On 16th January 2014 a milestone event in the calendar of the High Atlas Foundation is scheduled to take place in various locations throughout Morocco, with the celebration of its successfully completed ‘One Million Tree Campaign‘. Over ten years, we estimate to have helped 50,000 people make the step out of poverty. The project is poised to

By Mouhssine Tadlaoui-Cherki Program Director High Atlas Foundation Last week, I had the privilege of representing HAF at the 2013 SEED Symposium and International Awards ceremony organized for the 2013 SEED Award winners, where HAF was recognized for its achievements in innovation, entrepreneurship and promising efforts to promote economic growth, social development and environmental protection

The planting and distribution of trees with children is the pinnacle of Sami’s Project, a HAF program inspired by the loving memory of Sami El Kouhen to bring transformational and sustainable benefits to often poor and neglected youth in Morocco. Sami lost his battle against cancer in January 2007 at the age of 3 and

HAF recently signed four new agreements with the Moroccan Jewish Community of Marrakech to build tree nurseries on land adjacent to Jewish cultural sites. These nurseries will be for the benefit of the local communities and this agricultural initiative will be incorporated into a federation of cooperatives that promote organic, fair trade agricultural and artisanal products from

From the 12th to the 14th of November 2013, there were three days of training for the benefit of the civil society of Boujdour organized by the Social Action Division of Boujdour Province, in the Moroccan Sahara. The workshops were held from 9:00am to 2:00pm at the association space of the City of Boujdour. The

Tuesday , December 4, 2012 to Thursday, December 6, 2012: Second session of the INDH training I enjoyed being with civil society members from Boujdour Province for six days during two training sessions each session with a certain different group. This allowed me to network with members of different associations and coops. In Boujdour, most

Sunday, December 16, 2012: Trip to Thuqb Jrifia, Aftisaat Cap 7 (Rural village of fishermen) and Awziwalt Beach. Hanna and her husband packed everything required for the trip. We departed from Boujdour city at 9:30 am and took the national road that leads to Dakhla. After driving for two hours and a half, we left

Community Workshop, Wednesday 2 January 2013 MEPI – HAF Partnership University Hassan II, Mohammedia Written by Safae Lacheheb, Student Leader This is the third meeting for the training of the students, it was a very long day, we started the preparation early, we were at the office at 9 o’ clock, we finished the final touches,

Dear Friends, The High Atlas Foundation is on course for a smashing planting season in Morocco, but we could do even more, and we must do all we can by mid-March. HAF is dedicated to the ENTIRE agricultural process – from tree nurseries to organic certification of fruit (doubling prices for farmers), to markets and export, and all the

Tassa Ouirgane’s new women’s coop has now become a certified association, under the leadership of their elected secretary general, Hassna Ait Hassou. Hassna has participated in trainings of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) on leadership and participatory development.  HAF dedicated resources generously given by members of Chief Executive Organization who met with the people of

If I had a chance to meet government leaders, I would say that Boujdour “the city of Challenge” is calling for help. From my experience of these few months in this place I see that Boujdour region has two important capitals: Human resources and natural resources, but both of them require good management to thrive.

Un message du Président de la FHA Pouvons-nous créer un avenir meilleur pour les collectivités en mettant en œuvre des projets agricoles catalyseurs et formateurs qui offrent de profonds avantages socioéconomiques et environnementaux ?  Il s’agit de prendre une décision avant la fin du mois de mars et de la saison de plantation 2013.” Chers amis,

“Can we create a far better future for communities by implementing catalyst and formative agricultural projects that have profound socio-economic and environmental benefits?  This is a moment of decision, before the end of March and the 2013 tree planting season passes.”  – HAF President, Yossef Ben-Meir Time to Plant with the People A Message from

On Thursday, February 28, 2013, a new History was registered for HAF. Finally we met, we all enjoyed the wonderful time we had together that day. The eyes were sparkled with joy and happiness. It was like “Al Eid “ Day for the HAF team members; it was so nice to meet each other again

A Mohammedia le :04/03/2013 Report the meeting of 23/02/2013 with expert Mr.Tadlaoui Younes Khitouch, Participatory Facilitator La formation du 23 février 2013  était organisée dans la salle de conférence de la faculté de droit de Mohammedia avec MEPI, Middle East Partnership Initiative & FHA. Cette formation a commencé à 10h45 avec la présence de 12 associations et

Cliquez ici pour la version en français SAMI’S PROJECT: TREE PLANTING AND BUILDING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT WITH MOROCCAN SCHOOL CHILDREN This week, HAF will improve the lives of 528 students and their families by delivering fruit trees for students to take home and planting fruit trees in the schoolyard, teaching students agricultural techniques for sustainable development. This planting

The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) is a Moroccan-US organisation dedicated to participatory development approaches that build partnerships for projects determined by the participating communities themselves. The HAF philosophy is to create an inclusive process that emphasizes the participation of disadvantaged groups and uses methods of community planning towards the realization of development projects. The absolute

Spending three months in Boujdour was not enough time to understand this small town. On my road back to Boujdour, many questions and ideas were still whirling in my mind. Though it is a very small town, Boujdour remains very obscure. Traveling back to Boujdour is traveling to a cave of obscurity, unclearness and a

Un Rapport de Fatima Ezzahra Boudi, FHA Participatory Facilitator Universite Hassan II, Mohammedia Middle East Partnership Initiative Dans le cadre des formations de la fondation High atlas avec les étudiants de la faculté des sciences juridique économiques et sociales, la formation du 13.03.2013 était pour objectif de déterminer les mini projets finals, pour le projet de

Malgré la pluie ce Samedi avait des airs de journée ensoleillée dans la province de Rhamna où la Fondation du Haut Atlas (FHA), en partenariat avec G4S, a planté 5000 arbres fruitiers dans les écoles et les communautés des villages de la région. G4S a généreusement financé cet événement, qui sera suivit d’une deuxième journée

I have frequently been asked to provide trainings by social agents that I meet from time to time in the streets of Boujdour city. Sometimes I received calls from them urging me to fix time for a new community meeting and to keep them informed of that. The people I meet hope to benefit from

HAF is Committed to Participatory Development in Boujdour, Southern Morocco. The HAF is committed to train local people in participatory development methods throughout Morocco. HAF has begun training the Boujdour social agents in the far southern part of Morocco. This is to support and apply the participatory development approach that aims at making all the local population

It was a pleasure to be part of the HAF team and visit all of the projects we’ve worked on in Rhamna Province this weekend, when nearly 80 members of G4S Morocco from all the company (from maintenance crews to the Regional North Africa Director) planted with community members and schoolchildren some of the 5000 trees G4S

PROBLEM: RURAL POVERTY AND LOW CROP PRICES In rural Morocco, the combination of population growth and the low market-value of traditional staple crops (corn and barley), from which most rural households derive their income, has made subsistence agriculture unsustainable. PARTNERSHIP: The High Atlas Foundation has partnered with the Trustees of the Sacred Site of Rabbi

To celebrate the UNESCO International Day for Monuments and Sites on 18 April, the High Atlas Foundation organised a day of activities with 40 young Souiris (Essaouira residents) in the historic medina of Essaouira. The HAF-hosted event was entitled: “La Patrimoine comme temoin de l’unité et diversité” – ‘cultural heritage as the witness of unity

  On the event of the UNESCO International Day for Monuments and Sites, 18 April, the High Atlas Foundation would like to invite residents of Essaouira to consider the important value of our cultural heritage and the important lessons we can learn from the history of this small seaside town.   Thanks to the support

Through a series of community meetings, I recognized how people see their lives and fight to live in good conditions. Through my humble experience, I was in some of the villages where people feel disconnected from the only communities they have known, and neglected. I heard stories that really touch my heart. When I heard people’s

The High Atlas Foundation’s sun has started to rise in the southern provinces of Morocco particularly in Boujdour. The HAF proved its persistence to reach remote, disadvantaged, and excluded regions; so neither the severe frost of snow in the mountains nor the harsh storms of sand in the desert would be a stumbling rock in

This Mother’s Day, honor your mother for all that she has given by giving back to mothers, who have formed a cooperative, in Tassa Ouirgane, Morocco. The High Atlas Foundation Celebrates Mother’s Day We would like to introduce a remarkable mother and president of the Tassa Ouirgane Co-op, Lalla Kbira, and share her story, one of

Assisting civil society organizations in Mohammedia and Hassan II University students to acquire necessary knowledge and applied skills for developing and implementing effective advocacy actions is a key element of the HAF/MEPI funded Mohammedia training program. This week, the project team met with representatives of associations in the Mohammedia commune to follow up on their