Here at HAF, we hope that our friends, colleagues, partners and supporters have enjoyed the recent holidays and festivities of Aid el-Kebir, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. We would like to give thanks to each and every one of you for what you have made possible for Moroccan families and communities. On Giving Tuesday, we ask you to give back in support of two projects which tackle issues at the heart of HAF’s efforts: tree planting and youth empowerment.

HAF is proud to participate in Giving Tuesday on 3 December 2013. Giving Tuesday is a new day for giving back; a day to inspire personal philanthropy and to encourage bigger, better and smarter charitable giving during the holiday season. On this special day, the High Atlas Foundation seeks to generate support for two of our projects: the 1 million tree campaign in 8 Provinces of rural Morocco, and the Bernard Mejean Scholarship Fund for Girls’ Education.

Did you know that the High Atlas Foundation is planting its One-Millionth tree soon? On 16 January 2014, we will celebrate this milestone, and organize a planting ceremony with schoolchildren and communities at each of the project sites where HAF currently partners: Al Haouz, Azilal, Boujdour, Essaouira, Ifrane, Rhamna, Taroudant, and Taza. This event will reaffirm HAF’s commitment to improving the livelihood of rural Moroccan communities where it currently works while maintaining an eco-friendly approach to economic growth. The ceremony is both a celebration of past success, and an acknowledgment of all the work that still needs to be done. Celebrate GivingTuesday and help us to plant another million trees over the next two years. Sow the seeds of education and development by supporting this important effort through Global Giving.

Our second Giving Tuesday project aims to tackle a key obstacle in rural Moroccan economic and social development: the education of girls and young women.The Bernard Mejean Scholarship Fund for Girls provides the resources needed to achieve young womens’ dream of pursing higher education. Female youth in Morocco lack educational opportunities and the resources to pursue high school and higher education. Economic pressures and socio-cultural attitudes prevent many young women from completing their high school or further education. With the Bernard Mejean Scholarship for Girls’ Education we are able to contribute to the costs of books, school supplies and further course instruction for driven female youth, and will alleviate the financial burden of travel and enrolling in high schools or universities far from the students’ homes. Help HAF empower future female leaders and promote the importance of education. The Bernard Mejean project has qualified for Microsoft’s YouthSpark initiative, which means that Microsoft will be matching all donations on Giving Tuesday. Give on 3 December through GlobalGiving!

Celebrate Giving Tuesday with the High Atlas Foundation and support us by making a donation through GlobalGiving this Tuesday 3 December!