الثقافي نجوم المغرب "، انفتح الباب وفاحت منه سحر الثقافة والمعرفة بالكاد لا ينفصلان. وبدأ الإحساس مرهف ومتذوق لما يحوم وسط جدران البناية ؛ حينها أبلج حضور مكثف من كل الفئات ، يبدأ كل واحد منهما بمكاشفة الآخر في إطار ثنائيات تتسق بتواصل حتى النهاية المفتوحة.
كل الزوايا ممتلئة بشعارات " حركة المواطنون لعيش مشترك أفضل - مقهى المواطن Café Citoyen -" ، في برنامج أسبوع المواطن الذي سلط الضوء في إثراء التدريب على تبادل النقاش وتقريب تقنيات التواصل بين مختلف المتناظرين .

لَبَّيْتُ دعوة الحضور بأمر من السيدة أمينة الحجامي مديرة مشروع العيادة القانونية في مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير ونيابة عنها في تعميم دور العيادة القانونية. دُشِّنَ البرنامج من طرف أعضاء حركة المواطنون في أجواء تفاؤلية وخلق نوع من التفاعل من أجل تبادل التجارب وتعميم روح المبادرة ، بعدها أًدْلَ المتناظرين دَلْوَهُم في إحلال تجاربهم وأَبْدَوا أن مثل هذه النقاشات تشكل مجالا هاما للتواصل، وفرصة للإنصات والتحاور، وتقريب وجهات النظر، وإبراز الصعوبات ، وبلورة المقاربات والحلول .

حينها بدت الأشياء مغلفة بوشاح ، وكانت معالم الأنظار تتجه نحوي لتعميم دور العيادة القانونية نيابة عن السيدة أمينة الحجامي مديرة مشروع العيادة القانونية في مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير التي يرأسها السيد يوسف بن مئير وأردَفْتُ القول بأن العيادة القانونية مبادرة تم إطلاقها بشراكة بين مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير، وجامعة القاضي عياض كلية العلوم القانونية والإقتصادية والإجتماعية بمراكش، وجمعية العيادة القانونية للدراسات والأبحاث، وبدعم من الصندوق الوطني للديمقراطية (NED).

وأن هذه الشراكة تزداد قوة وصلابة بكيفية دائمة ومستمرة بها تخدم المصلحة العامة وتستجيب لمصلحة الفئات الضعيفة للمجتمع، و ستكرس من تطوير العيادة القانونية من أجل تلميع الصورة النمطية للجامعة بأنها مركز للعلم والبحث العلمي؛ وانفتاحها على النطاق المجتمعي المدني. وقد وضع الأساس القانوني للعيادة القانونية في تقريب المعلومة القانونية وإعطاء المساعدة القانونية للفئات الضعيفة والهشة من المجتمع. وأنها تهدف إلى تأطير 67 طالب باحث بسلك الماستر والدكتوراه تخصص العلوم القانونية، من أجل تدريبهم على مشكلات حقيقية مع موكليهم الحقيقيين؛ وتقديم الدعم القانوني للفئات الضعيفة والمهمشة داخل المجتمع من خلال المشورة القانونية والمساعدة القانونية وتكريس مبادئ العمل التطوعي. وأن هذه التجربة أتيحت لطلبة الماستر والدكتوراه في جامعة القاضي عياض -كلية العلوم القانونية والاقتصادية والاجتماعية بمراكش-.

وأنا أجول بناظري بين جنبات الحاضرين وبدأ شكلي يسترجع ملامحه المعتادة ؛ وللخطوط استقامتها
أتممت الحديث في أن العيادة القانونية بجامعة القاضي عياض - كلية العلوم القانونية والإقتصادية والإجتماعية بمراكش- أصبحت محور مشروع تنموي؛ حيث تظهر أهميتها في تقريب المعلومة القانونية لفئات من المجتمع في إطار بناء جسور الحوار، وقد تبنتها مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير لثاني مرة بعد تجربة العيادة القانونية بجامعة سيدي محمد بن عبد الله بفاس. وعليه فإن الدينامية المرجوة من العيادة القانونية لن تتحقق إلا بتنمية الوعي الإجتماعي ، وتغيير العديد من المفاهيم والعادات للفئات المجتمعية وبتوفير الوسائل المادية والبشرية للنهوض بالمقتضيات القانونية ؛ والعمل على المقاربة التشاركية بطريقة شمولية أكثر واقعية.

ختاما أوجه شكري للساهرين على هذا البرنامج النير، كما أعتبره فرصة لأشيد بالدور العام الذي ستلعبه العيادة القانونية بجامعة القاضي عياض - كلية العلوم القانونية والإقتصادية والإجتماعية بمراكش- في سبيل الإنخراط في أوراش الإصلاح والتنمية التي يشهدها المجتمع المغربي، لذلك فأصبح من الأكيد أن الجميع ملزما بالمشاركة والتعاطي الإيجابي مع التحديات المستقبلية والمساهمة في التنمية البشرية المستدامة وتعزيز العدالة الإجتماعية.

وهكذا أسدل البرنامج ستاره في أجواء صار فيه الكل يتموج ويتراقص على أنغام التواصل والحوار في نطاق التلاحم الإيجابي.


يوسف مزدو - مساعد مديرة مشروع العيادة القانونية في مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير.

Great experience doing an intern as a Fundraiser and handling social media for the foundation. I learned the skill of writing good fundraising proposals, and became good in blogging as well. I also participated in selling organic oil for the social enterprise High Atlas Agriculture and Artisanal, directly contributing to gathering funds to various development projects. Got several new friends amongst my co-workers and other interns as well. Highly recommendable place to conduct an internship.

تقریر حول الدورة التكوینیة
فیما یخص إدارة مشاتل الأشجار المثمرة
في إطار برنامج " ایكوزیا " قامت مؤسسة الأطلس الكبیر یوم الاثنین 13دجنبر 2021بدعوة السید عبد الرحمان
فتني مدیر المكتب الوطني للسلامة الغذائیة بمدینة الحاجب، إلى فضاء "مشتل أقریش" بجماعة تمصلوحت، وذلك للقیام
بدورة تكوینیة في إدارة مشاتل الأشجار المثمرة، بحضور فریق من المؤسسة والمتطوعین والمشرفین على مشاتل تسا
ویرغان، إیمكدال، تدممات، الیوسفیة، تارودانت، وكذلك المشرفین على التوزیع والتتبع
ھذا وقد تمیزت ھذه الدورة بتقدیم مجموعة من المعلومات التقنیة لمعرفة دور المراقبة والشواھد المقدمة من طرف
المكتب الوطني للسلامة الغذائیة، سواء من جانب الجودة أو حمایة النباتات والبذور
وكذلك كیفیة مراقبة التقني للفسائل داخل المشاتل والتعرف على أنوع الأمراض والطفیلیات ومسبباتھا وكیفیة الوقایة
منھا، سواء تلك التي تصیب الجزء العلوي أو السفلي للنبات
بھدف إنتاج جیل جدید من الأشجار بمعاییر معتمدة من طرف الدولة وتشجیع الفلاحین على التشجیر والحفاظ على
البیئة.
واختتمت ھذه الدورة التكوینیة بتسلیم شواھد المشاركة
في الأخیر أقدم كل الشكر والتقدیر لكل أعضاء مؤسسة الأطلس الكبیر وعلى رأسھم ذ. یوسف بن میر. على الدعوة
وكذلك على فرصة العمل مع فریق المؤسسة والحضور إلى مثل ھذه التجمعات التي أتمنى أن تستمر مستقبلا.
عبد الالھ بوكماز: متطوع بمؤسسة الأطلس الكبیر

The Moroccan New Development Model – Promises Fall Short
By: Abby Lohmeyer, Fall 2021 HAF Volunteer

The High Atlas Foundation is committed to furthering sustainable development. As an intern, I have experienced first-hand their dedication to this mission. Community beneficiaries determine and manage sustainable agriculture, education, women’s and youth empowerment, health, and capacity building. I spent the past three months analyzing the new development model for Morocco, in hopes that I would find a connection to further the HAF’s impact and hope for a better Morocco supported by its government.

The purpose of this document is to “release energies and regain trust to accelerate the march of progress and prosperity for all.” At first, I truly believed that the new model would do these things. It is very positive and encouraging that the new model recognizes the magnificent environmental richness and social symbol that Morocco bears. There is a wealth of opportunity in Morocco for food production with all of the distinct biozones. Socially, Morocco includes people of different ethnicities, languages, and differences. This gives opportunity for a harmonious, diverse, and solidarity life in Morocco is possible.

The beginning of the NDM starts off strong, powerful, and hopeful. It clearly acknowledges that it wants to give voice to honest public expression. It is surprising and reassuring to read the reality of Moroccan lives in a government document. Voices of the people who endure so much daily are now written, published, and available for every policy maker and person of power in the country.

With this being said, there is an innate difference between the intent of the document and the reality for sustainable change. There are words that speak of these great ideas of the future for the Moroccan people, but no actionable items. Nowhere in the NDM does it speak of how people from all sectors will be trained on how to catalyze and facilitate these processes. There is no way to require people’s participation in development while at the same time not giving experiential training.

A question one might ask is what is the importance of sustainable agriculture in Morocco? It is incredibly important, and tree planting in Morocco has the ability to do more than just give environmental and health benefits, but there is also the opportunity to bring communities together. Nurseries managed for the benefit of its people are generally nonexistent.

The further that I read through the NDM, the more I recognized its flaws and methodical wording. There is no direct recognition of the severity of inequality and the structural burden this holds, or to the extent that the urban rural divide impacts essential life conditions. The new model looks at sustainable issues from a macro level, rather than integrating community involvement from the start. Without a direct partnership with the Moroccan ministry of environment to local communities and civil organizations, sustainable change cannot move forward.

The model has a grand idea to bring together smaller organizations to enact sustainable development, but it leaves out a key element: most smaller organizations lack the initial financial investment to grow and succeed in the first place. It is sad to see that there is so much potential, yet so little aid given to Moroccan communities. The special report states that Morocco is lacking in technological innovation, but is this really the issue at hand? New innovation is not essential to solving systemic poverty. What rural areas need is basic water infrastructure and financial support to local members who are smart and willing to be the forefront of change in the area of sustainable development.

The High Atlas Foundation has a special interest in the new model. Not only does every employee want what’s best for the Moroccan citizens, but the nation’s determination to development could assist the HAF in grants and more. If regional councils were to partner with civil societies as the NDM suggests, it could make for broader partnerships across Morocco. There is currently no institution of the state with a responsibility to assist partnership building between agencies of the state and civil society business across all societal sectors. If there is one thing that I have learned from the HAF, it is that teamwork is the key to greatness. Yossef Ben-Meir, the president and co-founder of the High Atlas Foundation, stressed that there can be no tree planting without every person of their team involved. There are those who find the land, the financial advisors, those who plant the tree, the monitors and evaluators. If it takes such a grand team to make the HAF into the incredibly impactful organization that it is, then why not extend this team to the Moroccan government? If the New Development Model aims to not fall short on its promise to “accelerate the march of progress and prosperity for all” and really partner with local communities for sustainable development issues, then I foresee great things for the future of Morocco and the High Atlas Foundation.

Written by Sarah Whiteside, UVA-HAF Intern, Fall 2021
The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more popularly known as COP26, began on November 3rd and was a collaborative conference among 197 nations to address progress made in the first five years of the 2015 Paris Agreement. In this agreement, participating countries committed to efforts in attempts to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels.

Many climate change experts cite COP26 as the last chance to influence the future of our planet and to enact significant changes with the potential to mitigate climate change. Although some religious leaders believe faith groups have no influence in climate change discussions, many share the idea that religious leaders can contribute a powerful voice to the future of our environment through their participation in climate change discussions and policies.

Prior to COP26, Pope Francis invited 40 religious leaders to the Vatican to engage in discussions regarding the urgency of climate change and the role of faith traditions in this environmental and humanitarian emergency; faith groups represented in these discussions included those of Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and both Sunni and Shia Islam, according to Al Jazeera News. At this meeting, Pope Francis gave the stage to these various religious leaders, opening the floor for discussion to Sheikh Ahmed, a young Muslim leader who encouraged Muslims to answer the call of faith in response to climate change.

Additionally, Patriarch Hilarion, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, proposed that “the current ecological situation has been caused, among other factors, by the desire of some to profit at the expense of others” (Al Jazeera News, 2021). As a result, it is the responsibility of everyone that has contributed to this crisis to work towards mitigating its effects.

Moreover, at COP26, individuals from all faith groups assembled online and at George Square, Glasgow - where the conference was being held - to pray for the success of the conference and cooperation among the nations in efforts to slow climate change. Additionally, the Glasgow Multifaith Declaration for COP26 was presented at the conference, followed by prayers from various religious leaders. The declaration pledge commitment to the following endeavors regarding faith and climate change:
“Reflection through prayer, mediation, and worship to discern how to care for the earth and each other.
Making transformational change in our own lives and the lives of our communities through individual and collective action.
Being advocates for justice by calling on governments, businesses, and to others who exercise power and influence to put into effect the Paris Agreement to make the transition to a green economy and to commute to science-based target that are aligned with healthy, resilient, zero-emissions future” (Glasgow Multi-Faith Declaration for COP26, 2021).

This declaration was signed by dozens of religious leaders in the UK and Scotland of a myriad of different faiths. The hope from this declaration is to inspire people to band together in efforts to safeguard life and the planet in which we live on. Religious leaders hope that through effort taken towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they will be able to catch the attention of religious leaders who often term the involvement of faith groups in environmental advocacy as “faith-washing.”

According to Martin Palmer, leader of FaithInvest, “faith washing” is where faith groups engaging in moral issues are ignored by politicians who accuse the religious group of being rooted in fantasy rather than the reality of business. Palmer calls for people of faith across the world to continue to motivate politicians to act, (Religion Media Centre, 2021). The investment of religious groups in climate change is not simple about influencing the global political agenda, but rather protecting and caring for the poor and vulnerable who are most impacted by the negative effects of climate change, yet they produce the least in emissions.

All-in-all, the role of religious leaders in the fight against climate change is monumental in pressuring governments across the globe to remain committed to zero-emissions. Not only is religion central to the lives of millions across the world, but cooperation among various branches of faith displays a united front across groups that are so often portrayed in conflict with each other. As the global climate crisis only worsens, it is essential for religious leaders and groups to share their voice and influence in the decisions being made. As evident from the discussion as COP26, interfaith cooperation is essential to uniting people across the world in the fight against climate change.

If you want to join religious leaders in supporting the Multi-Faith Declaration for COP26, follow the link below to sign the petition fighting against climate change.
https://www.change.org/p/world-leaders-and-politicians-at-cop26-save-the-planet-sign-the-glasgow-multi-faith-declaration-for-cop26

Food Cooperatives: Fighting Imbalance in the Food Value Chain

Bobby McDonough
HAF-UVA Intern

As the COVID-19 pandemic maintains its position as the international community’s chief issue to battle , its far-reaching effects can be felt particularly in poorer, marginalized communities. One obstacle that continues to grow in relevance is the subject of food security—the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. The market for healthy and nutritious food has greatly expanded in countries such as the Philippines—where there exists an extreme imbalance between massive, corporate agribusinesses and smaller, local farmers in access to these lucrative crops. This injustice works to the long-term detriment of the islands, as such an imbalance hinders the ability to create positive, systemic change. One method being adopted to fight for change is the organization and implementation of food cooperatives throughout the country.

On October 12th, I had the opportunity to attend a webinar jointly hosted by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and several Filipino Universities. The title of the webinar was “Revitalizing Food Systems: Generating Value with Producers, Markets and Consumers—Cooperative Experiences,” and was hosted by a panel of people who wished to lead a discussion that provided insight on the value chain of food systems when it comes to food cooperatives and small businesses, as well as the efficiency of food production and consumption. Dr. Philip Tuano moderated as Dr. Anselmo Mercado of First Community Cooperative, Mr. Cresente Paez of Agricoop, Ms. Sylvia Okinlay-Paraguaya of the National Confederation of Cooperatives, and Dr. Ernesto Ordonez of Alyansa Agrikultura were all offered fifteen minutes to present and discuss their own thoughts and efforts in acting as agents of change.

Dr. Anselmo Mercado, former chairman of FICCO, wished to explain the context behind the work all of the speakers were accomplishing through their efforts with cooperatives. Mercado explained the importance that concepts such as the PPE cycle—in which poverty increases population growth, which leads to environmental deterioration that further impoverishes a people —have had in contributing to the circumstances that those people now find themselves in. He noted that, in the past, efforts were misplaced in implementing trickle-down economics when they should have been directed toward fostering bottom-up economic growth. He proceeded to recount how this mentality of “brotherhood economics” acts as a pillar of FICCO, and has allowed them to achieve immense success in linking farmers together through projects such as the COOP Plant Culture Lab and Plant Seedlings Production Facility. Dr. Mercado ended his presentation with a poignant message: you have to start small to create big change.

Ms. Sylvia Okinlay-Paraguaya, CEO of NATCCO, began her presentation by overviewing her organization’s profile. NATCCO boasts a membership of more than 6 million Filipinos and possesses billions of dollars in assets. With such immense size and resources, the organization has accomplished much in the way of organizing and leading cooperatives that support local farmers. Their commitment to progress has been an important component in their success, as promoting digitization and embracing progressive agricultural cooperative practices from Korea and Japan has allowed NATCCO to provide financial support to an immense network of people.

Mr. Cris Paez, CEO of Agricoop—a newer organization—spoke next. Paez first spoke on why Agricoop was founded, highlighting how cooperative governance is often unorganized to the point of failing to meaningfully involve small farmers in the food value chain. Agricoop is working to redefine these supply chains to address this imbalance in the market by implementing supportive “commodity clusters.” Their work in strengthening cooperative governance is giving local farmers the tools to better negotiate within the value chain and empower their own communities.

The final panelist to speak was Dr. Ernesto Ordonez, who was speaking as a member of Alyansa Agrikultura. He first provided the specific contexts behind the work that he was accomplishing, in that long-term corporate investment in agriculture is both a failure and a key factor in retarding the growth of small communities. Following this, Ordonez set forth his recommendations on what would be most impactful in addressing this unjust status quo. Some of these suggestions include emphasizing additional income from other crops for small farmers, increasing the Department of Agriculture’s budget, and actively working to improve agricultural participation within the private sector. Dr. Ordonez concluded his presentation by emphasizing the importance of implementing well-managed cooperatives as well as the need for the Philippines to take the time to assess their food system and find places they can systematically improve.

Great change is not achieved overnight, especially within the context of a subject as complicated as food security and local participation in value chains. For the Philippines and many others, this is an issue that is continuing to be navigated. However, it is clear from the knowledge and strategies presented at this webinar that the nation’s future is in good hands, and with their continued effort, we will see community-evolving change.

The Challenging Yet Beneficial Relationship between Human Rights and Development

Abigail Hall
HAF-UVA Intern

Although the intersection between human rights and development is clear, the two are often approached separately and have therefore evolved into two separate categories. It can be easy to focus on their distinctions and differences from one another rather than seeing the way that they actually mutually boost and aid each other. This article is going to look at the challenges that are faced when trying to converge human rights and development efforts as well as how these two categories can and should aid each other in providing and improving safe and sanitized water around the world.

The Journal of Human Rights Practice published an article on the challenges and opportunities that arise when trying to converge human rights and development efforts. In this article, it says, “Human rights could be integrated more systemically into development policy and practice, for three reasons. (1) They are intrinsically valuable in aiming to protect human dignity and may be (negatively) affected by development so that development policy should identify ways to at a minimum meet the ‘do no harm’ threshold. (2) They are also instrumentally useful to enhance development processes, address certain types of social risk, ensure accountability, and ultimately secure more equitable and sustainable development outcomes. (3) As a matter of public international law, human rights treaty obligations legally bind States' parties, and under custom bind all states other than persistent objectors: as such they should be respected in all contexts, including development.”

Here, the explicit ways in which human rights and development can advance forwards and aid each other is listed. However, more often than not, the two are not explicitly incorporated, but rather implicitly incorporated— meaning, when human rights policies are written, the development aspect is often left excluded (and vice versa) and for the organization or nation to incorporate if they wish to do so. The Journal of Human Rights Practice argues that this should not be the case and that both human rights and development have the same underlying goals that should be explicitly stated and used to boost the legitimacy of the policy.

For example, the concept of equality lies at the center of the international human rights framework and is written into many international treaties (such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women [CEDAW], the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [CRPD], and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination [CERD]. Similarly, developmental policies often also incorporate equality principles, such as inclusion, cohesion, or empowerment. While this example of equality illustrates the compatibility of the two agendas, it highlights the lack of integration between the two sectors. A stronger convergence of human rights’ equality into development could strengthen development’s specificity and technical parameters, enrich the discourse, and improve development processes by securing greater participation.

The convergence of human rights and development efforts can aid the effort of providing safe and sanitized water to those all around the globe. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, “Water is a basic human right and is fundamental to human dignity… Today, three in ten of the world’s people have no access to safe drinking water.” Similarly, access to water is one of the main items of United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UN-MDGs) and is also one of the main precepts of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The question that lies ahead of us is as follows: if providing sanitized drinking water is one of the main goals of both of the largest human rights organizations in the world and one of the main goals in one of the largest development initiatives in the world, how might the two efforts be converged to aid and support one another? Just as in the example with equality previously discussed, converging efforts will allow human rights activists and development efforts to strengthen specificity and hone in on important tasks that must be completed in order to advance, enrich the discourse as combining efforts will bring in more resources and attention from both sides, and improve the development process as both sides have different skills, resources, perspectives, insights, and connections to offer.

On October 11, 2021, the United Nations will be joined by other UN agencies, NGOs, and CSOs to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child to promote the advancement of female rights across the world. The origins of this global celebration began in 1995 at the World Conference on Women in Beijing where the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action outlined an ambitious and progressive plan to advance female rights; this declaration was the first of its kind globally, specifically emphasizing the need for gender equality across the world. On December 19, 2011, the UN General Assembly ratified and adopted Resolution 66/170, committing to the continual recognition of girls’ rights and the distinct challenges they face across the world.
This year’s theme for the International Day of the Girl Child is entitled, “Digital Generation, Our Generation,”(according to the UN website) and centers discussions around gender inequality regarding access to technology and digital literacy. According to the UN, almost 50% of the world’s population does not have access to the internet, with women and girls being less likely to have this access than men. In fact, in some parts of the world, up to 70% of women and girls do not have access to the internet nor do they know how to use digital technologies( according to the UM website). Moreover, COVID-19 has only exacerbated the issues of technology access and gender inequality, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In response to the ever-increasing challenges faced by girls globally, the Gender Equality Forum (GEF) took in June 2021, launching a 5-year initiative with international governments, corporations, NGOs, and CSOs to fight for equal access to technological innovations.
One CSO that aims to support gender equality and social change, aligning with GEF’s coalitions, is the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) based in Marrakech, Morocco. Specifically, HAF supports female university students and rural women by hosting empowerment workshops. Each workshop is 4 days with focuses on personal growth, sexuality and the body, emotions, relationships, money, and spirituality. In their “imagine” workshop, HAF encourages women to find their voice and helps them build steps to achieving their personal goals. Additionally, “imagine” workshops teach women about legal protections and social justice in Morocco. Through these workshops, HAF aims to build cooperation among women, support financial dependence, and promote change in the local communities of these women. In addition to empowering women and university students, HAF supports the advancement of girl’s education by working with communities to build schools in rural areas through Sami’s project.
With a global population predicted to reach 8 billion people by 2023, gender equality for both women and girl’s is more important than ever. Not only do governments, organizations, and corporations need to incorporate female empowerment into their communities, but individuals at all levels of society must work to bridge the gender gap, ensuring equal rights for women and girls in present and future generations.

Women’s Empowerment and Yoga in Rural Morocco and in Your Life


Before you read this, I challenge you to pause and ask your body the question: how do you like the thoughts I think about you?

When we make an active choice to listen to ourselves, we access the power of introspection. But as you likely realized within the first sentence of this article, that often isn’t comfortable. It is almost taboo to honestly ask yourself how you are, and even rarer to have the skills needed to be able to listen to the response.

These skills are exactly what the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) seeks to develop within their IMAGINE empowerment workshops. The scene ranges from rural villages to bustling cities, yet the content and goal remain constant. HAF leaders guide groups of 25 Moroccan women through a 32-hour transformative experience. Ecstatic joy saturates a room where these women connect with their true selves, maybe for the first time. Turning about freely through guided dance helps the women create “turnarounds,” the term for the newly expanded beliefs that replace often deeply ingrained and harmful ones. To work through the discomfort of releasing old patterns of thought and behavior endows the women with the confidence to recognize their true potential.

HAF guides participants in goal-setting and affirmative visualizations surrounding seven core areas, including work, relationships, and sexuality. These powerful techniques are paired with practical education regarding Moroccan family law and placed in a spiritual context with passages from the Qur’an, permitting the women to understand their legal protections, pursue justice, and see themselves empowered through their spirituality.

This act of slowing down and listening is the core driving force of yoga, as well as HAF’s

mission of empowerment. It forces us to switch from the mode of thinking into feeling. The conscious effort required to turn off our critical thinking brain and enter a more profoundly present state is not small and requires practice. However, there is incredible potential in the ramifications of this decision; in a following 24 young women who identified themselves as chronically stressed, a three-month intervention of biweekly yoga classes resulted in statistically significant reductions in stress and anxiety, as well as overall improvement of physical health. Saliva samples from before versus after a 90-minute yoga class displayed a concrete and significant decrease in levels of cortisol, our bodies’ main stress hormone.

How does yoga achieve this? For one, yoga is not simply a sequence of strengthening acrobatic movements. The Sanskrit word “yoga” literally translates to “yoke” or “join.” It is an ancient Vedic philosophy that both recognizes and encourages a connection with the inherent interconnectedness of ourselves with everything in the universe. We are not separated from nature, but rather, embedded in it. This idea is not as far-fetched or spiritually lofty as one might assume, either: the widely accepted Big Bang Theory postulates that all that is, from here to the farthest edges of the universe, originated from a single point. You were once quite literally one with everything around you. Furthermore, the techniques of stretching, strengthening, breathing, and meditation are joined together in one complete practice to join your mind, body, and spirit. Yoga philosophy and teachings emerge from this idea, with scriptures emphasizing the importance of ahimsa, or non-violence.

Here enters the original question: how do you like the thoughts you think about yourself? Chances are that you haven’t been conditioned to hold yourself in very high regard, like many of the women in the IMAGINE workshops. According to ahimsa, this harm to ourselves through negative thoughts contributes to the prevalence of harm everywhere. In order to strive for better, you must first believe that you deserve it. Movement in yoga is a constant push and pull driven by the breath, steadily encouraging us to expand beyond our limits and find contentment in where we land at the moment.

The niyama or personal principle of svadhyaya encourages the importance of self-study.

Yoga styles such as Yin encourage practitioners to find their edge of discomfort by holding deep tissue stretches for longer periods of time. This increases circulation and joint flexibility while opening channels of energy. Through directed breathwork, students are able to release tension and practice mental fortitude. When a negative thought or sensation interrupts the flow, yoga enables us to recognize it as a disconnection from our true presence and choose to let it go.

By enabling women to free themselves from self-constricting thought patterns, HAF promotes both personal and community growth. IMAGINE equips participants with tangible tools and support to lead lasting and meaningful development from a place of personal integrity. To date, nine groups of women have gone on to create income-generating cooperatives thoughtfully designed to further their specific community’s development. HAF continually supports these women by providing requested training related to these goals, and the groups formed through IMAGINE meet monthly thereafter to discuss current goals and progress.

As we reach the end of the article, I encourage you to take a moment for yourself to notice the ebb and flow of your breath. Return to the original question, even close your eyes if you feel comfortable, and listen. The principles of yoga and of HAF’s IMAGINE workshops are centered in this truth that acknowledging where you are is the first step to creating the life you most want.

Healthy Farms Can Save The World

Henry Prillaman

All around the world, we have seen deforestation and overuse of fertilizers and pesticides that have led to degradation of the environment. Contrary to expectation, from the “Healthy Farms, Wealthy Farmers: Repurposing Agricultural Subsidies to Restore Land” discussion from the World Resources Institute, we see that subsidies have actually led to some of this destruction of the environment.

Helen Ding, a senior economist at the World Resources Institute, began this discussion on how these subsidies are not living up to their primary objectives. Subsidies can lead farmers to deforestation to spread their land claims, as well as overuse of fertilizers that detract from natural arable land. Twenty-three percent of land productivity has been eliminated due to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions and twenty-four billion metric tons of fertile soil is lost every year. This is more devastating when we consider that the subsidies being given to help farmers are in turn hurting our environment and, in the future, will hurt farmers.

In addition, Helen Ding states that subsidies around the world aren’t helping decrease poverty. We have seen countries lose their soil health, fail to increase productivity, and incentivize deforestation all from misallocation and unideal subsidies.

The solution is to change how the subsidies are given and to whom they are given. Subsidies should be reallocated to restoring soil health and increasing sustainable farming practices. In the World Resources Institute discussion, Helen Ding outlined that $400 billion of current subsidies across the world could be repurposed to have a better use that would facilitate farm health and in turn help the environment. Subsidies have been shown to not only hurt the farmland and environment, but also not significantly help farmers.

In a recent repurposing of funds in Costa Rica, $500 million from gas tax revenues were transferred to protect the forest, boosting the tourism economy by 6% from 2017-2021. Placing subsidies in the right places can have far reaching and profitable results. The benefits listed in “Healthy Farms, Wealthy Farmers” for switching subsidies to protect and restore farmland and ecosystems are fewer incentives for deforestation, increased biodiversity, greater ecosystem resilience, better soil quality, higher crop yields, extra income for farmers, increased food security, lower carbon emissions, and more jobs.

There is a need to assist the smallholder farmer to help restore the land and save the environment. In addition, monitoring systems are needed to track these subsidies and their goals, such as the lowering carbon emissions, to better show the sub.

The High Atlas Foundation is working to satisfy these goals in Morocco. HAF works to restore farmland and biodiversity through planting trees utilizing local seeds, assists farming families with their focus on women’s and youth agricultural development initiatives, as well as continual monitoring of their trees planted to gain best practices and support carbon offsets. Subsidies allocated as Helen Ding prescribes would allow for HAF’s mission to be administered all around the world with all kinds of governments, foundations, and groups, working to help restore the land we live on by empowering farming families.

Je suis Mohammed Amine ZINE EL ABIDINE, étudiant en deuxième Master Juriste d’Affaires, clinicien de la deuxième promotion, venez découvrir avec moi mon expérience au sein de la clinique juridique.


Tout d’abord, je tiens à remercier le Doyen de la Faculté des Sciences Juridiques, Economiques et Sociales de Fès, et l’ensemble du corps administratif de la Clinique Juridique pour cette initiative humaine, ambitieuse et créative.


Pour moi, la Clinique Juridique est un atelier de renforcement des capacités des juristes, notamment dans la pratique. Dans ce contexte, la Clinique Juridique a assuré des formations multiples et diverses, tant théoriques que pratiques, au profit des cliniciens afin qu’ils puissent traiter les différents cas dont la Clinique Juridique est en charge.


En outre, il existe d’autres formations essentielles pour affiner les capacités des cliniciens, telles que le développement personnel, la rédaction de CV, l’organisation d’une recherche d’emploi, la recherche d’un marché adéquat pour le profil du candidat, la gestion du traumatisme et l’esprit entrepreneurial.


Il convient de souligner que les principaux domaines auxquels s’intéresse la Clinique juridique sont la conciliation et la médiation familiale, la migration, le droit d’asile et, enfin, la traite des êtres humains. Ces axes ont fait l’objet de plusieurs exercices pratiques et de cas de simulation par les cliniciens sous la supervision d’experts spécialisés.


Une fois les formations terminées, les cliniciens passent directement au traitement des dossiers, ce qui nécessite un travail minutieux et de bons réflexes de la part des cliniciens. L’étude des dossiers se fait au siège de la Clinique juridique qui se trouve à l’intérieur de la Faculté de droit de Fès.


L’objectif de la clinique est d’offrir une assistance juridique gratuite à toute personne, notamment aux personnes vulnérables et fragiles n’ayant pas la possibilité de recourir à la justice.


La clinique vise également à inculquer le bénévolat, le travail associatif et le travail collectif dans l’esprit des juristes.

Je suis Mohammed Amine ZINE EL ABIDINE, étudiant en deuxième Master Juriste d’Affaires, clinicien de la deuxième promotion, venez découvrir avec moi mon expérience au sein de la clinique juridique.


Tout d’abord, je tiens à remercier le Doyen de la Faculté des Sciences Juridiques, Economiques et Sociales de Fès, et l’ensemble du corps administratif de la Clinique Juridique pour cette initiative humaine, ambitieuse et créative.


Pour moi, la Clinique Juridique est un atelier de renforcement des capacités des juristes, notamment dans la pratique. Dans ce contexte, la Clinique Juridique a assuré des formations multiples et diverses, tant théoriques que pratiques, au profit des cliniciens afin qu’ils puissent traiter les différents cas dont la Clinique Juridique est en charge.


En outre, il existe d’autres formations essentielles pour affiner les capacités des cliniciens, telles que le développement personnel, la rédaction de CV, l’organisation d’une recherche d’emploi, la recherche d’un marché adéquat pour le profil du candidat, la gestion du traumatisme et l’esprit entrepreneurial.


Il convient de souligner que les principaux domaines auxquels s’intéresse la Clinique juridique sont la conciliation et la médiation familiale, la migration, le droit d’asile et, enfin, la traite des êtres humains. Ces axes ont fait l’objet de plusieurs exercices pratiques et de cas de simulation par les cliniciens sous la supervision d’experts spécialisés.


Une fois les formations terminées, les cliniciens passent directement au traitement des dossiers, ce qui nécessite un travail minutieux et de bons réflexes de la part des cliniciens. L’étude des dossiers se fait au siège de la Clinique juridique qui se trouve à l’intérieur de la Faculté de droit de Fès.


L’objectif de la clinique est d’offrir une assistance juridique gratuite à toute personne, notamment aux personnes vulnérables et fragiles n’ayant pas la possibilité de recourir à la justice.


La clinique vise également à inculquer le bénévolat, le travail associatif et le travail collectif dans l’esprit des juristes.

كلما ارتكبت جريمة قتل أو اغتصاب أو هتك عرض… يبدأ النقاش حول عقوبة الإعدام… فنجد المؤيد لها الذي يعتبر الإعدام هو الحل لإيقاف تفشي الجريمة… كما نجد المعارض لها الذي يرى في الإعدام مجرد انتقام و لا يصلح المشكل من الأساس

بين هذا الرأي و ذاك… يدخل الأكاديمي لمناقشة الموضوع بمنطقية و موضوعية… مزيلا عنه رداء العاطفة و الانتقامية… ويحاول إيجاد حل يرضي الأطراف من جهة… و يكبح شهوة المجرم من جهة أخرى

كل هذا في إطار علمي أكاديمي و بعيد عن التعصب… و هذا بالضبط ما قامت به كلية الحقوق بفاس و بشراكة مع المنظمة المغربية لحقوق الإنسان وكذا المندوبية الوزارية المكلفة بحقوق الإنسان

حيث قامت بتنظيم يوم دراسي تحت عنوان : »من أجل نقاش عمومي، رصين و تعددي حول عقوبة الإعدام »… بمركز دراسات الدكتوراه بجامعة سيدي محمد بن عبدالله… وذلك يوم الثلاثاء 29 يونيو 2021… و بحضور أعضاء من العيادة القانونية لكلية الحقوق بفاس

حيث افتتح اليوم الدراسي بكلمة من السيد عميد كلية العلوم القانونية والاقتصادية والاجتماعية بفاس و كلمة السيد ممثل المنظمة المغربية لحقوق الإنسان لتختتم الجلسة الافتتاحية بكلمة السيد ممثل المندوبية الوزارية المكلفة بحقوق الإنسان… كل الكلمات الافتتاحية كانت تصب في منحى الإشادة بالمجهودات المبذولة من طرف كلية الحقوق من أجل نقاش عقوبة الإعدام من عدة زوايا دون الاقتصار على رأي واحد دون الآخر

ليتم الانتقال بعد ذلك إلى الجلسة الأولى التي اختير لها كعنوان : »القراءات التأصيلية المتعددة »… و فيها تطرق الأستاذ عز العرب لحكيم بناني (رئيس شعبة الفلسفة بكلية الآداب ظهر المهراز) إلى عقوبة الإعدام من الناحية الفلسفية و كيف يراها كل من هيغل وكانط في قالب فلسفي موضوعي

تلتها مداخلة الأستاذ عبد الحق بلفقيه تحت عنوان : " الحق في الحياة بين معطى التكريس الدستوري و إشكالات الملائمة القانونية …" مداخلة وضع فيها الفصل 20 من الدستور تحت مجهر المتخصص في القانون الدستوري…

ليتدخل الأستاذ عبد الرحيم الأمين المتخصص في الشريعة و القانون و يتأمل في عقوبة الإعدام بين القانون المغربي و الفقه الإسلامي… ليستنتج أن عقوبة الإعدام هي عقوبة نسبية لا عقوبة أصلية مفروضة في الشريعة الإسلامية…

و لم يكن من الممكن مناقشة الموضوع بعيدا عن الالتزامات و الاتفاقيات الدولية… و هذا ما ناقشته الأستاذة سهيلة بوزلافة في مداخلة بعنوان :عقوبة الإعدام بين الالتزام الدولي و المراجعة التشريعية

ليكون لعلم الإجرام و السياسة الجنائية الحظ أيضا في المناقشة و هذا ما قام به كل من الأستاذ عبد الإله المتوكل الذي عنون مداخلته ب: »عقوبة الإعدام بين دواعي الإلغاء و مطالب الإبقاء »… و كذا الأستاذ هشام اسواني الذي كانت مداخلته تحت عنوان : عقوبة الإعدام من منظور السياسة الجنائية الحديثة

و بعد كل هذه المناقشات التقديمية التي ناقشت عقوبة الإعدام نظريا و تعدديا… كانت الجلسة الثانية تحت موضوع : »التوجهات العملية المختلفة »… ضرورية من أجل مناقشة عقوبة الإعدام بمنظور الممارس الميداني…

فقد كانت محكمة النقض و المجلس الأعلى للسلطة القضائية ممثلة في شخص الأستاذ حسن فتوخ الذي كانت مداخلته حول : المقاربة القضائية لعقوبة الإعدام

و لا يمكن الحديث عن عقوبة الإعدام دون حضور مؤسسة النيابة العامة التي تدخل ممثلها من أجل إعطاء احصائيات دقيقة حول : تطبيقات عقوبة الإعدام بالمغرب

ليكون للباحثين في سلك الدكتوراه نصيب من المداخلات… حيث كانت مداخلة الأستاذ علي إدريسي حسني مداخلة تحت عنوان

:قراءة في التوجه القضائي الجديد بشأن عقوبة الإعدام

تلته هيأة الدفاع ممثلة في شخص الأستاذ المهدي العزوزي محام بهيأة فاس… الذي ناقش: » عقوبة الإعدام بالمغرب بين المقاربة الحقوقية و الحاجة لحماية حقوق الضحية

و بعد ذلك… اختتم الأستاذ حسن رحية أشغال هذا اليوم الدراسي تحت عنوان : تفريد المعاملة العقابية للمحكومين بالإعدام

ليفتتح باب النقاش بين الحاضرين و المتدخلين في جو أكاديمي تعددي رصين…

تعتبر عقوبة الإعدام انتهاكاً لحقوق الإنسان، وعلى وجه الخصوص الحق في الحياة والحق في عدم التعرض للتعذيب أو المعاملة أو العقوبة القاسية أو اللاإنسانية أو المهينة. وكلا هذين الحقين كفلهما الإعلان العالمي لحقوق الإنسان، الذي اعتمدته الأمم المتحدة في سنة 1948


إضافة إلى العديد من الصكوك التي اعتمدها المجتمع الدولي من بينها

البروتوكول الاختياري الثاني الملحق بالعهد الدولي الخاص بالحقوق المدنية والسياسية، والذي يهدف إلى إلغاء عقوبة الإعدام

البروتوكول رقم 6 الملحق بالاتفاقية الأوروبية لحقوق الإنسان، والمتعلق بإلغاء عقوبة الإعدام، والبروتوكول رقم 13 الملحق بالاتفاقية الأوروبية لحقوق الإنسان، فيما يتعلق بإلغاء عقوبة الإعدام في جميع الظروف


بروتوكول الاتفاقية الأمريكية لحقوق الإنسان لإلغاء عقوبة الإعدام


على الرغم من أن القانون الدولي ينص على أن استخدام عقوبة الإعدام يجب أن يقتصر على الجرائم الأشد خطورة، إلا أن معظم المنظمات المهتمة بحقوق الإنسان اعتبرت هذه العقوبة ليست الحل وليست عقوبة رادعة كما يعتبرها البعض _ فأغلب الدول التي تنفذ عقوبة الإعدام لازالت لم تحد من الجرائم التي تعاقب بها بالإعدام ولم تحقق العقوبة وظيفتها وتعتبر الصين أفضل مثال على هذا _ فهي تثير العديد من الإشكالات، ومن بين أهم الإشكالات التي تثيرها في نظري، أنها عقوبة لا رجعة فيها بحيث قد تقع أخطاء في الأحكام القضائية لا يمكن تداركها إذا نفذت العقوبة، كما قد يتم إعدام أشخاص إستناداً على أدلة مشوبة بالتعذيب، وعدم التمثيل القانوني المناسب، فقد يفقد أشخاص بريئون حياتهم بحيث لا يمكن إعادة شخص بريء أعدم لإعادة الاعتبار له، ولا يمكن تعويض حياة أي شخص، فالحق في الحياة من أسمى الحقوق لدى الإنسان لا يجب لأي سلطة المساس بها

Entering Morocco, Sub-Saharan African migrants find themselves at a crossroads. There is the promise of an economic future waiting for them in Europe, but the path to it is perilous. They require either an assurance of asylum status or some familial relationship with a European in order to enter into Europe without any problems. Unfortunately, many will have neither, forcing them into dangerous and irregular means of entry into Europe, or at times leading them to stay in Morocco. While Morocco has for most of its history been an emigration country, its geographic usefulness puts it at the forefront of migration in the Mediterranean, between one of the most populous emigration centers in the world, Sub-Saharan Africa, and one of the most popular immigration destinations in the world, Western Europe.

A hold on this northern flow of migration from Sub-Saharan Africa is unlikely, as the immigration routes have been long established, and population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to rise steadily. In countries with established pathways of migration, like Ghana and Nigeria, it was found that nearly one third of all respondents indicated that they were going to leave their home country for Europe or the United States sometime in the next five years (Connor). Further research from Syed Ali in a chapter from his book entitled ‘Maligned Migrants’, explains that “while Western European countries put great restrictions on further labor migration, the [migrant] population kept growing through family reunification, and in the 1990s, through the admission of refugees.” The first initial waves of migration create a difficult to control stream of further migration, and with governmental programs like family reunification simplifying the legal complications that tend to decentivize migration, over a million Sub-Saharan Africans have moved to Europe since 2010, mostly seeking asylum or irregularly migrating (Connor). In 2018, there were more Mediterranean migrants entering Spain than any other European country, naturally signifying that Morocco was seen as the leading transit country for African migrants attempting to enter into Western Europe.

Refugees and asylum-seekers are people who leave their homes because they are fleeing from war or persecution. However, to be granted either refugee or asylum status at their destination country, they need to prove legally that they had a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group affiliation. While hundreds of thousands of Sub-Saharan African undocumented migrants have been classified as refugees in the United States by the UNHCR, there are many more in Europe who have struggled to receive the same classification. Furthermore, most western countries use refugee quotas, allowing the reception or resettlement of a sometimes contentious number of refugees every year. This phenomenon can exclude asylum-seekers who find themselves outside the quite narrow legal definition of refugee. For poor migrants desperate for any source of income, the legal complexities of their situation can often be difficult to fully understand, especially in countries where their legal status can be easily manipulated by those who exploit their relative lack of knowledge.

While their situation is contextually quite different, Sub-Saharan African migrants who stay in Morocco struggle with many of the same issues as their counterparts in Western Europe. While there are many Sub-Saharan African migrants who immigrate specifically to Morocco, there is also a large number of them who find themselves with no other choice but to remain in Morocco as their window of opportunity to enter Western Europe subsides. In a feature article for the Migration Policy Institute, Driss El Ghazouanoi says that ‘stuck’ Sub-Saharan African migrants have become a familiar sight to many Moroccans, most of them living without proper documents. As of now, there are roughly 700,000 Sub-Saharan migrants living in Morocco, making up about 2% of the mostly homogenous population (MPI). The Moroccan government has committed to helping these migrants, writing and passing laws that provide pathways to full citizenship, but there will be a long process to fully acclimate them into Moroccan society. There have been some reports of social discontent towards migrants (Alami), and while the Moroccan government will need to keep an eye on the rise of hate that is often associated with immigration growth, their larger issue is likely the struggle for proper documentation.

The Legal Aid Clinic (CFJD), housed at the Faculty of Social, Legal, and Economic Sciences at University Sidi Mohamed Ben Adbellah in Fes, is one of the few opportunities for migrants currently living in Morocco to be provided the proper legal assistance that would allow them to have a source of income while living in Morocco. With funding from the National Endowment for Democracy and the Middle East Partnership Initiative, the CJFD trains law students to provide pro bono legal aid to those who are in need of it most. While there are country-wide economic issues in Morocco, such as unemployment and hard-to-access social services, there are still opportunities for migrants to carve out a life for themselves in the country, such as in the Fes-Meknes region, whose decreasing urban population growth could potentially be mitigated by a rise in the migrant population (Oxford Business Group).

For many Sub-Saharan African migrants, their future legal and economic situations are frustratingly insecure. There is a dearth of resources available to them, not only in Morocco but in all of Western Europe. The CJFD in Fes is, therefore, a helpful option for migrants who need guidance and support as they transit, integrate into Moroccan society, or prepare to repatriate back to their home countries.

Max Berengaut is a student at the University of Virginia and an Intern at the High Atlas
Foundation.

Mutually Inclusive: The Relationship Between Development and Human Rights

By: Aira Matin

This word “development” is quite heavy. It is not just a matter of improving the economic conditions of a society, but of changing lives and trying to build a better present and future. As a student from the US, it’s valuable to recognize the position that countries such as the US and others in Europe are in with respect to development. Countries have initiated projects of development focused on outcomes, without considering the needs or interests of those they are trying to help.

Development as a process often suffers from traditions of ignoring the people and human conditions on the ground. Development tends to be concerned with numbers and economic improvements rather than working on the specific outcomes for a society. Where economic solutions seem like the most effective way to improve the quality of life of those in developing countries, poverty is now being understood as less about economic needs and more about addressing underlying factors like discrimination, exploitation, and abuse. This sets the stage for human rights to enter in the discussion.

Human rights activism in Morocco rose around the 1970s, with the 1980s marking the expansion of civil society. What we have seen is that rural and indigenous groups, those who would be most affected by and involved in the development process, are often left out of human rights discourse and government policies. Additionally, there has been a distance between the language used by the larger human rights organizations and the grassroots activism on the ground. Thus, the broader world of human rights has been characterized with a lack of focus on the people and the specific needs of diverse communities throughout the country. However, with more and more groups integrating human rights approaches to their development goals, this trend has begun to change.

Development and human rights are tied together by shared norms and values, united by a common goal of building a better society for the people. A rights-based approach (RBA) to human rights, then, can enhance development goals. The Danish Institute for Human Rights notes that RBA is “based on the concept that impoverished people must be protected from illegal and unjust discrimination, dispossession, denial and disenfranchisement.” This approach helps move development away from a merely economic process. Development and human rights mutually reinforce one another, as development secures access to rights while the existence of rights enhances development. RBA shifts development as a process away from providing needs to emphasizing “society’s obligation to respond to the rights of individuals.” Here, development is increasingly focusing on humans and the extent to which they can live their lives.

Rights-based approaches in Morocco and beyond have challenged the objective tone of development, transforming the process into one that centers on humanity. The people are the agents of change involved in building their communities for themselves. For example, many ethnic communities have used social-oriented partnerships rather than market-oriented ones in order to gain support for development projects.

Rural women are another group who are increasingly articulating collective rights in opposition to the standard outcome-based approach of development. What we see here are examples of groups in Morocco who have turned development into something that values their rights as people. Moroccan human rights organizations are taking explicitly proactive human rights stances that are consistent with international human rights standards, a contrast to Western stereotypes of Arab-Islamic culture, and therefore fight against Western ideas of what the world looks like by actively better lives for the people.

The High Atlas Foundation is one of the many organizations using RBA, integrating rights into a range of issues from land rights to women’s empowerment. For example, on the issue of land, many development projects have neglected the value that rural communities place on the land itself, preferring to commodify the homes of local peoples. But HAF places value into the land, understanding it as part of the community, and helps it flourish with commitments such as tree planting.

Women’s rights is another arena where HAF acknowledges the importance of rights in development. Using the framework of Moudawana, the Moroccan family code, “HAF aims to integrate a rights-based approach into existing programs to create an inclusive women’s empowerment strategy that involves strengthening capabilities, capacities, and implementation of rights.” HAF understands that development must recognize the relationship between rights, capacities, and a sense of capacity. As a process of change, development must begin with the humans themselves, and commit to building a better world for the sake of humanity.

Harnessing Science for Sustainable Agriculture

By Samirah Jaigirdar

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future. The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, to be achieved by 2030. Nations around the world adopted these goals in recognition of the fact that ending poverty must be done in tandem with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and drive economic growth, while tackling climate change and preserving our oceans and forests.

The 17 SDGs are: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (5) Gender Equality, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation, (7) Affordable and Clean Energy, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, (10) Reducing Inequality, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, (12) Responsible Consumption and Production, (13) Climate Action, (14) Life Below Water, (15) Life On Land, (16) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, (17) Partnerships for the Goals.

On June 6, 2021, the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) held a side event for the 2021 HLPF titled From Science to Practice: Harnessing Research to Build Forward Better. At this forum, a panel of experts from around the world discussed how research often fails to find its way into policy-making circles due to technical, cultural, political, institutional and financial barriers.

Unfortunately, progress on the 17 SDGs lags far behind. COVID-19 in particular has been challenging, and in some cases, the pandemic has exposed the gaps between the latest scientific discoveries and policy-making. While research and innovation alone cannot get us the 17 SDGs by 2030, collaboration across civil and political society can help get us there.

SDG 2’s aim is to end hunger, achieve food security, and promote sustainable agriculture. At the forum, the experts highlighted some of the challenges that SDG 2 faces while pursuing sustainable agriculture. For instance, the overexploitation of resources by industrial farming, exclusion of smallholder farmers, increasing precarity of subsistence farming, shifting consumption patterns, and the role of global trade in creating new nutrition challenges. Some recommendations to address these challenges were supporting farmers, drawing on local and traditional knowledge, and building collaborative networks.

In our increasingly connected world, we must find a way to bring together scientists and experts from different fields alongside public policy specialists and NGOs who can highlight historically marginalized voices. HAF’s Farmer-To-Farmer (F2F) program is an embodiment of this situation. F2F is a USAID initiative which aims to bring volunteers with expertise in numerous phases of the agricultural development value chain, including tree and plant nurseries, irrigation, cooperative-building, food safety, and commercialization of processed products to Morocco and other countries. The F2F program has demonstrated how volunteers can help individuals and organizations build local communities, bring new knowledge, and strengthen existing sustainable agriculture practices.

The COVID-19 pandemic, although devastating, showed how volunteers can even be useful in a virtual scenario. USAID encouraged F2F implementers to pair local volunteers with remote American volunteers to collaborate. HAF’s first partnership happened in the Tassa Ouirgane village in the Marrakech-Safi region. The results of this assignment include the young women registering as a formal cooperative. These women took this opportunity to learn, grow, and challenge themselves and societal norms. As F2F engages small farmers, this benefits both the farmers and the environment. Additionally, F2F builds on traditional Moroccan knowledge with the latest research on sustainable agricultural practices through volunteers. Hence, HAF’s implementation of F2F directly contributes to the pursuit of SDG 2.

Sustainable agricultural practices are sorely needed to protect the environment, preserve and expand the Earth’s natural resources, and improve soil fertility. Unfortunately, promoting industrial agriculture cannot be the answer to achieving food security through unsustainable agricultural practices. Hence, HAF helping small farmers learn and practice sustainable agriculture practices will help both economic development and achieve SDG 2.

Nature’s Secret Healing Powers: A Look into Nature Therapy
By Noah Ginsburg

This morning I had the privilege of attending a very special event, hosted by the Beyond Trees Network’s Dr. Tamberly Kerr Conway, a trained and licensed nature therapist who has spent the last several years training more and more nature therapists and spreading this practice across the world. Although the pandemic is nearly over, the need for social distancing, as well as the long distances between many of the participants around the globe, from India to South America, has brought on the need for using Zoom to safely and universally share the experience. Many of the activities are normally done in a closely-knit group where the natural scenes are taken in together, but because of these circumstances, we all had to experience our own bit of nature behind our screens.
So, what exactly is nature therapy? I’ll admit that going into this session, I was very skeptical. I thought I would just be meditating and maybe even doing some yoga, but I soon realized that the process is much more experiential and sensory than I thought. We began by finding a comfortable and peaceful position outside in nature. I sat in my backyard in the grass with the computer on my lap. The grass tickled my legs and the sun flickered through the leaves above my head as my session leader, Toby Bloom, began speaking gently. She asked that we close our eyes and slow our breathing, feel the natural elements around us and be conscious of them but keep our minds quiet. She implored us to think about our skin and how it felt against the cool breeze, how the hairs on our arms danced as it flowed across. She asked us to listen closely to the sounds around us, the leaves rattling, the chirping of the birds, a plane flying swiftly overhead. She asked us to breathe deeply through our noses and bring in the smells around us, all the while keeping our eyes closed and our bodies still.
After several minutes of meditating and taking in nature, she asked us to spin around and slowly open our eyes as if the image we were about to see would be for the first time. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself facing the woods behind my house. They were brightly lit and splotched with patches of shadow. It was really quite beautiful and to see it after focusing all of my senses was really something special.
Throughout the rest of the session, we explored the texture of natural things around us like grass, leaves, and rocks, and at the end, Toby performed a small tea ceremony that is commonplace in these sessions. Unfortunately, I did not have any tea made for the session so I simply had to watch behind my screen. When the session was over, I closed my computer and sat outside for just a few more minutes. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility. My whole body felt relaxed and I felt an Earthly connection from my head to my feet. Wholistically, it made me feel very good.
Dr. Conway explained that these forms of therapy started to become popular in the late 80s and have spread across the globe, helping with depression, stress, and anxiety. The calming vibe of the therapy takes little to no effort to reach and can effectively center and relax a person in under an hour. Dr. Conway’s organization aims to improve forest welfare globally, hoping to bring economic, social, and emotional support to the public, with the aim of improving the public welfare.
If you have a moment in your day where you have just a few minutes to yourself, I would highly recommend taking the time to step outside, close your eyes, and open your senses to the natural world around you. Nature’s healing powers are nothing short of pure magic.

Academia Has an Obligation to Serve
Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights upholds education as a right to which every individual is entitled. The opportunity to attend an institute of higher learning and improve one’s position in society, however, is available only to those who can afford it.

In most nations, the cost of education is unconscionably high. In the United States, the average cost of attendance at a university is $35,720, which stands in stark contrast to the $6,750 per year salary that public school teachers in Morocco make.

Students who can afford to attend university have an obligation that extends beyond themselves: their duties as students should not be to exclusively improve their own social standing and maximize the money they make. Instead, their focus should be one of service. In their academic undertakings, they should seek to do more than write lofty thesis statements and present abstract principles. Instead, they should use their education to serve others, giving its usefulness a much wider scope.

Academia should not and cannot exist solely within its own realm; it must respond to the world it observes. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is not useful. To be blunt, it is a fruitless endeavor to write papers about social ills without trying to solve them.

Just as in development work, the impact of academic work should be tangible and measurable. Development organizations can appear to set out with noble goals that sound laudable on paper, but the organizations fail to execute their plans. It is easy to veil failed implementation efforts by claiming that the results are impossible to observe concretely, but this is often not the case.

While women’s empowerment, for example, sounds like an abstract concept that might be difficult to measure, the degree to which women are more empowered is demonstrable in literacy rates, women’s role in the economy, and family planning strategies. A paper on women’s empowerment that is full of feminist theories and purely hypothetical considerations is not as effectual in achieving social progress as one that points readers toward the application of theory to reality and needs.

One solution to this problem of theory vs. practicality is the wide-scale implementation of service-learning: an educational approach wherein students learn theories in the classroom and, at the same time, volunteer with an agency and engage in reflection activities to deepen their understanding of what is being taught. As stated in Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Higher Education for the Public Good: “At its best, higher education provides graduates with the ability and motivation to collaborate with others to improve their local schools, break bread with their refugee neighbor, resolve racial conflict in the community, and create economically and environmentally sustainable communities.” David Weerts believes that, ultimately, higher education for the public good may best be defined and measured by the “collective ability of postsecondary institutions to respond to key public agendas: improving economies, contributing to improved health and quality of life, and promoting the ideals of citizenship and democracy.”

The best hope we have for progress in this world is through collaboration in every area of life. A collaborative approach that involves interaction between those writing papers and those with local knowledge and lived experience on the ground will be infinitely more successful than one in which those spheres remain separate. Participatory development allows community beneficiaries to occupy a central position in creating solutions to the everyday problems they experience. This makes perfect sense: those with local knowledge understand what will prove most effective and what issues should be prioritized in the development of the nation.

Just as the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) employs a participatory approach in which the public and private sectors work together, university students who set out to write papers should consult with and be aware of the realities of the subjects of their writing. HAF President Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir argues that right now, “there is generally inadequate coordination among ministries to achieve the synergies of these national initiatives, and a lack of popular understanding and the needed skills in order to translate them into reality.” Partnerships among NGOs, business, and governments — local and national — generate solutions that cannot be achieved by any of these entities on their own.

British economist Kate Raworth has located this issue of academic isolation from the “real world” and has developed a solution. She calls it doughnut economics. The theory is based upon an economic model visually shaped like a donut, with an outer disc representing the ecological ceiling and the center hole representing the proportion of people that lack access to life’s essentials. It is meant to serve as a compass, directing human progress for the 21st century “to ensure that no one falls short on life’s essentials (from food and housing to healthcare and political voice), while ensuring that collectively we do not overextend our pressure on Earth’s life-supporting systems, on which we fundamentally depend – such as a stable climate, fertile soils, and a protective ozone layer,” says Raworth.



In her novel on the theory, Raworth writes about her time as an economics student, and her systemic lack of confrontation with real world issues and the need to problem-solve. She writes about an essay prompt she received two years into her tenure as an economics student that asked about the best way of assessing success in development. “Two years into my economic education and the question of purpose had arrived for the first time. Worse, I hadn’t even realized that it had been missing.”

Students in the 21st century are entering a world devastated by climate change and steeped with systemic social inequalities. A study of economics that responds to those realities is desperately needed. This theory identifies the issue of an economics education devoid of attention to the real world and presents a solution that should serve as a model for those of us seeking to use our education and tools for the public good.

In vain, we write papers that will never be seen by individuals other than the student and teacher. All of these projects, papers, and presentations are trapped inside a bubble, in a realm out of reach for those they are meant to help. Diagnosing problems is an essential task; however, we must also seek to develop solutions because identifying the problem is not enough. We must apply the knowledge we access to the world in which we live, striving to improve it for its inhabitants.

As a Jefferson Scholar at the University of Virginia, I am privileged to receive a free education and will not have to worry about the burden of student loan debt that weighs so heavily on so many young people today. The alleviation of this would-be financial and emotional burden frees me to dedicate my energy to service. It allows me to capitalize on my top-tier education to help those who I can help as I embark on a lifelong journey to perpetually learn from and alongside those I intend to serve. The cancellation of student loan debt would make working for the public good a possibility for many more students, enabling them to engage to a greater degree in mutually beneficial community service experiences.

A plan to solve problems includes the following steps: a) expand the reach of service-learning, b) teach subjects like politics and economics to respond to the reality in which we live and identify solutions for the crises we face, and c) advocate for the alleviation of student loan debt. Clearly, these goals cannot be met by one solitary entity; they require collaboration among universities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations, and the onus is on students themselves to serve. Together, we can progress. Alone and in isolation, we remain static.

Crop Preservation Methods in Morocco
By Alyssa Underwood

Farmers employ a variety of post harvest crop storage to protect crops from post harvest damage. Many of the methods employed in developing countries and on small-scale farms are traditional methods that use local resources. Modern storage methods use modern technology to protect crops. Post harvest storage of horticulture crops is an important practice for small scale farmers to protect their crops. Traditional storage methods present an effective alternative to costly modern methods of storage in mitigating the effects of post harvest crop damage.


Post harvest crop damage is anything that damages the crop and keeps it from human consumption. It can be caused by insects, pests, microbes, and storage at improper humidity and temperature. Additionally, humans can cause post harvest damage by mishandling the crops. Proper storage of crops post harvest can decrease the threat of damage by isolating the crops from pests and microbes, as well as keeping crops temperature and humidity controlled to slow natural ripening processes.

Post crop harvest damage presents a large threat to agricultural profits. Post harvest damage causes 50 percent of horticultural products to be lost. Annual crop losses in Sub-Saharan Africa are equivalent to the loss of 4 billion USD. Fourteen percent of the Moroccan GDP is from agriculture, and horticultural crops comprise 85-90 percent of Moroccan market products. Therefore, proper storage practices are crucial to increasing the profitability of Moroccan farms. Farmers in one-fourth of developing countries use community level crop storage. If the storage at this level is not carried out effectively, small scale farmers could lose entire crops and their sources of income.



Traditional methods of horticultural crop storage employed on small scale farms are pits, clamps, cellars, zero energy chambers, and natural ventilation structures. These structures are generally used by small scale farmers because they employ local materials and store smaller quantities of food at a time. They are also cost effective alternatives to large, refrigerated warehouses. Pits are holes that are lined with straw or sand and use the natural coolness of the ground to keep the crops refrigerated. They are typically placed in areas of high elevation to avoid flooding due to rainfall. Clamps use straw and soil to insulate the crops. The horticultural crops are piled in a field and then covered with straw, followed by a layer of soil. Cellars are cool, dark, damp rooms that have enough ventilation to keep the humidity at the proper level. Cellars can be constructed as basements below existing buildings, built into the side of a hill for maximum drainage, or built as an aboveground structure covered by rocks and sod.




Zero energy chambers employ evaporative cooling to keep crops cool. When water evaporates, it cools the surface with which it was in contact. These structures use double brick walls, soaking the inner brick with water to keep crops cool. These can reduce the temperature by 10-15 degrees Celsius and keep humidity levels at 90 percent Finally, natural ventilation structures are constructed to maximize airflow to ensure the heat and humidity generated by the crops is removed. These structures are not well equipped to keep out pests, however spraying the crops can mitigate pest damage.

Modern storage structures employ the use of technology to control the temperature and humidity of crops. These methods are higher cost and less environmentally friendly. Cold storage is the process by which the temperature of an area is cooled to slow the cellular respiration of the crop. The lowered temperature is accomplished using refrigerants and well insulated buildings. A cold storage unit can cost as much as 170 USD per square foot. A Dutch study found that Morocco has great potential for cold storage development, as much as 1,700,000 m3. Additionally, hypobaric storage can be employed to reduce respiration of crops by keeping the atmospheric pressure low and decreasing the amount of oxygen in the environment.



Traditional methods of crop storage are effective for the short term storage of crops in high temperature arid regions like Morocco. These methods utilize low cost materials that can be found on many farms, often repurposing materials that would otherwise go to waste. They are cost-effective methods of preservation that require little input and enable the majority of the profit from the sale of horticultural products to be retained by the farmer. Many Moroccan farmers operate on fewer than five hectares of land and are economically vulnerable. These traditional methods of storage present crop protection options that don’t require major up front investment. More technological methods, like refrigerated warehouses, are better for long term storage. These methods have greater control over the storage environment and increase the adaptability of the preservation of horticultural products. However, these methods are more costly as they require materials that are not local and require the input of energy.



Post harvest crop storage is key to maintaining the profitability of agriculture. Farmers can employ many methods to keep their crops safe. Traditional methods are less costly, but do present greater risk of crop loss. Modern methods of storage are more costly, but enable more control over the conditions in which the crops are kept.

The United States Agency for International Development’s Farmer-to-Farmer Program that is implemented by the High Atlas Foundation in Morocco is in a position to assist agricultural cooperatives and education centers in evaluating effective approaches to storing yields. It is a volunteer initiative that currently connects local and American experts as they share techniques that are then transferred to Moroccan agriculturalists. They are also committed to empowerment and follow-up which help to ensure the sustainability of community projects.



Alyssa Underwood is a student of Global Studies at the University of Virginia in the United States.

Uniting Pathways for Landscape Restoration
By: Samarth Saksena

North African and Middle Eastern nations can combat climate change through well planned landscape restoration initiatives leading to carbon sequestration, but also indirect benefits like job creation, food security, and improved livelihoods and resilience. Restoration initiatives are best carried out when the right partnerships are formed between all sectors of society.

The webinar “Unlocking $100 Billion For Restoring Africa’s Landscapes: How Do We Get There?” hosted by the World Resources Institute, raised the issues of monitoring and accountability of progress on the project and a scientific approach, as required, which are vital factors for these initiatives to be successful. If nations on the edge of the ever-encroaching Sahara take these components into account, they can fight desertification and climate change through successful landscape restoration initiatives.

Countries that undertake landscape restoration projects will see environmental benefits as well as a positive change in the lives of local communities. In 2009, the International Food Policy Institute conducted a study on the impacts of agroforestry landscape restoration initiatives in Niger and Burkina Faso. In Niger, these led to carbon sequestration through an increase of 200 million new farm trees, but also increased food security in the form of 500,000 tons of additional cereal production per year. Women also saw increased equity. They had a stronger economic position due to selling products from the trees and benefited from the increased supply of firewood and water. Thus, landscape restoration through agroforestry benefits the environment and local communities.

Long-term strategic partnerships across all sectors are vital for the sustainability of landscape restoration initiatives. During the webinar, Carol Kariuki—founder of Greenpot, a bamboo company that seeks to establish nurseries in Kenya—mentioned that assessing and finding the right partners was imperative. Greenpot works with farmers, prioritizing getting money “down to the ground.”

Project monitoring and accountability enable progress to be checked, important for the success of such initiatives. Jennifer Merli, Vice-President of Corporate Sustainability at Mastercard, placed emphasis on the importance of monitoring the impacts of initiatives. In addition, Isaac Acquah of Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency said that a challenge often faced by land restoration initiatives is getting precise, accurate data on carbon flux and tree growth. With this data, money can be spent in the right places for the greatest benefit.

Countries undertaking these landscape restoration projects must adopt a scientific approach. This comes in two parts: data collection and ecosystem planning. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, former Costa Rican Environment and Energy Minister, explained the utilization of a land-use capacity map during Costa Rica’s initiative to restore forests that doubled their tree cover. These nations must also take a scientific approach to the species grown and planted and the ecosystems affected, taking care to use native species that will flourish. “The right trees in the right places,” as Merli called it.

Rodriguez also outlines how governments can take steps to fulfill their responsibility to ensure success in landscape restoration initiatives. First, they should take a streamlined institutional approach. In Costa Rica, the ministries that dealt with natural resources were combined into one agency, the Ministry of the Environment, removing bureaucratic obstacles. Second, governments must implement smart policies that encourage landscape restoration. Rodriguez explained that in Costa Rica, the government altered the land tenure system, recognizing private property of those living in the landscape, giving an incentive for land production and restoration. Costa Rica also taxes fossil fuels, leading to $35 million invested in payments for carbon sequestration in productive agriculture.

One non-profit organization successfully involved in landscape restoration initiatives as part of their participatory sustainable development projects is the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in Morocco. With thirteen nurseries and over four million trees grown, they work with farmers, governments, and the private sector to build partnerships that ensure long term success. HAF’s diverse partners include Ecosia, FRÉ Skincare, University of Virginia, Credit du Maroc, and the Moroccan High Commission of Water and Forests, among many others. They also responsibly monitor the progress of nurseries and gather data on the carbon flux with an adaptive management approach. Finally, they use scientific methodologies for tree planting like those recommended by Merli and Rodriguez. HAF plants in its nurseries those native species like fig, carob, and argan that will flourish and contribute to the local environment and biodiversity.

Well-planned landscape restoration initiatives can fight climate change in North Africa and the Middle East, but also have the potential to benefit the growth of local communities. Building upon the examples found in Niger and Burkina Faso, Greenpot, Costa Rica, and the High Atlas Foundation, these countries can advance their own initiatives—a powerful tool for sustainable human development, changing lives for years to come.

Education: the Key to Unlock the Door to Freedom
[published in Modern Ghana, 6/23/21]
by Prof. Ellen Hernandez

On Saturday, June 19, 2021, Americans officially recognized “Juneteenth” as a national holiday. Most Americans understand the holiday to be a celebration of the end of slavery brought about by the U.S. Constitution’s 13th Amendment. However, the day is actually a recognition of when a remote enclave of enslaved people were informed of the end of slavery more than two years after its declaration and several months before the last states ratified the amendment. The difference between what many consider the holiday to celebrate and what it truly celebrates might seem negligible to some, yet it is certainly a very important distinction, recognizing both a literal and a symbolic moment for people who had been so long denied the right to physical freedom and human dignity as well as the right to education and literacy.

While the Emancipation Proclamation officially outlawing slavery was issued in September 1862, and became effective four months later, it was not until June 19, 1865—two months after the surrender of Confederate forces and the formal end of the U.S. Civil War—that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, first heard that order of emancipation read aloud by the Union military and became aware that they were free. The following year, freed people in Galveston began what became known as “Jubilee Day,” and observation of the event and its symbolism has grown gradually over the 155 years since then, becoming an officially-recognized federal holiday signed into law in 2021 by President Biden.

This holiday brings to mind the ways in which we experience individual freedom. The people of Galveston in 1865 were unaware of the declaration, unaware of the law, unaware of their status. This was not solely because they were in a remote area some distance from the seat of government but also because they lacked the literacy that would have enabled them to read the posted notices. Without information, knowledge, and learning, how is one to know one’s rights and, with those rights, envision a future for oneself?

In Morocco, there is a vital code that governs family law but that is not known to all of the people it protects—particularly women—depending on whether they live in rural areas and are literate. The Moudawana (Ar. Mudawwanat al-aHwaal al-shakhSiyyah) is the Personal Status Code that encompasses issues of marriage, divorce, inheritance, self-guardianship, and child custody, among others. While first established in 1958 following the nation’s independence from France, the 2004 reform (also enshrined in the 2011 constitutional revision) addresses women’s rights and gender equality in ways that the original did not. Hence it appeased to some extent those feminist and human rights activist groups calling for more widespread attention to socioeconomic inequality and violence against women, groups such as l'Union de l'Action Féminine (UAF or Women’s Action Union).

Life and opportunity are quite different between urban and rural areas of Morocco. Some studies estimate that only about 16 percent of rural women are aware of their rights stipulated in the most recent amendments to the family code whereas 95 percent of urban women know about the code. In fact, five times as many rural women have never heard of it at all. For such women, this lack of awareness is due in a large part to an incomplete formal education since only about one-third of girls continue their schooling beyond primary level and about 60 percent of rural women are not literate. There is a direct correlation between level of education and awareness of rights with 100 percent of those with a secondary education knowing at least something about the Moudawana. Rural women are also less likely to be engaged in local governance or civil society than their urban counterparts and less likely to hold positions in the labor force or have financial independence, all factors that would increase the likelihood of awareness.

How does level of awareness impact Moroccan women? To begin, a girl who does not know that the legal age for marriage was raised from 15 to 18 and that she cannot be compelled by her father into a marriage or that she is legally entitled to schooling might believe she has no say over her own future. Likewise, a woman who does not know that she has a right to her financial assets or a right to enter into a business contract without her husband’s permission might not pursue her dream of financial contribution to her family’s income or financial independence for herself and her children. Furthermore, a woman who is unaware of her rights to a divorce or to child custody might remain in a dissatisfying marriage or, worse, continue to be physically or psychologically abused fearing the loss of her children or believing she has no options or protections.

There continue to be barriers to implementation of the laws in rural areas, as one might imagine. These include inadequate training about the reforms for judges in provincial government, paving the way for individual decisions that revert to older customs, and also the presence of a stronger sense of traditionalism. In rural areas, the more immediate everyday needs take precedence, and concepts of legal equality hold a lower priority than food, clean water, adequate housing, and sanitation. The lack of access to education due to distance or finances and its attendant illiteracy coupled with the home languages of the largely Amazigh population in the rural areas concentrated in the Rif and Atlas Mountains additionally prohibit awareness of laws written in formal Arabic.

Current efforts to address the lack of awareness are occurring through “Imagine” women’s self-discovery and empowerment workshops led by the High Atlas Foundation, including through its implementation of a Legal Aid clinic in partnership with the Faculty of Social, Juridical, and Economic Legal Studies at University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah (FSJES-USMBA). The High Atlas Foundation is a Moroccan association and a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 by former Peace Corps Volunteers committed to furthering sustainable development. HAF supports Moroccan communities in implementing human development initiatives by promoting organic agriculture, women’s empowerment, youth development, education, and health. The Legal Aid Clinic (CFJD)—funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI)—actively engages students in experiential and service learning for the benefit of marginalized communities in the Fes-Meknes region. Recently, for example, one such workshop was held in Sefrou; these four-day workshops include Moudawana rights-based education in the curriculum. Vulnerable populations such as women and migrants provided with legal assistance and information are more supported in knowing and exercising their rights.

To achieve greater gender parity and protection for women, they must first be informed of their rights under the Moudawana. Steady but slow increases in access to formal education must be supported and enhanced to bring the literacy levels of rural women into alignment with their more educated urban peers. Participatory community development that includes women’s empowerment and rights-based education must continue to spread across the nation to give women a voice and a vision and a say over the course of their lives. Training and recruitment and capacity-building must be a priority to increase women’s employment opportunities, and even more importantly for the good of Morocco, presence in economic and political leadership roles. As former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet once remarked, “When one woman is a leader, it changes her. When more women are leaders, it changes politics and policies.” An empowered woman is imbued with self-confidence that benefits her family, her village, and her society. It begins with the knowledge that allows her to imagine her future.

Progress at the Imegdale Nursery

By: Said Bennani, HAF Project Manager and HAF Team

On June 4, 2021, Project Manager Said Bennani and a group of volunteers visited the Imegdal and Tassa Ouirgane nurseries.

The first stop was the Imegdal nursery, where they met nursery caretaker Hassan Ait Ba on the new nursery land. To date, five terraces have been built on the new land. Three greenhouses have been installed, and a water storage system has also been built. The greenhouses will have the capacity to plant almost 60,000 carob seeds.

The planting and the irrigation system installation should be completed in a two-week time frame. After that, Hassan will plant 20,000 argan seeds. The old nursery also has 50,000 argan seeds and 60,000 carob. The carob and the argan seeds are growing very well but more slowly on the sides that face a lot of wind.

By the end of this year, after transplanting all the saplings grown at the old nursery, Said and the volunteers will move all the materials, greenhouses, and irrigation system to the new land. Hassan was asked to plant as many trees as possible on the old land for when they return it to the local cooperative.

Said and his group hope to visit the nursery often to make sure everything is installed and working well on the new nursery land and to monitor Hassan’s progress. There are now four employees working at the nursery in addition to Hassan, and the plan is to add two more workers to complete the planting process swiftly.