By Jamal Maghiouzi, HAF Field Coordinator On January 12, the Amazigh people celebrated their New Year 2972 which corresponds to the Gregorian calendar of 2022, Hebrew calendar of 5783, and lunar calendar of 1443. They refer to it as Yannayer which means January in both Amazigh and in Arabic. It is also called Ighf n

By Fatima El Mrini, HAF Monitoring Officer (YCC) Planting trees in Sidi Bennour with Fatima El Mrini, HAF Tree Monitoring Officer and driver Mohamed bin Yassin Last month, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) monitoring team visited Sidi Bennour province (Casablanca-Settat region) on the annual tree-planting day in coordination with Al-Bar and Al-Ihsan Association for Development

Arabic version By Amina El Hajjami, Program Director The High Atlas Foundation and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) together launched the two-year project “Promoting Civil Society-University Engagement” in October 2021 with Cadi Ayyad University (UCA) in Marrakech. A specific partnership agreement was signed in January 2021 with the Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social

By Soukaina Kherdioui, HAF Field Coordinator Based on the teachings of all Abrahamic religions, humans are entrusted with the safeguarding of mother nature’s multiple components. Trees, in particular, are treated with reverence and are viewed as a sacred element in many cultures. Beside their ecological functions, they provide people with spiritual, symbolic, cultural, religious, and

By Zineb Laadam The Farmer to Farmer (F2F) team members visited Konouz Lakdirat cooperative in Lakdirat’s village in the Jnane Bouih municipality of Al Youssoufia province (Marrakech-Safi region) to collect data and complete the baseline and ODI forms. The cooperative, established this year by 25 women, benefited from an IMAGINE workshop last June filled with

Jamal Maghiouzi HAF Field Coordinator, Dakira The HAF Team holding a participatory community meeting. Photo by: Fatima Mrini/HAF On Tuesday 4, January 2022, I went with Youssef Tahiri, HAF Project Manager for the Youth Conservation Corps program, to see the khettara, or irrigation system, in Tifrka village, Adar commune. Mr. Hassan Ouakzin and Mr. Mohamed

By Houria Chouhab, HAF Field Assistant On January 25, 2022, the Farmer to Farmer (F2F) team met with Sanae, the president of Tarslit Cooperative, in Beni-Mellal in order to conduct a follow-up visit and discuss the implementation of the recommendations made by the U.S. volunteer in his last visit in October. It is worth mentioning

Henry Prillaman I recently had the pleasure of attending a Forestry Roundtable discussing the importance of forests and how to best communicate their value to a wide range of people and communities. Presented by Beyond Trees Network and The US Forest Service International Programs, our roundtable consisted of: Hon. Marta Corella, mayor of Orea (Spain);

By Ellen Hernandez, HAF Writer/Editor Imagine Empowerment Workshop Photo: HAF Imagine Trainers 24 January 2022—On this International Day of Education, we recognize that education is a human right. We reflect on the role of schooling in all communities of the world, not just in the most developed countries and not just in the most affluent

صفاء أكرجوط طالبة باحثة بالسنة الثانية ماستر القانون الاجتماعي ومنازعات الشغل/ متدربة في العيادة القانونية بمراكشفي إطار الشراكة المبرمة بين مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير وجامعة القاضي عياض، كلية العلوم القانونية والاجتماعية في يونيو 2021، ممثلة في جمعية العيادة القانونية للدراسات والأبحاث والتي تهدف إلى تأطير 67 طالبا من مختلف التخصصات من تسعة ماسترات متخصصة في الدراسات

By Errachid Montassir, Country Manager – HAF Farmer-To-Farmer Program (From right to left) HAF-F2F Country Manager Errachid Montassir, former F2F Volunteer Hicham Amarouch, Dar America Deputy Director Staci Dawson, Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies Director Jennifer Rasamimanana, representative of the American Legation Itimad, and F2F member Hassan Ait Ouatouch. Exactly one year after

Abigail Hall HAF-UVA Intern There are three categories of benefits that come from tree planting in communities:  social, environmental, and economic. Socially, trees improve the aesthetic and environment in  which we live— they reduce stress, help children retain more information if they are able to  spend time in green spaces, and serve as a memorial

Mustapha Tarhbaloute, HAF Project Coordinator The work in the El Youssoufia project is in progress. Last week, we finished the installation of the solar panels. Also, we finished all the irrigation systems, and we started irrigating the nursery two days ago. We covered the nursery with plastic to keep the bags dry and warm for

By Zineb Laadam, HAF Field Officer On December 25th, the Farmer-To-Farmer (F2F) team launched an assignment in Lakdirat’s village in the Jnane Bouih municipality of Al Youssoufia province (Marrakech-Safi region), in order to enrich the women’s cooperative Konouz Lakdirate and to help guide their planning, decision-making, and human and material resources allocation. The HO is

Ellen Hernandez HAF Writer/Editor Tree Planting in Ouaouizeght. (Photo: HAF, January 2022) 17 January 2022 — In the early morning hours, the entire team at High Atlas Foundation began to orchestrate an event that would last all day and take place from Tangier to Boujdour, from Oujda to Ouarzazate. Trees were planted at dozens of

Arabic version Saplings grow at a community-based fruit tree nursery supported by the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in Morocco. (Photo: HAF, 2021) It is common that each religion has its own new year celebrations that mark events or simply cherish the divine orders of days and months. These festivities usually mark the end or beginnings

By Bouchra Zine, HAF Field Officer I have always believed that training is an important and interesting way to meet people who you might not normally connect with: people from different age groups, ethnicities, or social groups. It is like some kind of magic that allows you to meet a wide variety of people from

By Catrin Waters What is universal about the human experience? And what does it have to do with planting trees? Let’s start at the beginning. An amorphous concept of where we came from and why seems to be at the center of each religion, philosophical group, and to some extent academic discipline. Why are we

Tune in as we plant trees across Morocco. On Monday, January 17, 2022, the High Atlas Foundation team along with hundreds of people from dozens of communities across Morocco will mobilize to together plant thousands of fruit trees during our annual tree planting event, which we are calling Green Hope this year. You’re invited to tune in on Facebook and Instagram throughout the day

By Zineb Laadam On 14 January 2022, the Farmer to Farmer (F2F) team met with two agricultural cooperatives in Mzouda (Tamatoust and Tamount Ntourite). Tamatoust is an agricultural cooperative established in February 2020 by seven members. It’s located in Zaouia Nahliya Village, Mzouda commune, Chichaoua province, Marrakech Safi region. The members work to maintain the

بقلم يوسف مزدو متطوع لدى مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير/حاصل على الإجازة الأساسية في الدراسات القانونية    بدأ الأمر على شكل سفينة تحط رحالها على رصيف الشاطئ تبدو فارغة بشكل يقترب من المطلق، وبدأت     عقارب الحنين الى الماضي تعج في ذهني لاستحضار ذكريات جميلة؛ دون الغوص فيها. هنا وسط جدران الجامعة بزي مختلف عن زي الطالب آنذاك؛

By Zineb LAADAM The Farmer to Farmer (F2F) team met with the members of Ait Ouijdane cooperative in Ait Hammou commune- Rehamna province (Marrakech Safi) to follow up with them on their recent activities and discuss difficulties that the cooperatives have been facing and possible solutions. Ait Ouijdane worked for several years on poultry farming,

Houria Chouhab HAF Volunteer Technical and Field Assistant, Farmer-to-Farmer Program On December 17, 2021, a ceremony through the Zoom platform celebrated the graduation of people from High Atlas Foundation (HAF) and other NGOs being certified in the Imagine Program. From the HAF particularly, seven members graduated as coaches, mentors, or apprentices. The program aims to

By : Mohamed El Kadiri, YCC – USFS member This report summarises six months of field-work regarding monitoring trees in the Draa Tafilalte region, Azilal and Tata provinces. The process of monitoring fruit trees at the High Atlas Foundation ran from the beginning of April to the end of December 2021, a suitable  time for

By Houria Chouhab There is only one thing required to change one’s life: willingness. On December 7th, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) team consisting of Zineb Laadam, Houria Chouhab, and Lahcen Ait Ouattouch visited the Daraa Lachhab cooperative in the village of Douar Chouirij, in the Sidi Badhaj commune, Haouz Province, Marrakech. The aim of

By Bobby McDonough HAF-UVA Intern Clean drinking water. This fundamental resource in allowing a civilization’s continued function, health, and prosperity is often taken for granted. That isn’t to say that its importance is neglected, but instead that the threats of its inaccessibility and the effects of unclean drinking water can often go unacknowledged. The U.N.

By Houria Chouhab On December 09, a Farmer to Farmer (F2F) team conducted an IMAGINE workshop for 18 members of Nissae Tinmel Cooperative in Douar Tinmel, Ijoukak Commune, al Haouz Province. These women were eager as this was the first training they ever attended. At the same time, they were a little bit shy; that

عبد الاله بوكماز: متطوع بمؤسسة الاطلس الكبير في إطار برنامج ” ايكوزيا ” قامت مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير يوم الاثنين 13  دجنبر2021  بدعوة السيد عبد الرحمان فتني مدير المكتب الوطني للسلامة الغذائية بمدينة الحاجب، الى فضاء “مشتل اقريش” بقرية أقريش وذالك للقيام بدورة تكوينية فيما يتعلق بإدارة مشاتل الاشجار المثمرة. بحضور عدد من المسؤولين بالمؤسسة والمتطوعين

French | Arabic (January 5, 2022 – Guercif, Morocco) The Al Khayr Women’s Cooperative with the support of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) held the Opening Ceremony for a new fruit tree nursery in the village of Maskarat, Ras Al-Qasr, Guercif province on Wednesday, December 29, 2021.The Governor of the Guercif province, Mr. Hassan Belmahi, participated in

By Ikbale Bouziane HAF Field Coordinator Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir was invited on December 22 to give a talk on tree planting, human development, and the overall experience of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) as a pioneer organization in the Moroccan non-profit scene. We were received by Marrakech’s Elaraki International School’s principal and the president of