By Ilham Safi( Program Assistant)

Women of Wardat al Atlas Cooperative in Ouaouizerth participate in a workshop with the EU Family Literacy program Photo credit: Sanae Benaadim (Program manager).

On March 30, 2022, Wardat Al Atlas cooperative engaged in a participatory approach meeting held by the EU Family Literacy team of Beni Mellal for the High Atlas Foundation (HAF). The workshop took place in Ouaouizerth commune, Azilal province.

Wardat Al Atlas cooperative was created in 2017 by a group of 12 motivated women. Their main activities are making food products from grains, making baked goods, beekeeping, selling honey, and valuing the aromatic herbs in the region. The hard work and the quest for renewal led Wardat Al Atlas to obtain national and international support from governmental and non-governmental agencies. Now, more than 120 persons earn money from the co-op, ensuring the sustenance of several families.

Because of the heavy rain and the bad weather, some women couldn’t attend the workshop. But, that didn’t stop the attendees from talking about their co-op needs. Thanks to the IMAGINE workshop that was conducted in January, women were no longer shy to express their feelings, share their thoughts and explain their future visions.

The community mapping and the priorities’ defining exercises helped the team from HAF to discover Wardat Al Atlas cooperative’s needs. They mentioned that they are in need of a headquarters, machines and financial funds. But, their urgent priorities are literacy classes and a training on how to make a scope of work to apply for ONSSA (National Office for Food Safety).

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.