Earthday’s Climate Literacy webinar  announcement During the last week of September, the Earth Day organization held a webinar entitled “Igniting Climate Literacy: Creating a Citizenry Ready and Willing to Act Now and Build a Sustainable Economic Future” to celebrate the 50th annual Earth Day. Organizers of the event gathered notable panelists from around the world

Program Coordinator The world is currently suffering from a major pandemic, and the most effective way to control its spread is through healthy hygienic practices — regular hand-washing, the use of face masks, and social distancing. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has made October 15 one of the most important days of celebration this year: Global

President of the High Atlas Foundation The guiding principle of the High Atlas Foundation over its life of twenty years has remained fixed: sustainability is a function of people’s control over the development that improves their lives. Projects by and for local communities are what is sustainable. This principle has always been both our heartbeat

French versions Law students plant a tree at the Faculty of Juridical, Economic, and Social Sciences in Fes, January 2020. HAF Director of Development The topic of gender in Morocco is one of considerable debate among the people, and it can often be controversial. In order to make progress toward a Morocco that values and

Tree Monitoring Officer Caption: HAF nurseries, Fes province: tree-planting  skills build good members of society The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) uses land given in-kind by the High Commissioner of Water and Forests and the Fight Against Desertification, local associations, and cooperatives around Morocco to establish organic fruit tree nurseries which provide sustainable projects for the

Planting trees can reduce poverty and slow climate change, The Daily Guardian, By Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts, 29 August 2020. • Arabic: Beirut Taimes, 30 Aug 2020. Photo by the High Atlas Foundation, Morocco. Humanitarian crises have recently been declared in Sudan, Yemen, Niger, Mali, and Somalia—affecting at least 450,000 people—due to flash floods and landslides. Areas with

HAF Project Manager FRÉ Skincare and HAF Partnering with Argan Cooperatives in Essaouira Argania Spinosa is the only type of argan tree around the world; it’s a tree endemic to Morocco and characteristic of North Africa for its biological, nutritional, socioeconomic, and ecological value. Argania Spinosa wood is an excellent source of charcoal. The tree’s

Article: سيدات تعاونية تاخرخورت بتسا ويركان, Beirut Times, By Amina El Hajjami. HAF’s Director of Projects After building an organic tree nursery and a well, and after facilitating participatory meetings and trainings concerning environmental protections with the farmers and the men’s association in Tassa Ouirgane village (Al Haouz province, Marrakech-Safi region), a project financed by the

Project Assistant In order to realize more and more renewable energy achievements, the High Atlas Foundation has added a new and exciting collaboration to the list. This partnership is with Alliance Marocaine pour le Climat et le Développement Durable (AMCDD) and Association des Enseignants de la Vie et de la Terre (AESVT), who also share

Cool News in a Warming World: Why Invest in Future Forests, Daily News, By Finn Grundmann. HAF Volunteer, Plant Enthusiast, and Scientific Assistant in Ecosystem Restoration Projects Forests capture more than carbon. While through the mechanism of photosynthesis, plants are experts at retrieving carbon dioxide from the air, they have also perfected strategies to retain

On July 27-28, a HAF team composed of Field Technician Abdeljalil, driver Mustapha, and I hit the road to Taroudant Province for the distribution of food and hygiene materials, a project implemented in partnership with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy as an act of social solidarity with people who have been severely impacted, economically and socially,

Yossef Ben-Meir, Amina El Hajjami, and Ellen Hernandez HAF Colleagues The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) has been working with farming families in Morocco since 2000 to plant trees for sustainable agricultural development. The first question we are often asked is “Why plant trees?” Let us address that question as well as exploring other questions about

HAF Intern – UVA student As this was my first opportunity working on a grant proposal, I did not know much about the content and format of proposals previously; however, I knew that writing one was an important skill to acquire. Furthermore, I was able to explore new areas of the High Atlas Foundation’s work.

Director of Projects Natural human tendency is to create security in our lives by trying to keep things the same, but we need to keep in mind that we will face challenges in our lives, and we can learn from them even if it is difficult for us in the beginning. We need to adapt

By Yossef Ben-Meir, Imane Akhezzane, and Ellen Hernandez The Qur’an speaks about water as the life force: the heavens and the Earth were a joined entity, and then they were separated and every living thing was made from water [21:30]. Everything needs water to survive, and among these, of course, are trees. Trees help us

There are a number of reasons that explain the ascendency over decades, and now the mainstream, of participatory approaches to meaningful development. We often see that when people decide upon the project or change that they most want, that they will give their energy and time to help ensure its continuity and success. We widely

HAF Projects Coordinator It was with great enthusiasm that I took the road to Amizmiz a week ago to evaluate the trees distributed by the High Atlas Foundation to various farmers in this region. Tree monitoring is a process rooted in the activities of the Foundation. This is a crucial and necessary step which allows

غالبا ما يعرف المشروع بأنه فكرة أو خدمة ساكنة معينة وكذلك الوصول إلى نتيجة معينة، حيث يكون نقطة بداية ونهاية يصل إليها المشروع عند تحقيق أهدافه أو الإخفاق في تحقيقها، ويتخذ المشروع كذلك أبعاد متعددة ومتنوعة مرتبطة أساسا بما هو اقتصادي أو اجتماعي أو تنموي، حيث يمر من عدة مراحل أولها مرحلة التحديد والتي يتم

The argan oil industry’s impact on rural empowerment is growing nationwide, in part, because of international demand on women’s cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) launched in Morocco in 2005, which aims to “reduce poverty, grow the economy, and strengthen the kingdom’s social fabric” through participatory development, directly contributes to that industry’s

Arabic version French version Bill Nichols at the Women’s Cooperative of Tassa Ouirgane, Jan 2020 (HAF) Bill Nichols served as a volunteer consultant to the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) through the Farmer-to-Farmer Program (F2F) for two weeks in January 2020. Originally from New Mexico, now residing in Boston, Bill collaborated as an F2F volunteer with

As the High Atlas Foundation continues in its mission to contribute to the development of people while preserving the life of our planet by planting trees, a new partner who shares the same vision has joined our network through a partnership that contributes to the bigger goal. Moroccan Street is a start-up that preserves the

The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) seeks Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who served in Morocco to return for assignments of two weeks or longer to assist Moroccan cooperatives in their fields of expertise. The assignments are within the framework of the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. Volunteers do not need to be farmers in order to

HAF-UVa Interns World Rainforest Day was started in 2017, with the hope that we take time to collectively recognize the preciousness and the importance of our world’s rainforests and take action to protect and preserve them. This year, World Rainforest Day is being celebrated Monday, June 22, and it is truly worth celebrating everywhere because

Arabic version A photo taken by Ilyas Dkhissi during a participatory approach meeting with men and women farmers in Fquih Ben Salah province – Beni Mellal region, on Sep, 4th 2019 For decades, climate change has been left to scientists – and they, to their credit, have given us the strong indication we need that

Hope Growing in the Cradle of Diaspora, Media for Freedom. • French: World News, 11 April 2020. Meandering through the dusty foothills of the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, I played an earnest game of speculation. I knew of my destination, its history and constitution, but had yet to see it or feel the restless potential it encapsulated. The

متطوع بمؤسسة الاطلس الكبير بعد 50 سنة مضت والعالم بأسره يحتفل باليوم العالمي للأرض، باعتباره النواة واللبنة الأولى لوجود الحياة، وما له أيضا من حمولة رمزية وتاريخية ومجال لعيش جل الكائنات الحية الإنسان والحيوان والنبات، ومما لا شك فيه أن الإنسان من بين هذه الكائنات التي يتميز بالعقل الذي يجعله يتحمل مسؤولية أفعاله، إذن فهل

– المرأة الريفية في الأطلس الكبير تساهم في الحدّ من تغيّر المناخ عن طريق زراعة أشجار الفاكهة/ بقلم: أمينة الحجامي, AL WATAN VOICE. Director of Projects Climate change is one of the major issues that humans face in this day and age. It is a phenomenon that has social, economic, and political impacts. As the

HAF Project Manager The High Atlas Foundation prioritizes participant ownership of the project identification, design, management, and monitoring processes in all of its work in Morocco. It utilizes a plethora of techniques and tools to ensure that its work is conceived of and driven by its beneficiary base, and this in turn contributes to the

HAF Project Manager High Atlas Foundation in Morocco is involving all of society’s parts and actors to help establish sustainable development and build a shining future where everyone gets the right support needed. As an example, to fight to show this vision, the HAF team is preparing each group of youth, those who are in

HAF Trees Monitoring Officer Earth is greatly negatively affected by climate change. This is observed through rising sea levels, hurricanes, floods, forest fires, and other adverse environmental impacts. Immediate measures must be taken to mitigate or adapt to climate change and save the Earth.In this regard, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), in partnership with Ecosia