High Atlas Foundation

Continuing the Five-Day Tree Planting Campaign in Meknes
Youssef Moussaoui
HAF Volunteer
New adventure. New excitement. After an amazing day in Skoura M’daz, part of the HAF team continues the five-day tree planting campaign. We met farmers from Azrou, in the Amghas commune. Abdelilah accompanied us; he is the caretaker of the HAF Ifrane nursery which is located at the Salaam School. We spent the afternoon distributing the trees to the farmers. In total, we distributed 275 fruit trees, 225 almond, 10 fig, 20 pomegranate, and 20 quince trees.


One of the farms where we planted in the Amghas commune
We finished our afternoon of planting and conversing with the farmers of the region. They thanked us for all our effort and expressed hope that we will continue HAF activities together.
On the next day, we travelled to Meknes. In a program from the Leadership Development Institute at Akhawayn university in Ifrane, the Cemetery Workers Association from Meknes was rewarded almost 2000 trees last year for being the best association in the Fes-Meknes region. They decided to distribute those trees to several institutions in the region.
With the lead of Si Hicham (the association’s president), our first step was to visit the Ibn Zaydon Elementary School where we planted about 125 almond trees. According to the director, most of the students are orphans. He also explained the proper way of teaching future generations and guide them towards a better future. He passionately believes that to prepare our students for the future, we must prepare them for change by teaching them to inquiry and think, and to adapt with new circumstance as well as explains how the school system works, and which activities children do in the school.


All the children participated in the planting, they watered the trees they planted and promised to watch over them.
We moved on to another school nearby (the Ibn Outman High School). We spoke with the director and Said, HAF Project Manager, explained everything about the High Atlas Foundation. The director was very happy and welcoming and in return, he explained everything about the school and how grateful he is that the school is going to be more beautiful with the trees which are going to be planted there. On this day, the students planted 40 almond and 10 pomegranate trees.

The director and Said initiating the planting activities in the school.

In the next two days, Si Moha, from the Moroccan High Comission of Waters and Forests and combating Desertification joined us. We went from one school to another, to a health care center, a cemetery, and to the Office of Professional Formation and Promotion (OFPPT). We planted 318 fruit trees in total (259 almond, 30 fig, 10 carob, 9 pomegranates, and 10 quince trees). Si Moha explained to all the children and the participants how to preserve the environment and the trees which give us so much in return. Moreover, by planting a tree, we are all contributing to the word’s balanced environmental system.

Si Moha explains and helps the children planting a tree in a proper way
We can be a problem of the environment, by polluting and not careing for it. However, we are also it’s solution. By planting trees, we are preserving the environment which takes care of us, thus healthy environments create healthy societies. As a popular saying says “They planted and we ate, we plant and they will eat.” We are planting trees for the next generation so they can benefit from them as we did from the past ones.
Thank you to Si Hicham from the Cemetery Workers Association for the most welcoming hospitality. I hope we can meet again someday! Importantly, a big thank you to the High Atlas Foundation and to ECOSIA (a green search engine and the investor in HAF nurseries) for the amazing opportunity for helping to make the environment a better place and meeting great people on this journey.

Here’s what makes a day in the region of Tassa Ouirgan exceptional!
By Fatima Zahra LAHRIRE
HAF Volunteer
Early morning on Tuesday, February 19th, we went to Tassa Ouirgan passing by the magnificent view of snowy mountain peaks, wildflowers, and small hills. At a distance of approximately 70 kilometers from the ochre city, Marrakech, the Tassa Ouirgane village stands in its beautiful Azzaden valley.
The day started with a meeting next to where the HAF-community olive tree nursery resides. The meeting was facilitated by Amina El Hajjami, HAF’s Director of Projects, with the farmers from the region. It started with a brainstorming of the achievements, challenges, and recommended solutions. The farmers planted almond and walnut trees and they planned to plant more olive trees. Thus, the challenge is finding high-quality cuttings. They suggested to bring the cuttings from the surrounding farms and they thought that they may plant lemon trees as well.
We met village members, the UNDP’s National Coordinator Badia Sahmi, the UNDP’s Legal Counsel Najwa Alyassari, and Zahra Alyoubi the UNDP’s Assistant, in addition to Soufian Msou, a member of the Moroccan Association for Environment Protection and Human Development.
The meeting was followed by a traditional lunch meal prepared by a local family. We were warmly welcomed by the family members and served tea and nuts as soon as we took a seat. After lunch, mineral water from the well in Tassa Ouirgane was served. The members of the committee had another meeting in a nearby village and so they bade us farewell.
At the same time, a group of girls and young women were waiting for us at the office of the local association of Tassa Ouirgane. It is like a classroom with desks and a blackboard. The light of a sunny day, that the various windows of the classroom allowed, was reflected on their enthusiastic faces. The workshop was facilitated by Amina who succeeded in brainstorming ideas and pushing the girls and young women to speak up and voice their opinions.

Morocco of the 21st Century



Elouahsoussi Rachid
Intern in HAF

The 21st century is a unique that celebrates novelty, creativity, collaboration as well as other modern values in all spheres of life. The aforementioned qualities are a competitive advantage for countries to stand out among others socially, economically and in terms of education. In fact, they are not only ingredients of success in the modern world but of survival of the world’s serious issues such as: climate change, global warming, extremism, unemployment and school dropout. Morocco as a developing country in North Africa is concerned by these issues as well as others. This demands that the kingdom allocates human, media and financial resources to tackle them and to stand out as a model for other countries in terms of sustainable human development in the 21st century. High Atlas Foundation is among the leading non-governmental organisations in contributing to creating sustainable human development in Morocco by adopting a participatory approach.

High Atlas Foundation works in different domains such as environment, education, youth and women’s empowerment among others to bridge the existing gaps and build a sustainable future for Morocco. I have had the chance to be part of this life changing journey with the foundation during the first days of my MA internship. Being involved in human developmental projects with both the High Atlas Foundation and Cadi Ayyad University will certainly have positive impacts on the Moroccan and global community in the short and the long term. Cadi Ayyad University also has always been among the leading institutions in the African continent to support human sustainable developmental projects and programs. The university does this by giving trainings, opening new educational programs (ex. The Master Program of “Economie Sociale et Solidaire”...). So, being part of this human developmental project leaded by two honourable organisations is an experience to be remembered.

The journey of the internship with the HAF involves many places and a dedicated staff. The cooperative of Aboughlo in Ourika is the first place we visited. It is a cooperative run by local women in Ourika specializing in producing and making agricultural products. Women in the cooperative are motivated and determined to succeed so as to help their families and be a role model to the rest of the community. The HAF works to empower women in the cooperative by doing trainings and workshops for example about problem solving and product marketing. Passing by Sti Fadma all the way to Asni is the second destination for collecting and distributing different types of plants and trees. These trees and plants are to be planted in different parts of Alhouz region and in different schools. By doing so, HAF contributes to preserve the environment and ecology. These projects go alongside the vision of the kingdom as in its official frameworks such as The National Initiative for Human development (2005), The Municipal Charter (2010) and The Decentralization Roadmap (2008) about development and human development specifically. In fact, these developmental projects that HAF works on make Morocco up to the demands of the 21st century.

First, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Yossef and the staff, volunteers and interns for the opportunity to join HAF’s work on bettering the lives of rural people in the Kingdom of Morocco. I valued every minute of my time assisting the organization with sustainability assessments, training, proposal development and grant-writing. Having lived in Morocco 30 years ago, it was heartening to see some changes with regard to a new consciousness about sustainability and resiliency, an acceptance of and adaptation to climate change and women’s rights. I know how much HAF has been an integral part of those changes in the last few decades, witnessing your work firsthand.

Following is a summary of my work over the spring of 2016 as well as some personal observations and recommendations.
IDRAREN - HA3 (High Atlas Agriculture and Artisinal), Asni
Organic Almond and Walnut Oil Processing Factory Cooperative

Here, I interviewed a group of 6 women workers and one male director of the factory (April 19). This was my first opportunity to ask questions around the perceived impacts and benefits of working at the factory, where the goal is to develop and market a value-added product for sale in the US, i.e. organic walnut and almond oil. The oils and process have been certified organic through ECOCERT. HAF provided the trees to local farmers to produce the raw product as well as training of the women using the Participatory Approach. It should be noted that the Participatory Approach and local decision making led to the idea of this particular enterprise in Asni.

The interviews with the women led to some interesting insights about perceived benefits and impacts. The interview process was very informal and encouraged the women to speak openly about the project. Responses were noted based on the relative category of sustainability indicators - environmental, economic and social impacts. This categorization of impacts allowed me to see where the greatest impacts were occurring. For example, the economic benefits of being employed at the factory were noted by the women as having an impact on their ability to afford books and materials to send their children to school and how the money earned by the cooperative was being used to help improve local infrastructure. Social benefits that were noted described how the women now had an opportunity to come together, not just for work but socially, and to participate in local politics. From an environmental standpoint, participants were keenly aware of the fewer agricultural inputs required to raise almonds and walnuts as compared to apples. This raised the possibility of pursuing organic certification for apples. The interview also provided the chance for HAF staff to hear about issues affecting the project, such as the need for refresher training from HAF and the competition with apples in the region. Please refer to the link above to view all the notes.

Men’s Association for Environment and Rural Development, Tassa Ouirgane
Tassa Ouirgane is located in the Azzaden Valley and is adjacent to Toubkal National Park. The Association overseas community water distribution and olive oil production. HAF has provided trees, a breeding bull, and training for men and women in the Participatory Approach to identify critical community needs and to start a girl’s cooperative (now defunct). Income earned by the Association’s activities (like sales of olive oil) stays local for schools, food, roads, improvements to the local mosque. In 2012 HAF held extensive workshops with men and women’s groups to identify their top priorities for the community. The women’s top priority was literacy for young girls, which has since been achieved by a grant from the men’s association, to pay a teacher. The men’s top priority was to address soil erosion and the restoration of farm fields in the river bottom that were lost to flooding in 1995 and subsequent floods due to climate change. HAF has applied for several grants to outside organizations to help with this issue, with no success in obtaining funding.
My visit to this site (April 19-21) provided an opportunity for the men’s association to reiterate and reconfirm in a group setting (13 participants) their number one priority of reestablishing farm fields and controlling erosion in the river bottom.

As a former Peace Corps Volunteer in this site, I am familiar with the issues related to the Toubkal National Park and the environmental degradation that has contributed to more extreme flood events and soil loss. I used this opportunity to work with the community over several days to identify specific ag fields for restoration and the potential strategic location of gabions to redirect flood flows and to map these areas.


Commune d’Ouirika Nursery (Haj Abdelkabir) and the Women’s Cooperative d’Aboghlo

This women’s cooperative, 60 members strong, splits their time between working in a tree and plant nursery and working at home making couscous (semolina) from organic wheat and barley, while also growing medicinal plants for sale. I was able to interview members of the co-op in two separate locations – one group working at the nursery, and the other half of the co-op at a meeting hall in the nearby town of Tnine Ourika. All in all, 43 women participated in the two group interviews (April 26).

At the nursery, a piece of land was generously given to the women’s co-op by Haj Abdelkabir to grow almond trees, pomegranetes, zatar, calendula, verbena and irises. This project was facilitated by HAF through the participatory approach, and chosen by these women as their own endeavor. HAF has provided additional training in things like organic production. The women work here once a week tending to the plants and trees, weeding, watering, etc.

While the women have an agreement with the French company, L’Oreal, to grow organic verbeena, zatar, calendula and irises as part of their sustainability initiative, no income has been realized yet since the production is still in the early stages of cultivation. Nonetheless, the women are willing work without wages to wait the 6 years they project it will take to have enough product for sale. In my assessment/interview with this group at the nursery, it was evident that the women have a strong understanding of the environmental impacts of their work, such as going pesticide free, pulling weeds by hand (and using them as fodder for livestock) and using compost as fertilizer.

Their responses were also strong in the social impacts of their work as a co-op. They noted how the experience has taught them a great deal about organic cultivation, being outdoors, and being a unified voice for their community. Until this co-op was formed, these women were very isolated in their homes and had little social interaction with each other. They now feel like a ‘family’ and support each other.

My assessment/interview with the other members of the women’s co-op was held in a separate location. The co-op started with a few women and the idea of needing to pass along traditional couscous making (forming semolina from wheat and barley grains) and the cultivation of medicinal plants to the younger women as they were losing this skill. It was then decided that they would form a co-op to provide a vehicle for earning income from the sale of these products. Again, HAF facilitated this through the participatory approach whereby the decision to pursue a co-op and teach couscous making was their decision. The assessment/interview revealed that their economic prospects from this endeavor are marginal unless they can step up production, address appropriate packaging and market their goods. Right now they only sell the product among themselves and a little at the local souk (market). They are inspired to broaden their marketing, and from a social standpoint, want to serve as an example to the rest of this community and region of women’s empowerment and cooperation.

The women’s responses in this group reiterated many of the same social impacts revealed by the women in the nursery. Their work as a co-op in the nursery and couscous-making has provided them with the opportunity to be a unified voice, support each other in women’s issues, and serve as a model for other women. They also noted that their coming together physically entails a 4 kilometer walk for many of them, and has improved their overall health and weight loss. Before, they said, they were isolated at home, watching television and having little to no social interaction. The co-op has provided them the chance to know other women from nearby villages. The interviews also identified some issues for HAF as new projects. For example, packaging and marketing the products of the co-op are an important priority for these women and could help them realize more economic benefit from their work. Secondly, transportation was an issue for some in terms of getting to work at the nursery or coming together as a group. Training in marketing is something that HAF could provide to the co-op, as well as some ideas on packaging. HAF has strong partnerships in and out of Morocco, that may foster some assistance with these issues.

Conclusions
HAF’s stated cornerstone of their impact is the application of democratic planning and assessment methods. This reinforces citizens’ ability to play an active role in decision-making, empowering communities with self-reliance and agency. The application of assessment methods in their work with communities applies as well to HAF staff that implement these programs. Having a coordinated and uniform process for planning projects before too many resources are invested is good business management and enhances HAF’s ability to seek contributions and partnerships toward any particular project. Lastly, the practical application of a sustainability assessment, through an annual interview with the groups that HAF works with helps to track progress

The start of a five-day tree planting campaign in Fes, Sefrou, and Meknes

By Youssef Moussaoui
HAF Volunteer

I have been volunteering for the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) for nearly a month now. Every day is a new experience, and the excitement never seems to end. This time, HAF planned a five-day tree-planting campaign in Fes, Sefrou, Azrou, and Meknes. Project manager Said Bennani and I travelled from Marrakech all the way to Fes. After a long drive, we arrived in Fes, safe and sound, hamdolilah (thank God). We met with Said’s old friends from when he lived in Fes; they were very nice people. Old friendships were rekindled.

Early morning on Monday, February 11, we went to the Abd Elaziz Ben Idriss Children Protection Center, where the HAF tree nursery also resides. We started with meeting the director; he welcomed us and expressed how happy he was to see us. Then he took us to see the children and they were very happy to see their good friend Said once again.


Some of the children’s metal work under Si Hamid’s coaching

We didn’t have so much time, so we decided to take plants to Skoura M’daz commune, and this is the first time HAF is implementing tree-planting activities in that region.

Khalid, the nursery caretaker, decided to come with us too to help with the process and learn more about the area and children there. After an hour drive, passing beautiful green hills filled with life, we finally arrived at Chariff Idrissi High School in Skoura M’daz.

We met with the Peace Corp volunteers; who came to learn as well. We conversed with everyone, including Khaoula Goumni, the person in charge of the planting. Every one introduced themselves and explained to the children how to plant trees and how to keep the trees healthy; they were very keen to participate.



Said introducing the High Atlas Foundation and its objectives

The planting began afterwards. Everyone planted their own tree, and we planted 33 trees in total: 9 almond, 9 fig, and 15 pomegranate. The Peace Corp Volunteers didn’t hesitate to get their hands dirty and help with the process. After we completed planting at the high school, we then went to the elementary school right next door to do their share of planting as well.
In contrast with the high school students, elementary school students were very curious and kept asking so many questions about nature, trees, and HAF. After all the questions had been answered, we began digging holes for the trees.

Even though the students are still very young, they were very hard workers. They dug most of the holes themselves. After we finished planting all the trees, the children thanked us for improving their school and vowed to watch over the trees until they grow. One of the students there approached us on the way out and said, “We are very sad that you are leaving but at the same time, we are very happy that you made our school more beautiful.”

At the end of an amazing first day in Skoura M’daz schools, we headed back to Fes with beautiful memories and so much gratitude for ECOSIA (the investor in HAF nurseries) and to HAF for this amazing opportunity. With the student’s kind words in our minds, we look forward to the new experiences and excitement tomorrow might bring.

Tree planting is a key to success

by Fatima Zahra Laaribi

Annually, on the third Monday of January, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) holds a high-profile day of national tree planting across Morocco. On this day—the 21st of January this year—Fatima Zahra Laaribi, HAF’s financial Manager, and Abderrahim Baddah, HAF’s nursery caretaker, headed toward Amizmiz, a small mountain town located 60 kilometers southwest of Marrakech, to celebrate a memorable day of planting.

On that morning, in the girls’ dormitory, Ms. Laaribi started her talk with a saying by the Prophet Mohammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "If the Final Hour comes while you have a palm-cutting in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it" (as reported by Anas ibn Malik, a companion of the prophet). Then, administrative staff spoke about Quranic passages related to fig and olive trees and their benefits. For instance, trees help people to become connected to the growing process while also providing a nutritious food source and food security. Planting fruit trees also has many helpful environmental benefits, from cleaner air to reduced energy costs. Together, we tried to raise awareness of the importance of planting trees in schools and sharing our insights about why we think that planting trees is important. For high school students studying life sciences and land, the trees will help them in their studies, as they can use the green space in their schools as a learning laboratory.

HAF provided 20 grape plants, 20 pomegranate saplings, and 20 fig saplings and involved a nursery caretaker who ensured that the saplings were planted in properly.

The president of the parent’s association and the administrative staff were eager and energetic as we pulled up to deliver the trees. They were so happy to be a part of the planting event and participated actively in the planting process as they showed their full engagement.

All of us took the initiative and planted in an organized way to ensure that all the saplings were planted on the ground and that we took their GPS points to track their growth in the future.

We were invited by the directors of the schools to make a short visit to the schoolyards to show us the potentials of the schools. We want to plant more trees with them in the coming year. We were very impressed by the environmental club that they created in their schools and how quickly growing beautifully even though it was established in last October. All the tiny saplings that the students planted this year had grown beautifully. Such an initiative in schools encourages us to work with them in the future. Moreover, the growth of these trees assured us that students, teachers, and headmasters will give great care to these trees. While visiting the schoolyard, many questions were raised such as, is there a nearby and dependable water source if we plant in the future?
If we plan to establish a nursery in this large spare space in the school is this will be this accepted by the delegation of education under the school plan?
We learned a lot about their environmental and ecological needs in terms of training of planting techniques. For Moroccan schools, it is important to be open to their partners and to involve all of them, specifically the civil society. Today Moroccan school is in dire need of openness to its surroundings if it wants to invest the highest potential available. But this will be achieved only if the educational administration changed its approach, which is - and unfortunately - away from activating the educational system. For the school to be open, the administration must firmly believe in this openness, its positive, and the important of the schools’ partners.
Administrative staff and the president of the parent’s association showed their appreciation, joy, and happiness. They were so excited to participate and assured us that their teachers and headmasters will take care of these trees and will water them.

The day ended with hope and excitement for the future, as directors and the president of the parent’s association and its members, expressed their gratitude and their desire to work closely with HAF.

My Biography:

My name is Moussa Sidibé, I'm 20 years old and I come from Mali. I am a master student at the HEEC School (a business school) in the specialty "management control".
In order to further improve our training, our school directs us to do internships and thus gain a lot of professional experience (in addition to the theoretical part that we do in class) and subsequently establish a report of internship that will be presented to the faculty committee
It is with this in mind that I turned to High Atlas Foundation on the recommendation of my supervisor Mr. Aboulmajd, without whom I will never have seized this opportunity which is now so precious to me.
I will, to the extent possible, do my best to help this association achieve its goals through my unwavering motivation and my entire devotion to a cause as noble as his.
Respect and distinguished greetings.


French Report : Visite des Pépinières de TADMAMTE et IMGDAL

Le lundi 4 Février 2019, nous avons visité les sites de plantations de High Atlas Foundation (une société à but non lucratif).


Ces plantations sont en grande partie des parcelles dont la société est propriétaire et ils contiennent diverses espèces d’arbres dont notamment des amandiers, des noisetiers, des pommes granites, des argans, des fleurs aromatiques et bien d’autres.
En somme, nous avons visités deux sites : celui de TADMAMTE (vers Ourika) et celui d’IMGDAL (dans la province d’Al HAOUZ, Asni).
Ce fut une toute nouvelle expérience très enrichissante, très intéressant et très récréatif pour moi pour beaucoup de raisons.


Tout d’abord c’est ma première fois de participer (en tant que volontaire surtout) à l’épanouissement d’une association et pour couronner cela qui se trouve être à but non lucratif, alors quand le Directeur m’a demander d’accompagner le staff dans le cadre de la visite des dits-sites j’étais très curieux de savoir de quoi il s’agissait concrètement, mais j’étais aussi motivé par le fait de voyager hors du centre-ville de Marrakech dans le but d’avoir un esprit très récréé.


Ensuite, ce qui m’a le plus marqué et c’est le plus important, c’est le fait que l’association High Atlas Foundation n’a d’autre objectif que le bien-être social et même économique du Maroc en général, elle ne cherche donc pas à se faire maximiser son gain ou son profit mais, des actes sincères et concrets comme par exemple : elle achète les arbres et plantes pour ensuite les planter dans les sites de plantations pour un court instant pour ensuite les distribuer « gratuitement » à des associations et/ou des écoles qui en formulent le besoin.


Cela m’a ouvert les yeux sur la nécessité d’actes très simples mais d’importance très cruciale comme celles-ci parce que planter un arbre est d’une importance inestimable pour la planète : l’arbre améliore la qualité de l’eau grâce à ses racines qui jouent un rôle de filtre, mais aussi absorber l’eau de pluie, mais aussi de produire de l’oxygène (source de vie) et ainsi purifier l’air, de lutter contre l’érosion du sol, de protéger contre la chaleur et tant d’autres bienfaits…


Tout cela m’a permis de réaliser le fait que je dois m’impliquer dans des activités comme celle-ci dans mon propre pays : le Mali (peut-être même en collaboration avec l’association) pour promouvoir ainsi le développement des zones rurales et même urbaines mais toujours dans l’optique du développement durable car un proverbe marocain dit « Plantons les arbres aujourd’hui pour que les générations futures puissent en manger les fruits demain »


Je remercie très humblement et gracieusement le Président, Mr Yossef Ben-Meir de m’avoir permis de participer à une expérience de la sorte, qui fut ma première d’ailleurs dans ce domaine car grâce à cela j’ai pu avoir une autre manière de voir les choses et que nous devons être solidaire pour la nature mais aussi pour la société.

~Moussa Sidibé~

مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير تحتفل بحدث التشجير بمجموعة من المناطق بالمملكة المغربية

عبدالهادي كستيح
متطوع بمؤسسة الأطلس الكبير

دعت مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير الاثنين الماضي والموازي للواحد والعشرين من يناير الجاري الساكنة المحلية المغربية لغرس آلاف الأشجار التي قامت بتوزيعها بمناسبة "يوم غرس الأشجار"، وهو حدث سنوي تقوم به المؤسسة، نظرا لما له من مساهمة في التنمية الاقتصادية والاجتماعية والبيئية عبر المملكة المغربية.

وكباقي المناطق التي تشتغل بها المؤسسة عرفت جماعة إمكدال حدث غرس الأشجار، حيث تم توزيع وغرس حوالي 90 شجرة من الخروب، التين، العنب، الرمان وشجر السرو، إضافة إلى عشرة من الأعشاب الطبية والعطرية، بحضور كل من السيد جمال رئيس جمعية أباء وآولياء التلاميذ بمدرسة إمكدال، وكذا بمشاركة تلاميذ مؤسسة إمكدال الإبتدائية المركزية والفرعية بتمسكين. بعد ذالك تم الإنتقال إلى المستوصف الصحي إمكدال والذي استفاد هو الآخر من غرس مجموعة من الأعشاب الطبية والعطرية، حيث كان يوما رائعا قضيناه رفقة ساكنة المنطقة، خاصة مع الأطفال وما أبدوه من تحمس إزاء التشجير.
لكي تصل الساكنة في المجال القروي أو الحضري إلى المستوى المطلوب من التطور وتوفير الاحتياجات الخاصة لجميع السكان، سواء من الناحية الغذائية أو عن طريق توفير فرص أكبر للشغل وبناء المشاريع المهمة، لابد من الاهتمام بجميع المجالات التي تؤدي إلى تحقيق ذلك وخاصة على مستوى الفلاحة.
من خلال حدث التشجير السنوي الذي تقوم به المؤسسة، تم تعلم العديد من الأشياء حيال ثقافة التشجير وكيفية اعتبارها جزءا لا يتجزا من النشاط المجتمعي التنموي، نظرا للدور الذي يلعبه فيما يتعلق بتحسين سبل العيش واستدامتها، ولنا الإيمان الأكبر بغد ومستقبل أفضل.

بعد أن قضينا أوقات جميلة مع بعض سكان جماعة إمكدال والذين شاركونا في عملية التشجير التي قمنا بها بكل من المدرستين الابتدائيتين المركزية والفرعية بجماعة إمكدال وكذا المستوصف الطبي للجماعة، غادرنا جماعة إمكدال متجهين إلى مراكش وعدنا جد سعداء بما قمنا به في هذا اليوم والذي لم يستدعي منا مجهودا بدنيا كبيرا ولكن كانت له دلالة رمزية نظرا لما للتشجير من أهمية في المحافظة على البيئة وتوفير فضاءات خضراء طبيعية تستفيد منها ساكنة المنطقة سواء تعلق الأمر بالشباب أو الأطفال الذين أضفوا لمستهم الخاصة بمشاركتهم في هذا الحدث.

On the 21st January, HAF president Yossef Ben-Meir and part of the HAF team joined the local community in Arabat in the Rhamna Province, where the locals have welcomed us with open hands and warm hearts, and a beautiful Moroccan breakfast including some freshly baked msemmen, hand-picked nuts and liters of sugary mint tea. After sharing an indulgent breakfast together and discussing some of the issues related to the water supply, organic farming and the importance of sustainable agriculture, the team has signed a significant Partnership Agreement with the Regional Teachers Federation of Association. Chemsedine Sidi-Baba, Chair of the Board of HAF-Morocco, signed on behalf of the organization. This agreement will not only facilitate cooperation in building community infrastructure and environmental workshops in schools, but also create community bonds.

Along with local farmers, teachers and the local administrators, the HAF team proceeded to plant 70 fruit trees including pomegranate and almond. The community's children joined us and enthusiastically participated in this team-building experience.

The second site of tree planting was a primary school, Ecole Riad El Menzeh in Yaman Sourt near Marrakech, where we distributed and planted trees with the help of the kids, teachers and the president of Marrakech’s Jewish community, Mr. Kadoch. The tree planting day was filled with many smiles and could be summed up as a very and positive and fruitful (literally and metaphorically) experience as it brought many people together who are coming from a variety of different background, and encouraged collaboration and teamwork, and allowed the members of the HAF and the local people closely connect.

Les trésors cachés de Sidi Zouine

Par Karam Yann
Volontaire FHA


Honnêtement je ne savais pas comment commencer cet article, ce qui m’attendait durant cette sortie allait au-delà de ce que j’imaginais. Commençons alors par le tout début.
A huit heures du matin, je rencontrai mes deux compagnons du voyage, Kerstin et Juliana pour prendre un grand taxi de la gare de Bab Doukkala (Marrakech). Le trajet ne fut pas très long et moins d’une heure plus tard, nous arrivâmes à Sidi Zouine, une petite bourgade dans la préfecture de Marrakech… ou plutôt ce qui me semblait être.
Après avoir pris le petit déjeuner, nous allâmes à la rencontre de Mustafa, un membre actif de plusieurs associations locales dont l’association Al-Wafae pour le développement. Nous marchâmes jusqu’à l’hôpital de Sidi Zouine ou nous rencontrâmes d’autres bénévoles, venus spécialement pour participer à cette journée importante : des membres des collectivités territoriales locales, des instituteurs et institutrices, des étudiants et même des petits élèves du primaire et du collège. Après avoir choisi le terrain au sein de l’hôpital où devrait être plantées les plantes médicinales et les amandiers, nous commençâmes à creuser les trous pour les plantes. Tout le monde a participé dans cette opération : femmes, hommes, enfants et même quelques patients de l’hôpital sont venus assister à cette tâche, attirés par les applaudissements des gens et les cris de joie des enfants.

Au final, ce sont 21 géraniums, 8 romarins, 4 sauges officinales, 5 lavandes, 3 thyms et 20 amandiers qui ont été plantés. Après cette activité, nous fûmes invités à prendre le thé en compagnie de Mustafa et Malika, une conseillère communale et militante associative.
Après avoir reçu et distribué les certificats de participations aux bénévoles, nous fûmes invités à visiter les lieux historiques du village. C’est alors, à ma grande surprise, je découvris les vestiges d’une cité ancienne. Je me rendais compte que Sidi Zouine n’était pas seulement un petit village mais une commune urbaine avec plus de 25.000 habitants dont les premières traces de civilisations remontent à des siècles.
Nous visitâmes l’école coranique de la ville, l’une des plus prestigieuse du Maroc, le grand Souk hebdomadaire et enfin, le tombeau du fondateur du village le Cheikh Sidi Zouine.
Nous fûmes, par la suite, invités à déjeuner en compagnie des bénévoles, dans la demeure de Malika, toujours frappés par cet accueil chaleureux et convivial des locaux. Après un bon repas copieux, nous primes quelques photos avec les enfants de la ville et les bénévoles avant de se diriger vers la gare pour prendre le bus du retour.

Vous comprenez maintenant, que ce n’était pas seulement une sortie de routine pour planter des arabes et des plantes, mais ce fut, pour Kerstin, Juliana et moi-même, une leçon de vie de voir autant d’engouement de ces gens pour participer dans cette activité, nous fûmes tous admirés par l’accueil exceptionnel de ces gens et l’histoire riche de la ville, méconnue des marocains.
Nous rentrâmes à Marrakech, plus enthousiastes que jamais de vouloir servir l’humanité et de changer le monde par des petites actions, car nous sommes ce que nous pensons et avec nos pensées, nous créons le monde.

Save Oxygen!!!: High Atlas Foundation’s Tree Planting Day

Youssef El Moussaoui
HAF Volunteer

Once in a lifetime experience. Annually, on the third Monday of January, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) organizes a nationwide tree planting campaign. On this January 21st 2019, the HAF team planted trees with communities in many places, including Sidi Bouathmane (Ait Imloul). Ait Imloul is an arid village about 20 kilometers away from Bouathmane, a small village where there are large and quite modest sized farms. Despite the ack of water in the area, they manage to cultivate fine and beautiful farms.
HAF’s project manager, Said Bennani, led the way from our office in Marrakech to the not-so-far province, driving with many medicinal and fruiting plants in the trunk. Once we got there, we met the very nice Yassine who showed us where we would be planting the saplings and stayed with us all until the end of the day.
The day was a spectacular one; the people of Ait Imloul welcomed us with their warm hearts. They are very good and respectful people. As we planted, we talked to the farmers there about HAF’s campaigns and they told us about their farms. Some of the farmers wanted only a few plants since their farms were already full; others wanted more. One farmer wanted more than 150 plants! We couldn’t deliver all those plants at that moment but we made plans to deliver more in the near future. He was happy with the plans made together and he told us he’ll be waiting the day we return with the number he wanted, maybe even more. As we kept going, we listened also to their challenges and how they manage to preserve their farms even with the lack of water they face. The day went by very smoothly and pleasantly.
We concluded by planting various plants along the wall of a cemetery, with the help of the town’s children, hoping one day the trees will grow to be beautiful and reduce the loneliness of the cemetery. We summed up the amazing day as we said our goodbyes to the people of Ait Imloul and left with promises of repeating what we did today, even hoping to make it better the next time.
Thus concludes the beautiful day at Sidi Bouathmane, Ait Imloul. We returned to headquarters with beautiful memories.

About the Tree Day

by Juliana B. Feltrin
HAF Intern

The HAF National Tree Day was very rewarding. We went to the Sidi Zouine Hospital, to plant trees. We were greeted by Mustafa, the president of Association El Wafa, who told us about the place. We started counting the amount of trees that would be planted, together with children and women. After planting the trees, everyone who helped earned a certificate of appreciation. It was a very beautiful atmosphere and everyone loved it.
After we finished planting, we went with Mustafa to see the village. We walked to a school for boys, where they had a beautiful garden.
We took some photos and were invited to lunch. Lunch was divided into two parts: In the first round, we ate the famous couscous and in the second round we ate tajine, another typical Moroccan food.
Everyone was happy with the day and with the trees we planted. For me, it was a very special day because I had never planted a tree before. It was very exciting and, for sure, when I go back to Brazil I will plant some trees in my house.

Who likes trash?

I was excited about my first field visit and about getting to know what the High Atlas Foundation’s work looks like in action, because before starting my internship, I only saw the social media posts, blog articles, and photos.

This day, we didn’t travel long, as we went to two schools in Marrakech. The first one was a primary school with around 600 children. Esmae, the parent's associations president, welcomed us warmly at the door and we went to meet the children in their classroom.

Errachid, project manager at HAF, conducted an environmental and participatory workshop about decision making to protect the environment. The students were very active and had a lot to say. They had lots of ideas, like building an environmental club, creating trash places, and planting more trees. They learned more about global warming and the problems of flooding. The students decided to make some changes on their own to improve the environment—one mentioned that he will stop cutting flowers; other said they would stop throwing trash on the ground and that they would use water more responsibly.

Afterwards, our dear volunteer Nisreen conducted an introduction-to-composting workshop in order to put into practice what they have learned and later do a compost-making activity outside with the children.

Then we gave the children some time to express their newly-learned ideas and visions of their future school in drawings. I asked some of the children what they’d like to change in their school, and they answered that they need more classrooms and that they would like to have more flowers in the school.

After a delicious breakfast, which was offered by the parents’ association to us, we started our composting workshop outside. Nisreen asked the kids “Who likes trash?” After a little confusion, everybody denied. She asked, “Do you want more or less trash? “ Of course, they answered “Less!“. They were very interested in the composting workshop to reduce at least the biodegradable waste. We brought some plastic bottles, cut the tops off, and put some holes in the bottom. Then we began layering the compost, and the students were excited to find some soil for the first layer, then they put some food waste, then soil again, food-waste, and soil. In the end, they added some water and placed the compost-models besides trees, so the trees can benefit from the nutrient-rich compost which is produced like that.

At the end of this visit, we did a tree-planting activity with the kids and talked to the head of the school about the problems the school is facing: they need more bathrooms and have a problem with water when it rains a lot.

When we arrived at the second school in Marrakech later that day, the president of the parents’ association welcomed us again very warmly and we met with the school director. We talked with him and some teachers and he told us about his year-long experiences working as head of a school in a rural area of Morocco. Afterwards, we met the kids and Errachid, talked with the children about decision-making processes and environmental issues. He practiced the model of pairwise ranking in order to figure out what their biggest challenges are in the school. Although I do not understand Darija (the Moroccan Arabic), just by observing their interactions, I was impressed by how the children listened and were eager to participate. Everyone was very attentive. At the end of this visit we had some tree-planting activities outside and after having some tea and snacks we said goodbye to this school as well.

Celina Boehmer, HAF Intern (from Germany)

مشتل إمكدال

المتطوعة : زينب الأصفر

يوم جديد يعني تجربة جديدة رفقة مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير، اليوم كانت الوجهة إلى المشتل الزراعي الواقع بالجماعة القروية "إمكدال" إقليم الحوز الذي ينتج نباتات مثمرة بقصد غرسها في الحدائق و الحقول و البساتين ، و تتنوع النباتات التي ينتجها المشتل ما بين نباتات تزيينية و أزهار ، و ناباتات فاكهة و أشجار الغابات مثل ( شجر الأركان، العنب، الرمان، الزعتر، الأزير،...)

هنا في هذه المساحة من الأرض الزراعية تتم عملية التكاثر و الرعاية لإنتاج شتلات النباتات ، حيت تزرع البذور أو عقل بعض الأصناف بغرض إنتاج الشتلات.

كل هذه المعلومات تم توضيحها لنا من طرف السيد "حسن أيت با" المشرف و المسؤول على المشتل الذي أتقدم له بجزيل الشكر على هذه التجربة المتنوعة الذي تعتبر في حد داتها دورة تكوينية لاكتساب ثقافة عامة حول موضوع البيئة بالإضافة إلى زيادة الوعي البيئي .

و كانت هذه التجربة الرائعة رفقة المتطوعة الإسبانية "أيتانا أريس" و السيد "حسن أيت وتوش" المسؤول عن النقل اللوجستيكي بالمؤسسة .

Fostering corporate-community partnerships: HAF attends regional OCP company meeting

by Nisreen Abo-Sido, HAF Volunteer, Thomas J. Watson Fellow

On my first site visit as the newest member of the HAF team, I joined Errachid—our project manager and volunteer coordinator—on a visit to El Youssoufia to attend a regional OCP Company meeting. Formerly known as Office chérifien des phosphates, OCP holds economic importance in Morocco as a globally leading phosphate exporter. In the 2013 growing season, OCP supported HAF’s human development projects in the Rhamna province. In 2017, OCP launched act4Community, an initiative requiring OCP employees to volunteer on community projects for 1-4 weeks. At the meeting we attended, employees that completed their community service reported on their experiences, attendees contributed to discussions about improving and expanding partnerships, and we invited the new OCP director to engage with our development efforts.

act4Community representatives spoke of the group’s priorities in the areas of agriculture, enterprise, social work, and environmental protection. Moreover, under each focus area, they outlined their approach, which included activities like training agricultural cooperatives on poultry farming, supporting women’s cooperatives, sending doctors to treat children in schools, and distributing winter clothing to children. Participating employees then reported on their experiences. One volunteer highlighted how the doctors visiting the school challenged the inaccessibility of doctors as figures solely functioning in hospitals. Another discussed the development of a province-wide quinoa-growing project and the benefits of growing the plant in a province with water problems. A few conference attendees then offered their comments, including a call for more communication between volunteers as well as cross-collaboration with existing civil society work groups.

During the tea break, we met OCP’s director, Ramzi Abdel Kareem, and Errachid familiarized the new director with HAF’s participatory approach and projects. After Errachid described HAF’s proposals for projects in El Youssoufia, including a clean drinking water initiative in Gantour rural community and fruit tree nursery in Allal Lfassi High School; Abdel Kareem expressed interest in visiting HAF’s tree nurseries in Assalam school in Ifrane and Lhossin Ibno Ali. They then discussed more of HAF’s programs, including those focused on women’s empowerment.

We carpooled back to the taxi station, and left satisfied that OCP’s act4Community efforts aligned with HAF’s approach.

المغرب العميق بعيون جزائري
بعد انتهاء مرحلة التعليم الجامعي في شهر جوان سنة 2018 فكرت في تنظيم رحلة سياحية الى خارج الوطن، فشاءت حكمة الله أن أزور لأول مرة في حياتي البلد المجاور لدولة الجزائر وهي دولة المغرب الشقيق، وكان ذلك في إطار نشاط الرابطة الدولية للطلاب في الاقتصاد والأعمال وهو ما يعرف ب AIESEC التي توفر المجال للطلاب الموهوبين المتحمسين لتحقيق نمو شخصي وتطوير قدراتهم الريادية من خلال إشراكهم في البرامج التدريبية أوبرامج التبادل الطلابي العالمي للمنظمات التي تعمل على تحقيق إحدى أهداف التنمية المستدامة العالمية التي وضعتها هيئة الأمم المتحدة.
مقر إقامتي كان في مدينة مراكش، التي تقع وسط المملكة المغربية، وهي تعد من أشهر الوجهات السياحية في المغرب، بسبب مناخها اللطيف وطبيعتها الخلابة ومبانيها التي يغلب عليها اللون الأحمر مما أكسبها لقب "المدينة الحمراء"
اعتبارا لمخطط برنامج الإيزيك المتمثل في اكتشاف مدينة مراكش من خلال العمل التطوعي مع إحدى المنظمات الغير ربحية لتحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة لبرنامج الأمم المتحدة، كانت فرصة للعمل مع مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير وهي منظمة تطوعية أمريكية مغربية تأسست من طرف متطوعين سابقين من هيئة السلام في سنة 2000 بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، وهي مؤسسة تسعى إلى تكريس التنمية المحلية المستدامة في المغرب، بالاعتماد على المقاربة التشاركية كما تعمل على إنشاء مشاريع تنموية، تقوم بتصميمها المجتمعات المحلية.
كان لي شرف اللقاء مع الدكتور يوسف بن مير باعتباره رئيس المؤسسة وقد أبدى سعادته الكبيرة بقدومي الى المغرب حيث قال كلمة جميلة "إن المغرب ليس هو المغرب بل هو المغرب الكبير وأننا كلنا أبناء المغرب الكبير فنحن في بلد واحد"، حيث جعلني لا أحس بأنني غريب في هذا البلد وقد فتح لي المجال للعمل معه في المؤسسة ومساعدته لتحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة، وتقديم المساعدات للمحتاجين والقضاء على الفقر والتهميش في الأرياف، وقد ذكر لي مصطلح المقاربة التشاركية حيث كان لي فيه بعض الغموض في البداية و تركت الأمر للاستفسار عنه في مستقبل الأيام.
أول زيارة لي مع المؤسسة كانت مساء يوم الثلاثاء 6 نوفمبر 2018 في إطار الاحتفال بالذكرى الثالثة والأربعون للمسيرة الخضراء الذي نظمته دار إيما بالشراكة مع الطائفة اليهودية بجهة مراكش آسفي بمنطقة "لالة تكركوست" وهي قرية أمازيغية صغيرة تقع على بعد 37كم جنوب مدينة مراكش، تتميز بطبيعتها الخضراء وجبالها العالية ومبانيها القديمة كما تحتوي على أحد السدود المغربية الكبرى وهو سد " لالة تكركوست" مما يعطيها رونقا وجمالا.
كان من بين الحضور كل من السلطات الرسمية والإدارية للمنطقة بالإضافة إلى حضور رجال الدين الذين يمثلون الديانات السماوية الثلاث، وهم رئيس الكنيسة الكاثوليكية بالمغرب، ورئيس الطائفة اليهودية بالمغرب، وأحد أئمة المسلمين، وقد تخلل هذا الحفل وصلات فنية حماسية من تقديم فرقة الأصيل للفن، حيث شهد الحفل تفاعلا كبيرا من الجمهور خاصة مع النشيد الوطني المغربي ونشيد نداء الحسن للمسيرة الخضراء مما يعكس حبهم للوطن وتعزيز روح الولاء والانتماء له فرحا بالعيد الوطني ، كما تم عرض مقطوعات فنية إسلامية و يهودية و مسيحية ترسخ للمبادئ المغربية المتمثلة في احترام الأديان و التسامح العقدي.
من خلال كلمات المشاركين في هذا المحفل لكل من رئيس الكنيسة الكاثوليكية، ورئيس الطائفة اليهودية، وأحد أئمة المسلمين يتبين أن مسألة التعايش بين الأديان في المغرب هي ظاهرة متوارثة عبر الأجيال منذ القدم مما يبعث استقرارا وتعايشا سلميا بين مختلف الديانات والثقافات المكونة للنسيج الاجتماعي المغربي، وقد تبين لي جليا أن المغرب يُعدُّ فيه التعايش بين الأديان واقعا فعليا، كما تشهد على ذلك الحياة اليومية في هذا البلد المسلم، على عكس ما نعيشه في الجزائر حيث أن اليهود والمسيحيين يخشون على حياتهم في الجزائر، رغم أن قوانينها تسمح لغير المسلمين بممارسة شعائرهم الدينية، طالما أنهم يحترمون النظام العام والأخلاق، والحقوق والحريات الأساسية للآخرين، ويبتعد اليهود والمسيحيين في الجزائر عن الأضواء، بسبب مخاوف على سلامتهم الجسدية، واحتمال التعرض للمشاكل، وقد انتابني هذا الخوف حينما علمت في الوهلة الأولى أن رئيس الطائفة اليهودية سينتقل معنا على متن السيارة الى مكان الحفل اعتبارا للخلفية التي كنت أعتقدها حول التوتر الحاصل بين اليهود والمسلمين في الجزائر وفي الشرق الأوسط، لكن الواقع كان عكس ذلك حيث كان هناك احترام متبادل رفيع المستوى مع جاك كادوش، وأبدى سعاته الكبيرة خاصة حين علم أنني من الجزائر.
في يوم الأربعاء 7 نوفمبر 2018 ذهبت في ثاني زيارة عملية مع مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير والوجهة هذه المرة إلى مدينة آسفي التي تبعد عن مدينة مراكش ب 160كم، تقع على ساحل المحيط الأطلسي، تعني بالأمازيغية "مصب النهر"، يوجد بها أكبر معمل للفوسفاط بالمغرب، وكانت هذه الزيارة في إطار الدورة التكوينية التي نظمتها مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير بالتنسيق مع المكتب الشريف للفوسفاط، ونظمت الدورة لفائدة مدراء المؤسسات التربوية لمدن وقرى آسفي بحضور بعض عمال المكتب الشريف الفوسفاط.
وكان الهدف من الدورة هو دراسة الاحتياجات الضرورية التي تعاني منها المؤسسات التربوية لمنطقة آسفي والمناطق المجاورة لها، ووضع خطة عمل لتجسيد هذه الاحتياجات على أرض الواقع بمشاركة كل الأطراف المعنية من مدراء مؤسسات ومتطوعين وتلاميذ وفق منهج المقاربة التشاركية.
وفي أول تدخل لرئيس مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير السيد يوسف بن مير خلال الدورة الذي تطرق فيها إلى مفهوم المقاربة التشاركية اتضح لي جليا مفهوم هذا المصطلح الذي كان يبدو لي غامضا في بادئ الأمر، فهو يعني المشاركة في الفعل الجماعي من كل الجهات المعنية حيث يهدف إلى إشراك المستفيدين في تحديد وتشخيص مشاكلهم الحقيقية بمساهمة كل الأطراف الفاعلة والمستفيدين دون إقصاء لأي طرف من الأطراف في صياغة وإنجاز وتقييم المشاريع، باعتبار أن الإستفادة من نتائج هذا العمل تعود على الجميع، كما تتخذ التشاركية مبدأ اللامركزية في التسيير لجعل المشاريع أكثر ديناميكية ومرونة وسهلة التنفيذ على الواقع.
وبما أن هذا المشروع يمس المناطق الريفية فإن المقاربة التشاركية مجسدة في معيشة سكان البادية من خلال تعاون العائلات في إنجاز الأعمال التطوعية الجماعية التي يعود فضلها على أهل تلك البادية، إلا أن المقاربة التشاركية حاليا تم إعطاؤها صبغة عالمية يتم تطبيقها على مستوى المنظمات التنموية الدولية.

وقد تم تقسيم الحاضرين الى مجموعات ثلاثية كل مجموعة تتكون من مدير مؤسسة ومتطوعين اثنين من المكتب الشريف للفوسفاط، يقومون بالتعاون والتشارك فيما بينهم لوضع خريطة عمل لتلك المدرسة من خلال الاحتياجات الضرورية التي تعاني منها، والآفاق المستقبلية التي تطمح الى بلوغها، واستمرت هذه الورشات لمدة ساعة من الزمن من تأطير المنشطة أمينة حجامي، لتقوم بعدها كل مجموعة بعرض خريطة العمل التي تم وضعها ومن بين أهم المشاكل التي تعاني منها هذه المؤسسات ما يلي:

عدم توفر المدرسة على الحارس الليلي.
قصر سور المدرسة مما يهدد أمن وعتاد التدريس.
عدم توفر المدرسة على عنصرين مهمين هما الكهرباء والماء.
عدم توفر المدرسة على الماء الصالح للشرب مما يستلزم على الأساتذة والتلاميذ بإحضار قارورات الماء.
-عدم توفر المدرسة على قاعة الأساتذة.
-عدم توفر المدرسة على دورة المياه للتلاميذ وللمعلمين.
-عدم امتلاك بعض التلاميذ لوثائق الحالة المدنية.
-عدم توفر المدرسة على طاقم اداري يقف الى جانب المدير لأداء المهام الإدارية المتعددة.
-غياب الإرادة السياسية في دعم المؤسسات التربوية.
-عدم توفر الطريق المعبد الذي يؤدي الى المدرسة
-عدم توفر المدرسة على اقسام من الصلب والاكتفاء بأقسام من البلاستيك قديمة الصنع والتي --تمثل خطرا على صحة التلاميذ.

بعد عرض هذه المشاكل تم تحديد الاحتياجات المشتركة بين كل من المؤسسات الحضرية والمؤسسات الريفية وترتيبها حسب الأولوية باستعمال طريقة التصويت، وقد تمثلت الاحتياجات المشتركة بين المؤسسات الحضرية حسب الأولوية في النقاط التالية:

1ـ توفير الحارس الليلي.
2ـ الزيادة في علو سور المدرسة.
3ـ توفير التعليم الأولي.
4ـ توفير الدعم التربوي.
5ـ تدبير النفايات وإصلاح سور المدرسة.

أما الاحتياجات المشتركة بين المؤسسات الريفية فقد تم ترتيبها حسب الأولوية على النحو التالي:
1ـ توفير الماء الصالح للشرب.
2ـ توفير الكهرباء.
3ـ توفير الأمن.
4ـ تنظيم مختلف النشاطات الثقافية والرياضية.

وفي قراءة تحليلية من وجهة نظر جزائرية لنتائج هذا اللقاء، يتضح أن المغرب بالرغم من مكانته الرائدة في المجال السياحي الذي يستقطب آلاف السياح من مختلف الدول الأوروبية والأمريكية، خاصة في المدن الكبرى باعتبارها قطب سياحي ممتاز، إلا أن المناطق الريفية في المغرب تعاني التهميش من حيث التنمية الاجتماعية وسوء التسيير من طرف الجماعات القروية، والدليل على ذلك الاحتياجات الضرورية التي تعاني منها المؤسسات التربوية في تلك المناطق، على سبيل المثال: عدم توفر المدرسة على عنصر الحياة وهو الماء ـ عدم توفر المدرسة على الكهرباء ـ عدم توفر المدرسة على دورات المياه، عدم امتلاك بعض التلاميذ على وثائق الحالة المدنية، وهي من أغرب النقائص التي صدمتني عند سماعها للوهلة الأولى، حيث لم يخطر ببالي ولو للحظة أنه في سنة 2018 توجد مدارس في المغرب تعاني مثل هذه النقائص، حينها ادركت الوجه الآخر للمجتمع المغربي، والفوارق الطبقية السائدة في هذا البلد.
وفي مقابل ذلك ورغم كل هذه الظروف القاسية والمعاناة الصعبة التي تمس هذه الشريحة تتجلى رغبة مدراء المؤسسات في تحسين وضعيتهم من خلال عقد شراكات مع المؤسسات الاقتصادية وجمعيات المجتمع المدني مثل مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير والمكتب الشريف للفوسفاط وذلك من اجل النهوض بالتعليم وضمان جيل واع ومستقبل واعد للابناء وهي مبادرة جد رائعة، تستحق التقدير، وآمل أن أنقلها إلى الجزائر.

وقد خُتم اللقاء بكلمة من رئيس مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير حث فيها على ضرورة تجسيد توصيات هذا اللقاء على أرض الواقع، مع مراعاة عامل الوقت الذي يمضي بشكل سريع، مما يستلزم علينا تكثيف الجهود والعمل بوتيرة أسرع، فاحترام الوقت يعد عاملا أساسيا للنجاح والإستمرار.


مراكش يوم: 22/11/2018
- إبراهيم بحماني - الجزائر
متطوع في مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير

Seeding New Projects for the 2019 Planting Season
Manon Burbidge
HAF Intern- Marrakech
Lund University, Sweden

January is the traditional tree-planting season in Morocco, meaning that right now, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) is gearing up to take on new tree-planting project ideas that are springing up across the country. Last week, I joined Errachid, HAF’s project manager, on his site visits to find out more about these projects, how they will benefit local communities and their contribution to sustainable development.

“Ait Ourir Bridge Center”, Ait Ourir

One beneficiary of HAF’s project will be the “Ait Ourir Bridge Center”, a language school for both children and adults in the town. Students here learn English in intensive 3-month programmes, and also have the opportunity to take part in exchanges with foreign students, namely those with English as their native language, to share cultural and linguistic experiences.
The project’s aim is to sign a partnership with six schools in the locality, who have asked for fruit trees to be planted in their grounds. The schools will then sell the fruit in order to reinvest the money into other projects. The exchange students and the Bridge Center’s students will conduct the planting together, to benefit simultaneously from knowledge of planting and learning a language. It is also hoped that there will be many activities and workshops surrounding the tree-planting involving the school-children.
HAF is forging a link between the AOBC and their project, covering the costs of the tree-planting and nurseries, as well as providing other incentives for participation in the project, such as sanitation and clean water. It is also hoped that the project will engage the Delegation of Education and the Governor of the region in the activities to highlight the importance of environmental education.

“Centre Pour le Sauvegarde de l’Enfance”, Marrakech

The Centre for the Protection of Children, or “Centre Pour le Sauvegarde de l’Enfance” in Marrakech is home to 35 boys and 45 girls under 18 years of age. It is both a home for children who have been involved in criminal activities or those who have nowhere else to go, and responsible for these children’s re-education and day-to-day care.
The Centre would like to plant trees in its grounds to be able to sell the fruits for additional income, to provide quality educational activities for the children. The project will consist of approximately 50 olive and carob trees over an area of 15m2. They also wish to start a tree nursery on the site in future.
HAF hopes to also conduct workshops with these children to work out their needs and assess where it is appropriate to provide assistance alongside the tree-planting project.

Bouchane Secondary School, Bouchane

Currently educating 1102 students, Bouchane school is a previous beneficiary of HAF projects. In 2014, HAF helped the school to plant 300 olive, pomegranate and lemon trees as well as herbaceous and medicinal shrubs.
It now wants to expand its project by starting up a pilot tree nursery for the region, equipped with a greenhouse and with water-saving measures. Over time, they hope that the nursery will provide trees for farmers, other schools and co-operatives in the region, and even further afield.
They will focus on planting olive and carob trees, as they are both suitable for the dry soils of the province, but also generate good income. This money will then be used to reinvest in other projects which will benefit the school.
Like the Ait Ourir Bridge Center, the Bouchane school also want to involve the governor of the province as well as other officials in the project and to sign a partnership agreement with the Delegation for Education.

Miara Jewish Cemetery, Marrakech

Inside this peaceful walled cemetery in the heart of Marrakech, a tree-planting project is underway. The guardians wish to plant 60 olive and 30 carob trees in the grounds of the cemetery, lining the walkways and providing shade over the area.
Preparations are already underway, with holes dug into the ground and an irrigation system set up to provide water for the saplings when they arrive.
The fruit trees will help to make guardianship of the cemetery, a place which has remain unvandalised for over 500 years, a financially viable position for the future.

Tagelft Lycée and Middle School, Tagelft

Due to deforestation and the removal of vegetation, soil erosion is a big problem in the High Atlas Mountains. Snowmelt in the spring can also lead to bad flooding, also partly due to the lack of trees.
The remote mountain community of Tagelft is hoping to combat this problem in part by commencing a tree-planting project in both its Lycée and its Middle School. This will help to stabilise soils and to provide a greener and more attractive learning environment for its pupils.
Although this project is still in its infancy, it is hoped that the site could host between 300-500 trees, seedlings of which could be given to local farmers to supplement incomes and instigate a culture of tree-planting in the region. It will also provide the opportunity to deliver workshops on environmental education and to raise awareness of the importance of trees for mountain communities.

Fruit for Thought at the Children’s Protection Center in Fes
The Fruit Tree Nursery at Abdelaziz Ben Driss, the Center for the Protection of Children in Fes as a Case Study

According to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Centers for Protection of Children in Morocco are those spaces that are responsible for the re-education of juvenile delinquents, who are referred by the judicial authorities in accordance with the requirements of the Criminal Procedure law. These centers also provide these young people’s educational services.
The number of such Youth Centers in Morocco is currently 20, with a capacity of 2075 young people, of which 15 centers are for males, five female centers and two social work clubs. The ages range from 12 to 18 years.
Environmental education plays a major role in establishing noble values within Moroccan society. From this point of view, we can observe that many young people are not aware of the importance of taking care of the environment that surrounds them. From here, we would like to share with you the experience of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in the Fes and Oujda regions, in implementing a sustainable development project in these areas
The Moroccan Kingdom’s current orientation, or what is called the national goal, is to achieve sustainable development in all its parts and involve all constituent groups of society. HAF has participated in many projects that places more importance on preserving the environment and supporting sustainable development, which is one of its most important goals. HAF is working with various partners to achieve such projects in different parts of Morocco.

HAF is trying to involve local communities in the success of development projects. They aim to help a single human being, cooperatives, associations, or entire communities take on responsibility to develop the capacity to contribute to their own and their community’s development, by being involved in the decision-making processes, determining goals and pursuing issues of importance to them. The model that we have today is evidence of the efforts of HAF in various parts of Morocco and its different sectors. It has been more than a year since the start of this project, which was begun in order to integrate a certain category of Moroccan society into the development process, and which the Moroccan state seeks to achieve by involving all development actors.
The High Atlas Foundation has partnered with a local association in Fez, the "Association of Volunteer Experts" in partnership with the Delegation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Fez and Meknes, and funded by ECOSIA. ECOSIA is a German search engine company which helps to plant trees around the world. The objective of this partnership is to establish a fruit tree nursery that respects organic standards, producing different types of fruits that will be distributed to local communities in the Fez and Meknes region. The target of this project is not only to provide local communities with trees, but also to integrate the children who live in this center within the project, so that they can benefit from agriculture training and access more environmental education. Indeed, a group of these children have been involved in many workshops undertaken by HAF.
The project has received approval and support from the Center staff, including the director, who is keenly aware of the importance of the project within the Abdelaziz Ben Driss Center, mainly due to the positive effects on the children who live there. It will provide another activity in addition to the rest of the activities and workshops that they benefit from, such as the metal workshop, the non-formal education ‘’school’’, and some additional workshops, which are often fixed-term. Therefore, they did not hesitate to support this project by all the help available to them, and following the process of the project together with the members of HAF, represented by Said Bennani, the Project Manager in the Fes and Ifrane region, as well as Khalid Naji, who is in charge as a nursery caretaker.

The number of beneficiaries during the agricultural training sometimes reaches 15 children. Before they start the training, they are taught about agricultural skills and environmental issues. We introduced to them the role of this nursery in contributing to the development of some communities in their region, which are often dependent on agricultural activity as their primary source of income. The participation of the children from the center in this project allowed them to contribute to the development of their communities. The seeds we planted with them became seedlings that will be distributed to their families and their communities.
We are always coordinating with the staff from the Abdelaziz Ben Driss Center to involve children in this sustainable project, which produces fruit trees organically. When the children join us in the nursery, we seek to share new ideas and techniques that they can use in their future life. They are always happy to join us to check the situation of the seedlings and see what it is in need of attention, such as watering and weeding. Children ask questions about the reasons for using any method, and the purpose of each technique and other questions asked by them are answered by members of the High Atlas Foundation or the Center staff.
The children involved in the project are becoming happier, as noticed when someone visited the center. They are constantly excited to demonstrate the change that took place after months, whereby most of seeds and cuttings grew to become trees.
We often hear these words from them: "Look at the seeds and seedlings that we have planted, they have become big trees!’’.

The Abdelaziz Ben Driss Center hosts children from different regions and cities, some of them who have grown up in rural areas. This means that they already have experience with some agricultural activities, such as the planting of trees on their farmland. When they are in the nursery workshop, they share the names of the local plants that grow in the center, and they often talk to each other about these plants and trees, and how they use them as medicinal herbs or as food for the sheep.
As for those who attend the workshops and for whom it is their first experience with agricultural activities, it is sometimes difficult for them to understand what is happening in the fruit tree nursery. However, with more participation in the activities and workshops, it becomes clear to them the importance of each stage, that the seeds need to become trees.

In this photo, we are talking to a group of children who represent many ages and backgrounds. They were given the opportunity to learn from each other, in coordination with the High Atlas Foundation team and the Abdelaziz Ben Driss staff. Involving youth in different activities and in creating more workshops helps them to have the opportunity to grow and develop a personality that can become an engine of fulfillment in society. The more training and workshops we organise for children in this situation, the more we contribute to transferring capacities to improve their living conditions. In another words, this kind of project (the development of a fruit tree nursery) helps to create a more active youth in Moroccan communities.
Said El-Bennani is a HAF project manager in the Fes-Ifrane region.

My two weeks of volunteer experience with the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) was very rewarding and memorable. I have gained valuable insight into the non-profit organization. Working on several different projects enabled me to experience numerous aspect of problem-solving and community outreach strategy. The task I performed during my internship allowed me to apply some theoretical knowledge that I gained in the school in a real-world environment.

With the opportunity to visit the clean water project in Boujdour, I could see that HAF has been doing a marvelous job to create sustainable development for the community. The project not only gave the nomadic people easy access to water but also to anyone who travels in the Sahara. Moreover, the project extended to an environmental campaign where the goal is to educate the community about recycling. Based on my experience, I think it would be more productive and effective if HAF has a better management system during the site visit.

Above all, I was such an honor for me to be working and be part of the HAF family. I would recommend anyone who interested in community development to join the team.

Conserving Traditional Crop Diversity and Wild Medicinal Plants in Morocco

Abderrahim Ouarghidi, Ph.D.
Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer
High Atlas Foundation, Marrakech

The Moroccan saying--“New things have a charm and old ones should be preserved”—has wide applicability in current Moroccan agricultural practices and attitudes towards traditional and local crop varieties. This revealing expression is part of the Moroccan identity and way of life. Moroccan people place high value on tradition, while at the same time they are committed to a modernity that is built upon existing cultural traditions that give distinction.

For instance, in Morocco there is widespread preference for local or “beldi” foods, such as “a’slhur” (pure unfiltered honey), “zit ud” (olive oil), and “shriha skouria” (a local fig variety) that have been always appreciated and valued delicacies. Nearly all Moroccan communities consider “beldi” food items as healthy, tasty, and nutritious.

Despite this, decision-makers at high levels of government agencies responsible for agricultural policy and education in Morocco tend to focus heavily on commercialization, profit, and production for global markets. While this approach has positioned Morocco as an important producer of fruit and vegetables for European and global markets—in the effort to ensure that the Moroccan agricultural sector is thriving, they have avertedly undermined local knowledge and practices of small-scale farmers, leading to the loss of agrobiodiversity and traditional crop varieties.

Although traditional crop varieties are highlighted in Morocco’s “Green” strategic plan for agriculture, to date limited attention has been given to local agricultural practices and local crop varieties and species, which represent an important genetic resource for small farmers and the future of these crops globally. The genetic diversity preserved in-situ in traditional crop varieties can provide the raw materials needed to ensure continuing supplies of these crops in the face of water scarcity and rapid climate and environmental change.

Promoting local seed diversity enhances the diversity of crops on farms thereby providing resilience to environmental and market shocks, while at the same time maintaining local practices and values. Growing traditional varieties in addition to those for export, would allow farmers to also target local markets and support healthy aspects of traditional Moroccan diets and cuisine.

To help return traditional crop varieties to farms in Morocco, the High Atlas Foundation(HAF) has been working with the Farmer-to-Farmer program (funded by USAID and administered by Land O’ Lakes) to assess the current status of local agrobiodiversity and create a seed bank to preserve local crops, wild relatives, and wild medicinal plants. The hope is that such documentation and the seed bank will both demonstrate the inherent value of traditional crop varieties and crop wild relatives and ensure that farmers who which to reintroduce such varieties to their farms have access to planting material. This work support HAF’s mission in Morocco to achieve a sustainable agricultural development and promote sustainable local varieties and practices for food security and conservation.

The rapid assessment we performed the fall and winter of 2017-18 suggests a tremendous shift has occurred, resulting in the loss of local crops varieties and genotypes and loss of traditional agricultural practices. We found widespread replacement of diverse traditional varieties with a very few high-yielding introduced varieties and species such as apple, almond, and plums. These introduced varieties are considered “modern”, genetically enhanced, and are heavily promoted by governmental programs encouraging intensive agriculture. Agricultural priorities for export markets promoted through different programs are thereby contributing to genetic erosion and in some cases lead to unsustainable agriculture.

There needs to be greater attention to the inequality in access to the benefits from these agricultural transitions, especially for small scales farmers in terms of access to agricultural inputs and vulnerability to market and environmental shocks. During our field work, some farmers raised concerns of the cost of the treatment of the infected modern varieties of apples and the amount of labor needed to grow them. According to farmers, varieties bred from traditional “beldi” varieties require less intervention and cost very little.

We are also working to collect seeds from wild plants with economic value. In parts of rural Morocco some households gain a substantial portion of their income through the sale of medicinal plants collected from the wild. Collectors of medicinal plants and stakeholders stated that the populations of some medicinal plants are decreasing such as pellitory, wild sage, and thym, and are keen to discuss the possibility of domesticating them.

In addition to creating a Seed Bank system to preserve crops varieties and threatened wild endemic species, it is important to ensure the application of a creative, inclusive and diverse approaches to improve agriculture and livelihoods. Local communities must be valued for the real value they add to agrobiodiversity and food systems. In this context, HAF is playing an important role working with local farmers ensuring the use of local crops varieties and species that require less pesticides and insecticides and use water efficiently.

Dr. Abderrahim Ouarghidi – a High Atlas Foundation Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer – is an Assistant Research Professor at the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University.

After more than 25 hours of traveling to Morocco, we were greeted warmly upon our arrival by our local partner from the High Atlas Foundation, Rachid. We spent the night in Casablanca before beginning our (roughly) five-hour drive to Marrakech the following day. Once in Marrakech, we checked into our beautiful Riad (hotel), went out to tour the Old City, have lunch Moroccan-style and finish up the day with a quick shopping trip in the souks (a HUGE marketplace with vendors of all kinds).

The next day, we had the opportunity to meet the president of the High Atlas Foundation, Dr. Yosef Ben-Meir, before picking up the shoes for our first and second distributions! As we made our way along the bumpy roads of the High Atlas Mountains, the sights were absolutely breathtaking and second-to-none. Pulling into both of the villages, all members of the community were gathered around with smiles from cheek-to-cheek. We quickly got to work setting up and sorting the shoes by sex and size, sizing each child's feet, washing and drying their feet (a touching and heartwarming part of the process), and finally sliding on perfect pairs of brand new shoes! At this point, if a child was shy or hesitant, even with the language barrier that we faced, we found that the saying "smiles are a universal language" could not be truer.

We continued to have wonderful experiences at the next village during both the shoe distribution, as well as our time spent painting a new mural in the outside playing area at our third distribution site. Our fourth and final distribution site was at a local Women's Co-Op which I found to be the most empowering. The women and children we served were members of a largely ostracized community since they had been either divorced or widowed. Rachida, the woman who ran the Co-Op, along with all the other women who were there, welcomed and thanked us individually with a handshake and a customary kiss on each cheek. During the distribution, many smiles, rough attempts to speak the other's language, and high-fives were exchanged, creating an indescribable, as well as overwhelming, amount of positive energy in the room. As a thank you, a couple of the women did henna for us, leaving many of us stained with beautiful designs on our hands for the weeks to come. After a quick but delicious lunch cooked by the women in the Co-Op with the help of other Vanderbilt student-athletes, we were on our way back to Marrakech.

Personally, as someone who struggles with social anxiety, traveling to another continent with a group of 20 strangers was a big step just by itself. Yet as the trip progressed, getting to know the other student-athletes left me feeling closer and more connected to the Vanderbilt community than I ever thought possible. While on the trip, our motto was "learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable," which is actually something my coach says constantly, and it was great to have another place to practice that mindset.

While this trip to Morocco was meant to help change the day-to-day lives of folks who are less fortunate than others, I left feeling as if I had gained so much more than I was given. I will forever remember the smiles on every child's face as we put a brand new pair of shoes on their feet, the memories made on long bus rides with other student-athletes, the hope we saw in the eyes of each elder in the villages, I could not be more grateful for this opportunity offered by Vanderbilt Athletics and the High Atlas Foundation, and it makes me excited to continue doing service work both locally and internationally in the future.

Ask an American college student what they want to do in their life and inevitably, at some point, they will say some version of “to make a difference.” Ask a young professional why they are transitioning in their careers and you are likely to hear “I want to find more meaning in my work.” Despite high levels of education, we young Americans struggle to find opportunities to create positive change in the world.

In 2014, Unesco ranked Morocco among the 21 poorest countries in education. According to USAID, the likelihood of a first grader going on to complete high school is less than 15 percent. But there is no shortage of opportunities to create lasting change here. This week, on a volunteer trip with the High Atlas Foundation to distribute school supplies donated by Fre Skincare, I had the opportunity to meet a woman who was doing just that.

In the 1990s, Lalla Fadma Abjar moved from the city to Tidzi, a small village in the semi-desert Sous valley of southern Morocco, 25 km from the beach town of Essaouira. At that time, just over a quarter of women in Morocco were literate, and this was of course much lower in the rural areas. Lalla Fadma was one of the few.

Around the same time, Moroccan professor Zoubida Charrouf recognized the extent of the decline in the ancient, hardy Argan tree, whose dry bark is reminiscent of a juniper and whose fruits could be mistaken for olives. While it once covered all of North Africa, preventing desertification and providing many benefits to communities across the region, by the 1990s the Argan tree could be found only in the Sous valley. To motivate local communities to protect the argan forests and to empower women, Professor Charrouf began developing women’s argan cooperatives and marketing and raising awareness of the products internationally.

In 1998, UNESCO declared the argan forest in the valley to be a biosphere reserve, and a movement began. As one of the few literate women, Lalla Fadma was sought out to establish one of the first cooperatives in the region. She bought the land herself and, with a small group of women, created the Cooperative Feminine Izourane Ouargane and began processing the “liquid gold.” For the first time in their lives, they earned income and had a place to socialize outside their homes.

Now, Lalla Fadma’s daughter, Lalla Amina Amchir carries on her mother’s work, expanding the opportunities for women and their families. There are now 40 women in the cooperative, most of them widows or divorced. In the last 2 years, Izourane women’s cooperative was able to plant 2,000 new trees thanks to the partnership with HAF and Fre skincare. In addition to the income that these trees will help to generate, the partnership provided training in women’s empowerment, educating the members about their rights, and provided school supplies for their children, to help combat the high dropout rates that are still pervasive in rural Morocco.

With only a third-grade education, Lalla Amina administers the cooperative herself. She proudly showed us the impeccably organized cabinet where she stores the financial records. She explained how she has worked hard over the past two years to complete the seemingly endless series of paperwork required to become certified by the ONSSA which would enable the group to access a more consistent and reliable market, with greater guarantee of payment. Hopefully, the Izourane cooperative will receive the certificate soon, as this will also help to differentiate them from the many argan shops lining the road, which Lalla Amina explained are actually for-profit enterprises masquerading as cooperatives, but which do not truly support the women.

While the argan industry has become increasingly established over the past two decades, Lalla Amina and the other cooperative presidents have done all of this work with very little support. The Ministry of Agriculture provides some trainings on administrative matters, but these are offered only in French, a language not spoken by most of the presidents. Similarly, while an association of presidents exists in name, no activities are carried out to enable the presidents to practically support one another.

While she perseveres through these challenges, Lalla Amina sees the fruits of her efforts and the benefits of the support of partners like the High Atlas Foundation every day. She explained that earning income brings women purpose in their lives, and invest their earnings in their homes and in their children. In addition, the provision of school supplies, donated by Fre Skincare helps to ensure that kids go to school and have the resources that they need to learn.

As we distributed backpacks and notebooks to the 30 children on our visit, Rachid, a HAF project manager, asked each child what they want to be when they grow up. Most aspire to be teachers or doctors. Thanks to Lalla Amina, as well as the support of HAF, Fre Skincare, and Izouran’s other partners, these dreams are increasingly likely to become a reality. When they do, whether the children will know it or not, each of them will carry a piece of the dedication, work ethic, and empathy of Lalla Fadma and Amina, and they will continue to change the world.