Houria Chouhab
HAF-F2F Volunteer Technical and Field Assistant

The members of Les Hauts Plateaux during the conceptual part of the workshop conducted by the HAF’s Farmer-to-Farmer local volunteer (Photo by HAF)

During the third week of July, the High Atlas Foundation’s USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program traveled with the local F2F volunteer to conduct training about manufacturing cosmetics using local aromatic plants for Les Hauts Plateaux Cooperative in Tendrara Commune (Figuig Province, Oriental region).

The previous activity of this cooperative was livestock production, but due to the drought and the increasing price of animal food, it became hard for the members to keep up with the needs. Therefore, they decided to change the cooperative’s activity to manufacturing cosmetics by using the herbs they have in the region.

The training was divided into theoretical and practical parts. The first part consisted of having the participants familiarize themselves with the ingredients and the way of dealing with each one. The cooperative’s members paid more attention as this was a brand new field for them, and the local volunteer was generous when it came to sharing his expertise with them.

Manufacturing cosmetics demands mixing ingredients, and one should be careful while dealing with certain materials. On the second part of the first day, the participants learned how to make natural soap using local plants such as rosemary and wormwood. The next product to learn to manufacture was the body and hand lotion, which was easily understood by the participants who stayed focused. This time, the natural ingredient used was the Blue Nila powder, which is well known for its good benefits such as lightening the skin tone and treating inflammation and disorders like eczema and psoriasis.

Hand lotion using the Blue Nila Powder manufactured by the members of Les Hauts Plateaux  (Photo by HAF)

Another product that Moroccans use at least once a week is a scrub soap used in the Moroccan Hammam. If you go to any market, you will find different types of scrub soap in different aromas and herbs. The host organization is willing to innovate and add its special touch to this product and other ones. By the end of the first training day, the participants were satisfied with what they learned and were curious about what they would learn the next day.

Moving forward in the workshop, the expert local volunteer shared the recipe and method of making shampoo. Even though the cooperative members did not have the necessary tools and materials to use during this workshop, the local volunteer tried to simplify the process by using simple kitchen materials until they purchased adequate tools.

With more attention and determination to learn new things, the participants were able to retain the steps followed in manufacturing each product.

The participants while experimenting with making the cosmetics (Photo by HAF)

It is worth mentioning that the HAF’s Farmer-to-Farmer team had conducted a similar workshop in Laayoune Charkia for the benefit of a women’s cooperative that participated in a competition just two weeks after the training.