Malika is a HAF field facilitator of participatory planning activities with local communities.  Her role is to organize local community meetings, ensure broad participation, and act as a bridge between the people and outside institutions, all while maintaining a productive and informative experience for each individual. Hello, In my first weeks as field facilitator for

“Past Training Sessions at HAF’s Center at Hassan II University” This semester, HAF’s Mouhssine Tadlaoui-Cherki is teaching Project Design and Management to Masters Degree students at the Center for Community Consensus-Building and Sustainable Development – created in 2008 by HAF and Hassan II University in Mohammedia. We asked Mouhssine a few questions (Q), and here

In April-May 2012, Sami’s Project completed this year’s planting season with activities in 4 schools in Ouirgane rural commune, Al Haouz Province. HAF’s project team, students, teachers and managers of the schools, accompanied by some members of students’ parents’ association and some villagers participated together in planting the trees. In each school, HAF’s staff explained

On Saturday, May 26, 2012, Ouafa Elbargui and Malika Kassi of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) traveled from Marrakech to the Peace Corps Office in Rabat to participate in the panel discussions at the Peace Corps Morocco 50th Anniversary Celebration. Here, Ouafa reports on their experience: May 26, 2012 During the 4 hour program, there

Shonali Banerjee and Aliza Appelbaum are In-The-Field Representatives for GlobalGiving.  They are visiting projects in Morocco, Spain and France.  Here is their most recent “postcard” from Morocco: On June 27, 2012, Aliza and I had the pleasure of visiting two of the several High Atlas Foundation (HAF) sites.  HAF is one of GlobalGiving’s most active

by Ouafa Elbargui the HAF’s Center Coordinator From June 19th to  June 22nd 2012, the World Bank Civil Society Fund (CSF) held a Social Accountability Regional Workshop in Istanbul, Turkey. The workshop was designed for CSF grant winners and runner-ups from Middle East and North Africa working to promote and enhance social accountability in their

by Malika Kassi, a HAF Community Facilitator On the 24th of June, Chelsea, Hans and I attended an event in Ifrane where a group of Olmsted Scholars were running a marathon to raise money for High Atlas Foundation.  The Olmsted Scholars run in the Marathon International des Cèdres — a 90 km (56 mile), four-day

— Field update from Project Coordinator Ouafa Elbarqui Report about visiting schools Thursday June 19th, 2012 Alkairaouane school Deepening the holes for the trees seems to have helped; I found out that they are looking better. The school staff and the students are very enthusiastic of keeping the trees at school as Mrs Khadija Kandi,

Announcing a New Partnership JULY 2012 Following its successful, ongoing partnership with the High Commission of Waters and Forests, who lend land to HAF for community tree nurseries, HAF and the (Moroccan) Jewish Community of Marrakech* have signed a similar agreement to launch a pilot Tree Nursery project . [*In Morocco, a “Jewish Community” is

HAF’S “HARVEST EXPEDITION” TO SECURE ORGANIC CERTIFICATION AND EXPORT ALMONDS AND WALNUTS FROM THE HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS OF MOROCCO September 7th – 14th, 2012 From September 7th-14th 2012, the High Atlas Foundation’s project staff, nut specialists and entrepreneurs Mike Mellace and Tony Bagato, photographer Terry Munson, and a technician from Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture embarked

Thanks to funding received from MEPI (Middle East Partnership Initiative), HAF has been teaching female elected officials some participatory planning techniques that help them voice their views and be heard, thereby empowering them to strengthen their roles and become more active and effective leaders in building the capacities of their communities. This training is “learning

We at HAF are so very excited and grateful for this new funded initiative to secure organic certification of almonds and walnuts for family farmers of the High Atlas Mountains, beginning in the Tifnoute Valley of the Rural Commune of Toubkal. Please read about HAF’s project and other winners here – who all combine non-profit missions and

On September 25, the president of the High Atlas Foundation Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir, the vice president Mr. Larbi Didouqen, and myself (Ms. Ouafa Elbargui, HAF’s center coordinator) left Marrakech to Rabat, then travelled together with representatives of Kosmos Energy Morocco, Amideast, and the National Office of Hydrocarbon and Mines to Ifrane for the purpose of

The High Atlas Foundation is proud to partner with the Musicality Club at Carnegie Hall for an evening of classic music performed by the blossoming Moroccan pianist, Rita Saher. HAF embraces this unique opportunity to celebrate Moroccan talent in New York, bringing attention to HAF’s development projects in Morocco and reaffirming its strong ties across the

Wednesday, November 7, 2012 was a very hard day to say goodbye to my family, the people I love most in my life. I travelled from Ait Ourir to Marrakech at noon for the Supratour (Autobus) to Boujdour, which would depart at 2:30pm. The autobus was delayed for two hours and we left Marrakech at 4:30pm.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 I discovered a new district called “Alkhair’ where most of the local Saharawi people live.  After getting my bearings again, I finally decided to take the main avenue to return back.  I prayed and did some readings.  Then I went to the principle market of Boujdour city “Sawiqa”, about 1 kilometer

Wednesday, November 21, 2012 The meeting with Mr Abdelkarim, the president of the Division of the Interior Affairs at the local Government of Boujdour Province “Alaamala, ”was productive, but I still had a great deal to learn and understand about Saharawi culture before hosting community meetings. Boujdour Province is divided into four communes: Boujdour municipality

  This week, I conducted community meetings in Al Haouz provice with locally elected women who I identified with support of community leaders. The purpose of these meetings is to train women on how to be leaders in their community for a project sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy. In this regard, HAF is

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 I first saw the operations of civil society agents of Boujdour Province at the workshop room at the Associative Space, where the INDH training started on Tuesday. Wednesday was the second day of the first training session, which was organized by Boujdour Province within the framework of INDH and in implementation

The High Atlas Foundation participated in a benefit concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Saturday evening, December 14, 2012, given by virtuoso pianist Rita Saher. Rita, who is originally from Casablanca and began studying piano when she was ten, treated the large and appreciative audience to works by Mozart, Schubert, Poulenc, Albéniz, and Falla; and she responded with

I was pleased to receive a call from Mr Brahim, a member of an association for “education and development” in Boujdour city this morning. He invited me to go to visit their association to learn about its activities. In the afternoon, I went to meet Mr Brahim at L’Entraide Centre Nationale (National Solidarity Center) with which they

Wednesday was an amazing day.  A day full of possibilities and adventure for the HAF Interns we have been training, as well as for our professional staff.  The training was.  The High Atlas Foundation’s MEPI program in Mohammadia had its first large scale – 65 people – meeting and training (held in the main auditorium

   Azul La Luz, PhD., CCHt, Curriculum Specialist, High Atlas Foundation Mohammadia, Morocco It happened again!  Except this time it was twice as great and full of even more excitement than the last time.  The second large MEPI training of students took place in the auditorium of the University of Hassan II in Mohammadia.  This

A blog from Fatima Zahra Laarbi, HAF’s Administrative Assistant انطلاقا من تجربتي الشخصية التي دامت شهرين بمؤسسة الاطلس الكبير اكتشفت ان هذه الاخيرة تسعى الى تكريس مبدأ تنمية العالم القروي ،و خدمة الفئات الهشة فى المجتمعفالمؤسسة هي مؤسسة تقوم بأعمال خيرية محضة دون السعي الى الكسب ، هذه الاعمال تولد لك الاحساس بالسعادة نظرا لأنها تساعد المحتاجين اولا و تساهم في تنمية المغربثانيا و لأنها تخدم الانسانية كافة هذا المبدأ الذي يتماشى مع الفطرة السليمة. فيما يخص عملي بمؤسسة الاطلس الكبير جعلني اعيش تجربة فريدة يغلب عليها الطابع الخيّر المتمثل في اعانة الاخر.فضلا عن التكوينات المستمرة التي تمد جسور الخير والتواصل هده الاخيرة التي تساهم هي الاخرى في تكريس مبدأ الخير المتبادل، فعلى سبيل المثال لا الحصر حضرت احدى التكوينات المستمرة حول المقاربة التشاركية التيكانت بمقر المؤسسة ابتداء من 22 نونبر الى غاية 24 منه فسجلت مجموعة من المواقف اهمها هيمنة العمل النبيل على العلاقات العملية بين اعضاء المؤسسة فضلا على ان هذهالتكوينات لا تنمي العالم القروي فحسب بل تنمي ايضا القدرات الشخصية لكل فرد عامل بالمؤسسة فالإحساس الدى يراودني و انا أؤدي عملى بالمؤسسة اشعر انني انمي قدراتيالشخصية وأساعد على تنمية بلدى فبالرغم من ان هذه المؤسسة صغيرة إلا ان اهدافها كبيرة و تحقق مشاريع اكبر فمؤسسة الاطلس الكبير تقوم بمجهودات جبارة تجعلك تعيش احساس السعادة هدا الاحساس الذي يكبر مع نجاح كل مشروع تنموي انساني لكن هذه المجهودات ليست وليدةالصدفة بل هي ثمرة تكتل كل اعضاء المؤسسة خاصة رئيس المؤسسة السيد يوسف بن مير و السيد عبد الرحيم ورغيدي اللذان يحرصان دائما على اداء المهام بكل اخلاصوتفان و اتمنى المزيد من التألق و العطاء لهذه المؤسسة و ان تكون سنة 2013 سنة ازدهار و نجاح.

Advancing Participatory Democracy A Training Program in Partnership with the National Endowment for Democracy The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) is organizing in partnership with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) an experiential participatory training program for the locally elected women (LEW) to communal councils in the AL Haouz province.  The purpose of the training program

   Azul La Luz, PhD., CCHt, HAF Curriculum Expert Mohammadia, Morocco Happy New Year, may it be a wonderfully growing experience for you.  It has begun that way for me at the third MEPI training that took place in the auditorium of the University of Hassan II in Mohammadia.  The five Student Interns conducted the

English بعد  انتظارطويل، استطاعت منظمة الاطلس الكبير أن تؤسس فرعا لها  باقليم بوجدور. هذا الفرع الذي كان سببا  لي في عمل عزيز على قلبي وهو العمل التنموي في القرى المنسية، وبالتحديد باقليم بوجدور الذي ـ وبالرغم من كل ميزاته الجغرافية ـ يعرف نوعا من التهميش. بعد الحصول على الوصل المؤقت سمحت لي الظروف بالعمل  مع

American Peace Corps Volunteers in Morocco spend two years living and working at the local level – often in very remote areas. They live with families and create projects that meet the needs of the communities, in the areas of health and sanitation, maternal child health, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. A typical project might involve

To all who were part of the High Atlas Foundation’s “Kick-off” Reception in New York City, we sincerely thank you.  We are thrilled to tell you that we had over 140 guests and achieved our fundraising goal – $20,000!  The proceeds will go towards an irrigation and tree-planting project in the Ait Wafqa Commune near

With the planting season just around the corner, it is time to call out – Plant a Tree. Our project goal for this initiative (which also includes potable water) is an ambitious $500,000. Benefits for communities involved in this project include income diversification and employment, ecosystem restoration, technical capacity building, diversification of household diets, the