Malika is a HAF field facilitator of participatory planning activities with local communities.  Her role is to organize local community meetings, ensure broad participation, and act as a bridge between the people and outside institutions, all while maintaining a productive and informative experience for each individual.

Hello,

In my first weeks as field facilitator for HAF, I felt that this is just the start. During these weeks, I began to understand and get more familiar with HAF and its approach. I learned from my supervisor that HAF’s participatory approach is not for extracting information from the communities but it is for development, building and establishing strong and good relationships between the workers of development and the community people. More than that, it is for building trust and remaining committed to the community people.

Thanks to my supervisor Si Abderrahim who inspired me, I learned the basic and most important elements that could help develop my skills of learning, listening and patience. We worked with different people who speak different languages (Arabic and TashlHit). I feel myself that I was walking in the shoes of the community people and I started to understand their perspective on their communities. Also, I learned that the community people are the ones who shape their projects based on their perspectives and with the help of HAF’s approach.

I wouldn’t deny that I encounter a few challenges but I always take those challenges as opportunities. Despite all these challenges, I have felt very supported by my supervisor and others on HAF’s team who motivated me to remain strong,  which makes me fully believe that those challenges and opportunities are the kind of things that could make me a good leader in the future in this lovely country in which I am living.

Malika Kassi