On the 5th of May, HAF delivered sewing and embroidery equipment and material to the women’s coop in Tassa Ouirgane. The women were so please to receive this delivery. They immediately divided the groups into a girls group and a women’s group to prepare to get the equipment ready for production. After the delivery, the

The High Atlas Foundation recognizes that good governance with the partnering civil society organizations (CSOs) is critical for enhancing democratic governance, improving service delivery, and fostering empowerment. CSOs that apply good governance systems for organizational management and development are able to not only provide quality services to their constituents but also hold the local government

The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) hosted the US Consul General, Brian Shukan, as well as Political Officer Ann Meceda and Public Affairs Officer Andrea Appell from the US Consulate in Casablanca at three project sites in the Marrakech region on May 14th and 15th. This visit was an opportunity to understand the needs of people in

Trip To Imrikli, a Nomadic village 90 km from Boujdour It was a hot and windy Sunday, and nearly 1:00 pm when Si Masoud and his wife Zahra pick up Hana and myself to depart to Imrikli, around 90 km from Boujdour city. We took Jrifia road directing our driver to the east of the

During the 2013 season, HAF planted in total 234,000 fruit seeds and saplings (inclduing also walnut and cactus) – the most HAF and its partners ever planted in one year.  This brings the total amount planted since 2003 to 692,500 trees. From the 16thof February to the 23rdof April, HAF, along with primary school directors,

Last Saturday, I had the honor, with my colleague Younes Khitouch (a graduate student at the Faculty of Law and a HAF field facilitator), of representing the High Atlas Foundation at the first general assembly to create a new network or federation, or as the founders prefer to call it, the coalition of CSOs in

العربية After a long wait, the High Atlas Foundation has been able to establish its branch in Boujdour Province. This local branch was a chance for me to have a job I like much! I enjoy the development work in the neglected villages specifically in Boujdour province, which despite its geographical advantages, it suffers from

The High Atlas Foundation was honoured by the visit of US Consul General, Mr. Brian Shukan to Muslim, Jewish and Christian cemeteries in Essaouira, which are the sites of its cultural heritage project there. At the cemeteries, Mr Shukan was welcomed and accompanied by Mr André Azoulay, Adviser to His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Majesty’s

From Christian “Karim” Fowkes, RPCV Taza (1998-2000) : I returned to Morocco this summer to show my wife why Morocco holds such a special place in my heart. We traversed the country, making our way to Taza and Tazekka National Park. In Taza, we were welcomed by my former Parks counterpart, Aziz Rahmouni, and his family. Early the

We are truly honored that the Advisor to His Majesty the King, H.E. André Azoulay, has joined the Advisory Board of the High Atlas Foundation.  His years of service to the Kingdom of Morocco marks incredible achievement for its people, the region, and beyond, especially in regards to his tireless promotion of peace and prosperity. 

In response to the needs expressed by rural Moroccan people, the High Atlas Foundation launched a campaign to plant one million fruit tree saplings on June 23, 2006.  These saplings will be planted in ten nurseries around the country to benefit hundreds of rural villages that neighbor Morocco’s nature protected areas.  Our announcement of this

The High Atlas Foundation hosted its second annual reception on September 21, 2006 at the Urban Center in New York City. The speeches were passionate and inspiring, and the High Atlas Foundation raised critical support to plant one million trees in the next two years. The High Atlas Foundation sincerely thanks Carol Bellamy, H.E. André

On September 26, the High Atlas Foundation and its NGO partners in Morocco distributed over 200 pounds of school supplies to the elementary schools in the villages of Tagdid and Mejjou, in the Valley of Agoundis, Rural District of Ijoukak, in the Province of Al Haouz.  Thank you so much to the students of Smithtown

On Friday, June 8th the High Atlas Foundation held its second annual gathering at the residence of Morocco’s Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Aziz Mekouar. Ninety guests, including nonprofit leaders from Morocco, returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and private and public sector officials joined the Board of Directors for this special evening for rural Moroccan

The High Atlas Foundation launched its campaign to plant one million fruit trees in Morocco during the next two years, in response to the priority needs expressed by rural Moroccan communities. We’re partnering with many different groups to reach our goal.  Some partners include: government agencies, corporations, foundations, and people like you. In just three

We are thrilled to tell you that we reached our goal of 100 donations to our GlobalGiving project by December 15th, which means we will receive an additional $5,000 in funding from an anonymous member of the GlobalGiving community.  Thank you for helping to make this possible! Donations made to this project will support one of ten

HAF will be hosting Happy Hours in the upcoming weeks in both New York City and in Washington, DC.  Come to meet HAF Board Members and other people who are interested in making a difference for Morocco. We look forward to sharing with you more about our community development work and new initiative to plant

On February 9th HAF hosted a “Friend-raiser” at Marrakesh Palace in Washington, D.C. Over seventy people attended, including Moroccan Ambassador to the U.S., His Excellency Aziz Mekouar, embassy staff, former Peace Corps Volunteers, supporters, and new friends. The event celebrated HAF’s successful launch of its One Million Tree Initiative, marked by the planting of an

The High Atlas Foundation is excited to invite you to Happy Hours during the upcoming summer months! Please join board members and volunteers to learn more about the High Atlas Foundation, our projects in Morocco, and the exciting plans we have underway for our annual NYC reception (which will be held this year on September

On the evening of September 27th the High Atlas Foundation held its third annual reception at the French Institute Alliance Française. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke was honored for his many contributions to Peace Corps and to international development.  We had a wonderful turnout, which brought together former U.S. Ambassadors to Morocco, former Peace Corps Volunteers and

The High Atlas Foundation is pleased to announce that Kate McLetchie has been hired as its first Country Director. Kate is based in Rabat and oversees HAF’s projects, partnerships, and operations in-country. This is an exciting next step for HAF and Kate’s work in Morocco will allow us to better respond to the needs of

On a recent trip to the Imenane Valley, I was struck once again by the contrasting beauty of the snow capped mountains and the harsh realities of living in remote, rural Morocco. Far from major cities, secondary schools, and modern medical facilities, communities in rural Morocco depend on traditional agricultural practices to sustain themselves. I

The High Atlas Foundation is excited to announce partnerships with GlobalGiving, and with Elizabeth Letts and Ali Alalou, authors of the newly released children’s book The Butter Man. In partnership with GlobalGiving, HAF is raising funds to support potable water projects for five villages in some of the most remote and impoverished villages of the

During the month of February the High Atlas Foundation and its partners planted 33,000 fruit trees (cherry, apple, peach, and quince) with villages in the Imenane and Azzadene Valleys in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains. Did you know that Central Park has just over 26,000 trees?  For those of you who have wandered the Park’s many

HAF is excited to announce that it was selected to be a member group of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA). Founded by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) in 2000, HAF is committed to actively engaging the RPCV community as a way of helping others to keep alive their connection to Morocco and offer them

On April 10th, United States Ambassador to Morocco, Thomas Riley, visited a High Atlas Foundation fruit tree agriculture project outside of Marrakech that was supported by the Ambassador’s Empowerment Fund of the United States Embassy in 2005. The project planted 7,000 fruit trees (cherry, apple, prune, and peach) to advance the socio-economic and environmental conditions

Celebrate this Earth Day (Tuesday, April 22nd) by purchasing a Moroccan market basket through HAF’s newest partner Jeanne Beatrice Market Baskets. Laura Benson started the company as a way to promote an environmentally-friendly alternative to paper and plastic grocery bags. Each year in the United States alone 14 million trees are required to produce paper

On the evening of June 13th, the High Atlas Foundation hosted a reception and book signing at the residence of H.E. Aziz Mekouar, Moroccan Ambassador to the United States. Over 100 guests joined together to honor Tim Resch, President of Friends of Morocco, and to celebrate 45 years of Peace Corps service in Morocco. It

In an effort to keep you informed about our ongoing projects with communities, we will post “Notes from the Field” blog updates on a regular basis. We look forward to sharing our work with you, and  reading your comments! Imenane Valley In partnership with the Global Diversity Foundation, HAF recently completed a three month participatory monitoring and evaluation

Join HAF Board Members, supporters, and friends this Ramadan to break fast together in NYC. We will be hosting two gatherings – one a traditional Moroccan fitoor (complete with harira soup, chebekia, and dates!) and a second one filled with delicious Moroccan appetizers. We’ll catch up, meet new friends, and get geared up for the October 15th NYC reception. We