By Bouchra Zine, Program Coordinator

Women of Ouled Brahim village participate in an IMAGINE Workshop, conducted by the HAF Family Literacy team in Beni Mellal-Khenifra. Photo: Bouchra Zine/HAF 

On April 11, 2022, the HAF Family Literacy team in Béni Mellal-Khénifra went to Ouled Brahim village, Boulanoire commune, Khouribga province in order to conduct a participatory approach workshop for 17 local women.

Previously, 25 local women and girls between 16 and 60 years of age participated in a four-day IMAGINE workshop, whose impact was clear. By the last day, they were no longer shy to express their feelings, share their thoughts, or, in general, speak in front of their peers.

Community mapping and needs assessment exercises revealed the women’s 10 main priorities: literacy classes, training on how cooperatives work, the pavement of local roads, establishment of a workspace for the cooperative, creation of a sewage system, increased public transportation options (i.e, a local bus), and the establishment of a primary school, mosque, hammam, and garden.

The women are still discussing how to start their own cooperative. They mentioned that specific objectives and processes are not yet clear to them, so the HAF Family Literacy team will seek to work with ODCO (Office of Development of Cooperation) in the City of Khouribga in order to further build the capacity of the women to know how to navigate building their own cooperative.

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.