By Bouchra Zine, Program Coordinator
Members of the Yamna cooperative participate in a workshop conducted by the HAF Family Literacy team on April 8, 2022. Photo: HAF
On April 8, 2022, 16 members of Yamna Cooperative benefited from a participatory approach workshop conducted by the HAF Family Literacy team in Beni Mellal-Khénifra. The workshop took place in Zaouiat Cheikh commune, Beni Mellal province.
Cooperative Yamna was created in 2015 by a social activist named Itou Ouamou. Their main activities are making food products from grains and collecting the aromatic herbs of the region. Their work ethic and desire to continue and revive their work led the cooperative to obtain national and international support from governmental and non-governmental agencies. Now, more than 30 people earn income from their membership in the cooperative, ensuring the sustenance of several families in the community.
During this workshop, the women kept reflecting on their IMAGINE empowerment workshop experience, which had taken place earlier in March, remarking on the positive insights and life skills gained during the four-day workshop.
The community mapping and needs assessment exercises helped the group of women to identify 12 collective priorities for their community: literacy classes, professional training, establishing an office or meeting space for the cooperative, hospital renovation, a maternity ward, paving the road to Tarda village, a sewing factory, police station, public transportation (i.e., a bus system), a fish market, a public hammam, and a children’s park.
In the afternoon, the HAF team met the Pacha of Zaouiat Cheikh in order to discuss the possibility of establishing a partnership with the university in Beni Mellal. The Pacha acknowledged this and offered to initiate contact on behalf of the program.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the High Atlas Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
