By Anna Ugolini HAF Volunteer On November 20th the International Day of Childhood and Adolescence Rights is celebrated throughout the world. The date reminds us of the day when the United Nations General Assembly adopted in 1989 the Convention on the Rights of Children and Adolescents and more than 190 countries have ratified it. The

HAF intern Last week I got the chance to take part in some of the program of the Alumni Seminar. From the 6th to the 10th of the November, 55 youth from all over Morocco who participated in the different U.S. Embassy exchange programs met at the Hotel Dar Atlas in Marrakech to share their

Errachid Montassir HAF Project Manager The challenges facing our world at the moment are highly complex, and they are going to affect us all sooner or later: climate change, dwindling natural resources and scarcities of fresh water and foodstuffs. One thing seems clear: we must not waste any more time discussing the problems we are

by Hajiba Boumasmar HAF Intern On September 28, 2019, we visited both the Argan Majji Cooperative and the Agricultural Cooperative Argan Mogador for Argan Oil Extraction with HAF Project Manager Errachid Montassir, HAF Project Assistant Hassan Ait Ouatouch, and USAID Farmer to Farmer Officer Stephanie Frankenza. Argan Majji Cooperative Visit The Argan Majji cooperative was

By Nora Martetschläger HAF Intern My last days were all about Pomegranates. I visited Pomegranate farms, ate them fresh from the tree, had some delicious pomegranate juice and learned a lot about the pomegranate business. The reason for all this were two trips to Lalla Takerkoust on 29th and 30th of October together with my

By Florence Jordan World Challenge Traveller Coming from London, this project really showcased the differences between our homes, and the homes and lives of those living in Tizian in the High Atlas Mountains. During our stay, we were introduced to the differences in culture and language in Morocco compared to the United Kingdom. We were

By Nora Martetschläger, HAF intern In my second field trip last Thursday, the 24th of October, I got a sense of the dynamics in a local community and got to know some outstanding powerful women, above all my HAF colleague Amina. Together with her and the external consultant Najwa we went to Tassa Ouirgane, a

By Nora Martetschläger HAF intern From October 2019 to April 2020, HAF will have the pleasure of hosting eight interns from the University of Michigan who will participate in the Global Scholars Program (GSP). They will support HAF in addressing one of its major challenges for the future: developing a green bond to attract global

– Women’s Rights in Morocco – What I learned, Rich Perspectives, By Richard Nzekwu (HAF Guest), 11 October 2019. I was honored to participate in a field trip to the Moroccan countryside region of Al-Haouz, where local NGO, High Atlas Foundation (HAF), was diligently fulfilling its mission to empower women. We arrived at the expansive farmland and

By Imane Akhezzane Project Manager The Small Grants project of the High Atlas Foundation, which is funded by the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs within the U.S. Department of States aims to encourage the development of innovative, sustainable environmental projects that encourage local sustainable resource management and engage civil society to

By Stefano Dessena HAF Volunteer                             Cherry cultivation in Morocco offers almost 15,000 tons of this fruit every year putting the country on the 25th spot in the global producers’ scoreboard.[1] The main production areas are in the High Atlas Mountains and

Written by Khomenko Ekaterina HAF Volunteer Land degradation is a large issue for Morocco. The Atlas Mountains dominate the central part of the country, explaining why much of the landscape is mountainous with slopes that gradually transition into plateaus and valleys, which are very dry during the summer. Even such, dry areas can be made

– High Atlas Foundation’s Errachid Montassir Selected To Attend The Un Youth Climate Summit In New York, APN NEWS, By Yossef Ben-Meir (HAF President), 16 September 2019. Errachid with rural primary school students, conducting an environmental workshop in Ait Hamou municipality in the Marrakech region (Photo by Nisreen Abo-Sido; January 2019). Errachid Montassir of Morocco, a project

By Stefano Dessena HAF Intern What can you do when one cannot count on the abundance of natural resources? You can count on the insights of creative people, and that is our case. This time one great idea can help a lot of people in need and can change their lives. The access to clean

By Camelia Harkousse HAF Intern What a better way to connect with your roots and Moroccan-ity than celebrating Eid al-Adha with Moroccan Amazighs in the High Atlas Mountains? Eid al-Adha is one of the most important religious celebrations in Morocco and how it’s called here is a great indicator of that; “Eid Makourne” (Eid al-Kebir)

By Isabel Clark World Challenge Team Member As part of my World challenge trip to Morocco I was expecting to work on a local initiative in the Tizian village but I never realised how rewarding the experience would be. On the 7th of July my World challenge team and I said ‘Salam’ to Morocco. We

By Hajiba Boumasmar HAF Intern I had the pleasure of accompanying Said, HAF Project Manager; Hassan, an assistant; and Tobi, a teacher at United World Colleges, on two nursery visits in the Marrakech region. As someone who has always been passionate about agriculture and the environment, the nursery visits had a positive impact on my

– In Morocco difference is a strength, The Policy Times, By Caroline Kirk (HAF Intern), 28 August 2019. Morocco’s belief in the strength of pluralism has energized me and shown me that difference can serve as a strength for any country, whether it is religious or secular, large or small, developed or developing. I was told

HAF Intern, UVA student What is scalability? At its core, scalability is expansion, and often unlimited expansion without the need to redefine any of the fundamental elements. Such a concept enters the field of development when discussions of projects, organizational capacity, and networks center around expansion. The number of communities that participate in a women’s

Hajiba Boumasmar HAF Intern, University student Nous avons visité deux pépinières de la région de Marrakech, Cette visite a eu un impact positif sur le choix de la Fondation du Haut Atlas de continuer ma carrière professionnelle après l’obtention d’un Master en biotechnologie et développement durable des agro-ressources. Je suis toujours passionnée par l’agriculture et

– Agricultural Literacy: A Solution to Youth Idleness and Unemployment, Global Research, By Anya Karaman (HAF Intern),  27 July 2019. • Arabic: Al-Watan Voice, 1 August 2019. Field work for youth: How getting their hands in the soil could help young Moroccans land a job. At a juvenile detention center in Fes, it feels like summer camp is all year round. There, “maximum

– Reintegrating Moroccan Males In National And Global Interest – OpEd, Eurasia Review, By Caleb Tisdale (HAF Intern), 19 July 2019. • Arabic:Al-Watan Voice, 3 August 2019. Attracting young people to radical, extremist ideas is not hard. Just ask the ISIS recruiters behind one of the most effective propaganda presences in the world. Extremist groups are so effective at

– ‘Without Health, We have nothing’: Need for holistic Sustainable Development in Morocco, Devdiscourse, By Fariha Mujeebuddin (HAF Intern), 01 August 2019.  • Arabic: Al-Watan Voice, 6 August 2019. After a windy uphill journey to Aguerzran, a small village nestled within the High Atlas Mountains, we reached the building where we would be conducting workshops. The small rectangular building,

By Said Bennani HAF Project Manager As a High Atlas Foundation (HAF) Project Manager, my main objective is to work with Moroccan communities and HAF nursery caretakers—of more 13 nurseries around the country—to ensure proper care of the trees, from the time we plant a seed until it becomes a seedling. In partnership with Ecosia,

By Camelia Harkousse, HAF intern July 25, 2019 On July 23, 2019, Ms. Fatima-Zahra Laaribi participated in a webinar dedicated to Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) projects funded by USAID. The objective of the seminar was to give an opportunity for stakeholders involved in future similar projects to benefit from lessons learned and experiences gained by fellow NGOs

HAF Intern, UVA Student I went to Ait Ourir, a city about 30 minutes outside of Marrakech to visit the Riad school. The school is surrounded by a six-foot wall that is covered by murals mainly pertaining to environmental issues. The school currently has 1,222 students, with boys and girls ages 5-12 years old, 480

Some of the kids want to travel the world. Some of the kids want to start a business. One kid wants to play soccer AND own a bakery. These are lofty and ambitious goals for juvenile delinquents. But not for the boys at the Center for the Protection of Children in Fes. At this center,

SANAE BENAADIM HAF VOLUNTEER On the 15th of June, the team left HAF office in Marrakech in the morning toward Anamer village in Seti Fadma commune which is about 55 km out of the Red city. The team included Said El Bennani, HAF’s Project Manager, and Hassan Ait Ouatouch, HAF’s Project Assistant, Ilyas Dkhrissi (social

By Touda Bazaz HAF Volunteer On the 15th of June 2019, a group of volunteers and I left the High Atlas Foundation office in Marrakech at 09:00 am to Setti Fatma commune direction in order to participate in some of the activities that the foundation does. Along for the ride was a group of American

By Eliana Lisuzzo Development Manager Working towards any goal—large or small; individually or through a team effort—requires an action plan that will lead to achievement. Particularly for large-scale, simultaneous projects such as those the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) and its partners facilitate in communities throughout Morocco, detailing an approach to implementation is vital. On June